Tag: dip

Veggie

Hummus

Guys, I am never buying store-bought hummus again. Big statement. But it is way less difficult to make than you think. This creamy, beautiful hummus requires two cans of chickpeas and not much else. It pairs well with tzatziki/cacik sauce and is a staple for any Mediterranean spread. It also has a lot of protein for those who are #plantbased. Admittedly, hummus is healthier when the dippers are cucumbers and carrots, but I have an inescapable addiction to Stacy’s pita chips so hummus, unfortunately, must be consumed in moderation in my kitchen. Highly recommend.

The key to creamy hummus is in how long you blend your chickpeas. The flavor is all in the toppers. Get creative and enjoy!

🍋🧄🍋

Lemony, garlicky, imminently dippable, and minimal.

what you need

2 cans (30oz) chickpeas

1 cup of the chickpea liquid from the can

1/2 cup tahini

1/4-1/2 cup good olive oil

juice from 1 lemon

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon cumin

salt to taste

one hell of a powerful blender

For serving: chickpeas, cucumber, halved tomato cherries, drizzle olive oil, minced parsley, sprinkle of sumac and/or paprika and/or cayenne pepper

how to make it

Place chickpeas, half of the chickpea liquid, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and spices into your ‘one hell of a powerful blender.’

Puree on high for approximately 2 minutes, adding additional chickpea liquid after two minutes if the texture isn’t becoming smooth enough. The secret to smooth hummus is just to keep blending…

Taste for flavor and add spices as needed. Spoon your hummus onto a plate and spread it out drizzling with olive oil and adding your toppers. These can be cucumbers, thinly sliced bell peppers, small feta cheese crumbles, halved cherry tomatoes, roasted pistachios, and, of course, healthy sprinkles of sumac And cayenne.

Tzatziki

Tzatziki sauce is a staple of Mediterranean cooking. There are several variations on the theme to include the Turkish Cajik and Haydari sauces. The basic idea is to combine cucumber, dill, mint, lemon, or garlic in some meaningful way and use it as a dipping sauce. It’s great with fresh vegetables or pita, but also delicious as a dipping sauce for red meat as in a kofte or kebab. Authentically, at least for Cajik, the cucumber is grated and then pressed to expel water, but this version is a whole lot simpler. It was part of our recent Mediterranean dinner

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July 16, 2022 2 Comments

caesar salad sauce recipe one and a half slices

Caesar Sauce

This is an all-purpose, HEALTHY, creamy, herby, Caesar-esque sauce for dressing salad, for dipping vegetables, and, yes, even for chicken wings. And it has become a staple weeknight meal component in this house.

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January 16, 2021 5 Comments

Borek

Borek [boh-rek] (plural Böreği) is a delicious Turkish/Eastern European street food that I added to the OneandahalfSlices repertoire in college when a Turkish friend took the time to teach me a little of his home cuisine. I would go as far as to call borek the Balkan empanada – pervasive with a distinct variation on the theme in every country. It can be baked, fried, filled with cheese, filled with greens, filled with meat, but usually involves Phyllo dough (unless you are me and are too lazy to deal with Phyllo dough). This particular borek is called Sigara because it is rolled into tubes like a cigarette. It makes a great brunch, lunch, or light dinner option (as pictured here) and has its origins in Ottoman cuisine.

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May 28, 2022 3 Comments

Tags chickpea, dip, garlic, greek, hummus, lemon, Mediterranean, sauce, sumac, tahini, Turkey, Turkish, tzatziki

Local Veggie

Caesar Sauce

What is Caesar “sauce?” You mean Caesar dressing… as in, Caesar salad? Or is this some kind of dipping sauce? And does it have anything to do with dill? Yes, all three! This is an all-purpose, HEALTHY, creamy, herby, Caesar-esque sauce for dressing salad, for dipping vegetables, and, yes, even for chicken wings. And it has become a weeknight meal staple in this house.

How can sauce be the centerpiece of a weeknight dinner?

Keep reading…

///Update: If you are looking for a more traditional Caesar dressing recipe, you can find it here.

There are several core, buy-every-time-I’m-at-the-grocery-store ingredients in my kitchen. 0% (non-fat) plain Greek Yogurt is one of them. I eat a ton of it, mostly in homemade breakfast parfaits. Chobani, Fage, or Whole Foods brand will do. But most importantly, it serves two unique purposes: (1) It doubles as sour cream. That’s right. Anywhere you would put sour cream (chili, baked potato, sweet potato, quesadillas), just lop on a dollop of Greek yogurt instead; (2) It serves as the base for creamy sauces like this one.

