Simple tapenade

Great for anytime you need a quick dip, sandwich addition, or spread! I like the big, salty flavor of a Kalamata for this if it is for a dip. But a tapenade with more delicate and mild olives is great for topping fish, chicken, or grilled vegetables (where I might add some garlic as well). You can also experiment both the ratios below and with other ingredients as well. This is a great base recipe!

Prep time: 1/4 cocktail

1 1/2 cup pitted olives, Kalamatas and/or other olive varieties, drained and lightly rinsed
1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup olive oil
1 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice + 1/2 tsp of the grated zest 
2 anchovy filets (optional)
1-2 TBSP capers + 1/2 tsp caper brine
2 TBSP shallots, finely minced
1/4 cup pine nuts
Black pepper to taste

You can lightly toast the pine nuts in a dry pan if you would like, as this brings out their full flavor. But this is an optional step. 

Combine everything EXCEPT capers, shallots, pine nuts, and pepper in food processor. Pulse the mixture until you reach the desired consistency (finely broken down but not all the way into a paste). 

Transfer olive mixture to a bowl and stir in capers, shallots, pine nuts, and pepper. 

Adjust seasoning to taste.

(Sometimes the ingredients will release liquid and it'll pool a little if the tapenade stands fro a few minutes. You can add a couple pinches of bread crumbs to absorb excess liquid. Just don't add so much bread crumbs that you change the flavor or texture of the final product.)

Spiced nuts - aka, the reason I'm gaining weight now

 

I recently gave up booze but I still like to imbibe occasionally and reefer has become my new go-to intoxicant. But moving from alcohol to the Devil's Lettuce has meant that I now develop nearly insatiable munchees on occasion. I had been stuffing my gullet with cookies and other processed snacks, but that's a 1-way ticket to hypertension. So I decided to start making spiced nuts for when I inhale a little jazz cabbage. This is a filling--but much healthier--snack. But the problem is that the recipe is too good! I've started eating these nuts at all hours, even when there's no sticky icky in sight. So just be careful. If you eat too much, you too might need to be mindful of your own ballooning waistline. That's just a testament of how good Deez Nutz really are!

The recipes below are two of my favorite spice combos, but you can use anything you want, like ras el hanout or berbere nuts for an African flair, 5-spice for a Chinese twist, or zatar and sumac for a middle eastern flair. I've even used chorizo or schwarma spice combinations that have turned out great!

There are two prep options below. The chili lime recipe calls for oil and the curry recipe calls for egg as ways to bind the seasoning to the nuts. Both are great approaches. The oil approach keeps the texture of the nuts about the same, while the egg whites make the nuts incredibly crunchy. But both methods are interchangeable--it just depends on whether you want your nuts regular or extra crunchy (or vegan v/s non-vegan). 

Prep time: Almost instant (except the baking and cooling times)

Chili lime nuts

This is my absolute favorite homemade spiced nuts recipe at the moment. 

2 cups/8 ounces of raw, unsalted nuts (my favorite for this is pecan, but anything will work, including a mix)
1-2 TBSP canola or avacado oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBSP Tajin 

Preheat oven to 275F in convection mode (if you don't have convection, use 300F and be mindful that you'll need to stir the nuts around a little more often and the baking time may be a little different).

In a mixing bowl, combine the nuts and oil. Nuts like walnuts and pecans have a lot of crevices, so you'll want to add more like 2 TBSP oil to fully get into all the nooks and crannies of these. If you use smoother nuts like cashews or almonds, only 1 TBSP of oil is needed. Mix very, very well (but gently) with a rubber spatula, stirring at least 60 seconds.

Now stir in salt and Tajin. Gently stir super well again with a rubber spatula--at least 60 more seconds. 

Arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet so that nuts aren't touching, and put in the oven to bake for 25-40 minutes, until the nuts have just turned a slightly darker shade and have a nice roasted flavor--but don't burn them! Remove from oven at least once during cooking and stir well and reset the nuts so that they aren't touching before putting in the oven.

Once cooked, let the pan of nuts cool on the countertop for at least 1-2 hours. Then transfer to an airtight container that has a folded paper towel at the bottom to collect any little bits of oil or moisture. 

Curried extra crunchy nuts

Using egg whites instead of oil gives these nuts a super crunchy texture. The quality and age of the curry powder can make a massive difference here, so you may need to experiment with and/or doctor your current curry powder.

