meats & fish

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Salad

I often serve smoked salmon on cucumber rounds for a simple appetizer; this Smoked Salmon Salad recipe is modeled after that idea. Instead of a cream cheese dollop, a Lemon Honey Vinaigrette brings it all together.

Happy Eats,

Monique

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Salad

1 English cucumber

2 celery stalks

1 tbls capers

4 – 6 oz smoked salmon

3 tbls fresh lemon juice

3 tbls extra virgin olive oil

3/4 tsp grainy mustard

2 tbls fresh dill, torn or chopped

2 tsp honey

1/4 tsp black pepper

Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, dill honey and black pepper. Set aside.

Dice the cucumber and celery. Toss with the capers and half of the dressing (add more as needed).

Top with the smoked salmon.

Chorizo Sausage-Stuffed Summer Squash

Take your summer squash up a knotch by making a sausage-stuffed summer squash using chorizo. Guaranteed to fill you up and taste amazing. I created it dairy free, but give you an option to top with cheese based on your preference.

Enjoy!

~Monique

Chorizo Stuffed Summer Sausage

4 large yellow summer squash or zucchini

4 chorizo sausages

2 tbls olive or avocado oil or ghee

1 small onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 celery sticks, diced

1 tbls fresh thyme

Salt and pepper

Cashew Bechamel Sauce

Optional: edible flowers, cheese

Remove the sausages from the casing and saute until cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Remove from pan and set aside. Remove an extra grease from pan as well.

While the meat is cooking. Cut the squash in half lengwise and scoop out the insides (saving this for the stuffing), leaving just enough flesh for the squash to retain their shape.

Rub the squash with 1 tbls of oil, season well with salt and pepper. Grill (or roast) the squash until just fork tender.

Dice the onions and celery and mince the garlic. Also dice up insides of the squash.

Heat remaining oil over medium high heat, add the diced onions and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes just to soften. Add in the garlic and the diced squash and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes until the squash is lightly sauted. Add back in the chorizo nd the fresh thyme and toss well. If the pan is super dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed.

Place each squash on a platter and fill each with the chorizo filling.

Drizzle with my creamy , ‘cheesy’ Cashew Bechamel sauce. Top with edible flowers. Enjoy while warm.

Optional: Or top with a bit of cheese, then place under the oven broiler for a couple minutes to melt the cheese.

Simple Crock Pot Shredded Beef

Ingredients

2-4 lbs grass fed beef; shoulder, arm or chuck roast

juice of 2 oranges

juice of 1 lime

1 jalapeno

4 cloves garlic cloves

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Directions

Cut the beef into about 6 pieces, season really well with the salt and pepper. Brown the meat on all sides (you could skip this step but I think it gives the meat better flavor).

Place the orange and lime juice, jalapeno and garlic in a blender, blend to combine. Add to the meat, cover and let cook on low for 5-8 hours. Shred the beef with two forks.

Enjoy!

Crock-Pot Shredded Beef with Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients
Roasted spaghetti squash (see our roasted spaghetti squash recipe)

Crock-pot beef (see our simple crockpot beef recipe)

Salsa (see our oregano cumin salsa recipe)

Directions
This is a great recipe for when you have left over shredded beef. Just toss with roasted spaghetti squash and add a spoonful of salsa.

Super easy and delicious.

Za’atar

Cooking Time
5 minutes

Ingredients
1 tbls fresh dried thyme

2 tbls toasted sesame seeds

2 tsp sumac

1/2 tbls coarse

Directions
Lightly crush the thyme. Toss all the ingredients together in a glass jar.

Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks for best freshness.

Notes
This is a traditional eastern Mediterranean spice blend. Use as a seasoning on everything from veggies to meat and fish. Try with olive oil or yogurt for a quick dip.

Sumac is a tart lemony lebanese spice found at most spice shops.

Turkey Buddha Bowl with Smoky Tahini Sauce

Prep Notes
The Buddha Bowl is like a big salad, but more nourishing as they are filled with the likes of greens, grains, raw and cooked veggies, nuts, seeds…. kind of the whole kitchen. Adding just the right sauce, dip or topping brings the whole bowl to a new level of taste and texture.

I created this particular bowl just in time to use up leftover turkey, but there are not real rules with the buddha bowl. So if you don’t have wild rice use brown rice. If you have green cabbage rather than purple, use it. Just fill it up with as much variety you can and enjoy how nutritious and hearty a big buddha can be.

Cooking Time
20 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 white onion, diced

2 garlic cloves

2 tbls coconut or olive oil

1/4 head of cauliflower, chopped into small pieces

6-12 brussel sprouts, cut in half

1/4 cup raw almonds, chopped

1/4 cup dried fruit (apricots, figs, etc), chopped

1 cup cooked turkey, shredded or diced

1 cup cooked wild rice

1 cup purple cabbage, thinly sliced

1 radish, sliced thin

1 handful cilantro, chopped

Crispy Chickpeas (optional but adds a great crunch)

Smoky Paprika Tahini Sauce:

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tbls tamari (or soy sauce)

3 tbls fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp salt

Directions
Heat the oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat. Add in the chopped onions and cauliflower, cook for 5 minutes tossing often. The goal is to just begin to soften the cauliflower not cook it all the way through. Toss in the garlic, dried fruit and a pinch of salt and pepper, cook for another minute and then pour into a bowl.

In the same pan add the halved brussel sprouts, cut side down. If the pan is really dry you can add another drizzle of oil. Also add in the chopped almonds. Place the pan over the medium high heat and let it cook a few minutes just to sear the sprouts. Toss or flip and cook another couple of minutes. Pour into the bowl with the cauliflower, cover with foil and set aside.

Add the cooked wild rice to the pan, pushing it to one side of the pan. On the other side add in the chopped turkey. Add in a about 1/4 cup water, cover and set over medium heat.

Blend the sauce: Add all the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste, adjust if you like a bit more lemon, salt or paprika or a tad more water for a runnier sauce.

Place the sliced cabbage, radishes and cilantro on a plate. Set out along with the cooked veggies and the pan of rice and turkey. Let everyone build their own bowl by adding a few scoops of each item: the cauliflower/brussel sprout/almonds/dried fruit mixture, a spoon of wild rice and turkey, a bit of purple cabbage, a few radishes and a pinch of cilantro. I like to offer a good coarse salt and extra pepper for guest to add as well as the crispy chickpeas. (Try my recipe for Crispy, Crunchy, Roasted Chickpeas.) Top with a good drizzle of the smokey tahini sauce and enjoy while warm.