2 cups/8 ounces of raw, unsalted nuts (I like walnuts most for this recipe, but any nuts or combination will work)
1 egg white
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBSP curry powder

2 TBSP brown sugar

A few pinches of other common curry spices, optional (can include ground garam masala, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, tumeric, etc.) 

Preheat oven to 275F in convection mode (if you don't have convection, use 300F and be mindful that you'll need to stir the nuts around a little more often and the baking time may be a little different).

In a smallish mixing bowl, add the egg white. Whisk the egg white pretty agressively until it goes from transparent to whiteish. Once egg white is nicely whipped, mix in nuts and incorporate egg white very well (but gently) with a rubber spatula, stirring at least 60 seconds. The nuts should look pretty much dry after the egg is fully incorporated.

Now stir in salt, curry, and brown sugar (plus any optional spices). Gently stir super well again with a rubber spatula--at least 60 more seconds. 

Arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet so that nuts aren't touching, and put in the oven to bake for 25-40 minutes, until the nuts have just turned a slightly darker shade and have a nice roasted flavor--but don't burn them! Remove from oven at least once during cooking and stir well and reset the nuts so that they aren't touching before putting in the oven.

Once cooked, let the pan of nuts cool on the countertop for at least 1-2 hours. Then transfer to an airtight container that has a folded paper towel at the bottom to collect any little bits of oil or moisture. 

Vegan (or not) miso slaw

Now that summer is in full swing, we have an overwhelming amount of fresh veggies coming from the garden. That's one reason why this recipe is so great: while I use cabbage and carrots, you can opt for just about any crunchy vegetables that you have on hand or in the garden. Instead of (or in addition to) my veggies, you can also use broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bell peppers, radish, cucumber, zucchini, Napa cabbage, or anything else you can think of. Just shred, julienne or grate what you decide to throw in there. This is adapted from the Bon Appetit creamy miso slaw recipe. 

Prep time: 1/2 cocktail

2/3 cup Just Mayo (I think it's the best brand of vegan mayo by a long shot) or non-vegan mayonnaise
2 TBSP red miso
2 TBSP rice vinegar
1 TBSP grated ginger
2 tsp sugar
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 tsp rice wine
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp lemon juice
1 small head cabbage or 1/2 large head finely shredded
2 carrots peeled and grated
4 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
Garnish: black and/or tan sesame seeds and/or a bit of chopped cilantro

In a mixing bowl, whisk first 8 ingredients really well, adjust soy sauce, lemon juice, or sugar as desired (I usually add just a touch more sugar and lemon juice). Toss dressing with cabbage, carrots, and scallions. Let chill in the refrigerator until completely cold. Toss again and garnish right before serving. 

Greek-Style Stuffed Mushrooms

This is a great food to serve at cocktail party or any other event that calls for finger food. I make this every year for Super Bowl parties. Absolutely kills it! This recipe calls for walnut oil, but if you don’t have it around and don’t want to purchase it, using olive oil instead is perfectly fine. 

Prep time: 1/2 cocktail (but requires a few hours to marinate) 

2 pounds white mushrooms, (medium-to-large in size)

1 cup full-bodied, highly-oaked red wine (California Cabernet is a great choice)

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2/3 cup olive oil

Several large pinches salt and pepper

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

3 TBSP dried bread crumbs

¼ cup minced parsley, minced

¼ cup fresh basil, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 TBSP walnut oil

A handful of raisins (the secret ingredient!)

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and discard. Combine mushroom caps, wine, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in large air-tight Tupperware container or freezer bag. Shake gently and allow to marinate for at least 3 hours, gently shaking or stirring periodically.

Once mushrooms have been marinating for almost the full amount of time, preheat oven to 300. Line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place the caps open-side-up so that they’re not touching.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine feta, bread crumbs, parsley, basil, and garlic stir well with your hands or wooden spoon. When well mixed, stir in the walnut oil. Mis well. Spoon mixture into mushroom caps. Finish each cap by gently pushing in 4 or so raisins into each mushroom with your fingers.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked through, but not dried out. Serve warm.

Caponata: The Culinary Equivalent of Celebrity Sex Pics

This is another recipe I have unabashedly stolen (and improved upon) from an unnamed restaurant I once worked at. Like stolen celebrity sex pics and 100-year-old Irish drinking songs, this recipe is just too good not to be in out there in the public domain. So by stealing this recipe and posting it, it's basically an act of selfless community service I'm performing. You'll thank me later.

If you're unfamiliar, caponata--which is somewhat similar to ratatouille--is a classic Sicilian condiment. However, caponata is zingier thanks to the addition of olives, vinegar and capers. It can be enjoyed as a delicious cold appetizer spread that’s great on crackers or bread, it can be used as a vegan spread for sandwiches. You can even toss it warm with hot pasta and warm brie cheese for an amazingly decadent dinner.  Note that this is a pretty huge (party-size) portion. You may want to halve this if not feeding a football team.

Prep time: 3 cocktails

1 large eggplant

2/3 cup olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 celery stalk, chopped

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, chopped

1/2 tsp cayenne (or a bit more to taste)

1/3 cup carrots, diced finely

1/2 cup canned tomato sauce (or 4 tomatoes pureed and cooked down with a bit of salt)

1 cup Kalamata olives, chopped

3 TBSP sugar

1.5 TBSP capers

1/3 cups red wine vinegar

2 tsp Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Peel eggplant, then dice into ¼-inch cubes. Toss with 1/4 cup olive oil and spread on a cookie sheet and place in oven. Roast until soft (about 20 minutes). Remove from oven.

Heat a large pan, Dutch oven, or wok over medium high heat. Add remaining oil. When oil is hot, add eggplant, carrot, onion, garlic, and celery and sauté, stirring frequently until onion becomes transparent—about 10 minutes. Now add all other ingredients EXCEPT pine nuts and parsley and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cook until vegetables begin to break down a bit and most of the excess liquid has cooked off, stirring frequently. This can take some time—30 minutes to 1 hour in most cases, but it can vary depending on how juicy your veggies are. Just don’t cook everything into a total paste. Add parsley when the mixture is about done and sauté for 2 more minutes.

Remove from heat and toss in pine nuts. Salt and pepper to taste. Add enough salt to balance out the sugar and other flavors.

Poor Man's Red Pepper Hummus

So as a purist, I used to scoff at people who advocated using peanut butter in hummus as a cost-cutting work-around of having to use tahini. Mostly, I saw these people as an inferior class who deserved little more than spiteful disregard.

Then I became one of them.

I was at a friend's house making some hummus and they didn't have tahini. After I was done with my too-loud passive-aggressive sighs and eyerolls, I finally gave in and used peanut butter and threw in a roasted bell pepper to liven things up. Turns out the peanut butter and bell pepper compliment each other magically and the hummus was among the best I've ever had. From proud purist to hummus heretic, I've fallen from my pedestal. And it couldn't be more delicious down here.

Prep time: 1 cocktail

1 large red bell pepper
15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
2 TBSP peanut butter
1 clove garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup good olive oil
2 TBSP water
Fresh ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to broil. Poke holes in the pepper with a fork and set it directly on the oven rack. Cook until the top gets totally charred, then rotate with the tongs so a non-burned side is facing up. repeat until the entire pepper is well-blackened. remove the pepper from the oven and place in a small paper bag. Seal the top of the paper bag well and let cool 15 minutes. When it's cool, take the pepper under cool running water and remove the charred skin from the flesh with your hands. Also remove the top, seeds, and innards. Discard everything but the flesh.

Combine the red bell pepper flesh and all the other ingredients in a food processor and puree super well.

Optional garnishes include additional olive oil, paprika, and minced parsley.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper (or just plain) Hummus

Simple, fast, delicious. That's about all I need to say about this one. Eat heartily and often. 

Prep time: 1/4 cocktail

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

Juice of 1 lemon

¼ cup tahini

1 clove garlic (no more)

¼ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley

½ tsp salt (or more to taste)

2 TBSP green onions

4 TBSP olive oil

1 roasted red bell pepper, seeds and skin removed (optional)

Combine all ingredients in food processor. Puree until smooth. It may be necessary to add some water or additional olive oil to reach your desired consistency.

Adjust if there is too little lemon or salt. Serve chilled.

Alternate recipe:

Omit parsley, bell pepper and green onion. Replace with a couple pinches each allspice and cumin. And maybe a touch of sugar. Prepare the same way.