Homemade Caesar dressing is delicious, especially when made with a non-fat base like Greek yogurt as opposed to Mayonnaise. With a few alterations, you can easily turn this into a dill sauce for dipping (which pairs phenomenally well with carrots or drizzled on baked potatoes). So take this where you want to take it with customizations following the base outlined below. And if you come up with something that you like, please share it in the comments section!

Steak Caesar Salad 1

Steak Caesar Salad 2

(local flat iron steak from the Whiffletree Farm meat CSA)

This sauce is integral to my mission to re-imagine the American weeknight dinner, a la Michael Pollan and Dan Barber. Simply put, putting meat at the center of every meal is not a good thing – not good for our bodies, not natural, and, most importantly, not good for the greater food system and its sustainability over time… our sustainability over time. Both Pollan and Barber state it more eloquently than I ever could, so for a quick dose of this philosophy, I recommend Season 1, Episode 2 of Chef’s Table on Netflix.

Telling World War II era Americans not to eat steak and potatoes is about as American as communism. But let’s not make it about our politics or our cultural identity. Let’s make it about our relationship with food and how, worldwide, it has gone astray. Food is highly commoditized, commercialized, and over-engineered. And our relationship with it is a product of convenience, indulgence, and excellent marketing (did you know that there is a sugar lobby right here in Washington, DC?!).

So what can we do? How can we fix it? First and foremost, vote with our feet. Explore Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the local area. The Northern Virginia area has several and mine is, proudly, Potomac Vegetable Farms with a Whiffletree Farm meat share (supplemented by periodic trips to the Spring House Farm). And patronize truly local farm-to-table restaurants (The Restaurant at Patowmac Farm and Field & Main, you rock my world… even Fiola DC has allowed COVID to take it in a new farm-centric direction).

Potomac Vegetable Farms works in concert with many smaller farms nearby (it has meat, poultry, and eggs, not just vegetables). Using a CSA not only supports local farms but it forces us to eat more seasonally – more naturally – as opposed to running to the store for an imported ingredient anytime we want to make a dish. You’ll make tomato soup in the summer because that is when tomatoes are abundant. And guess what? Those tomatoes will taste SO much better. While CSAs typically require payment up front, they average out to the equivalent of store-bought groceries… because produce isn’t expensive; packaged food items are. Just be flexible and focus on your store-bought staples (like yogurt, in my case), letting the CSA contents drive the menu for the week. And don’t be afraid to put a baked potato, a sweet potato, or a Portobello mushroom at the center of your weeknight plate.

hmm… I got a TON of carrots this week… how will I use all these carrots?! Hey, I know a food blog for that… 😉🥕

what you need

> > > Base

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (Reggiano is best)

2 table spoons olive oil

1 garlic clove (raw or roasted)

Salt & black pepper to taste

> > For Caesar

2 teaspoons anchovy paste

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

(optional) dash of Worcestershire sauce

> > For dipping sauce

1 tablespoon dried dill (or 2 tablespoons fresh dill)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Sweet Hungarian paprika, to top

how to make it

For either variation, place all ingredients in high-speed blender (this is my favorite 3-in-1) and combine.

The thickness will largely depend on the consistency of your yogurt (for example, Chobani is thinner where Fage makes a much thicker yogurt). Most often, the sauce will be too thick and require thinning. This can be done with water, milk (non-dairy like cashew, macadamia, or oat is fine), or by adding extra lemon juice and olive oil.

Feel free to play with the amounts. Anchovy paste is one of the key ingredients to authentic Caesar dressing (but then, so is egg, if not in the sauce, in the salad itself). So if you like to anchovy it up, by all means. This recipe is tuned to my taste, with extra parmesan. I will also usually be heavy handed with the dill if making the sauce variation.

You can also roast the garlic clove in tinfoil for 10 minutes on 350 to deepen the garlic flavor.

Top either dressing or sauce with a sprinkle of paprika.

Sweet Potato Wedge Dippers

Carrot chips!

Carrot Chip Dippers

hmm… I got a TON of carrots this week… how will I use all these carrots?! Hey, I know a food blog for that… 😉🥕

Tags blender, caesar, condiment, Dan Barber, dill, dip, garlic, kitchen equipment, Mediterranean, Michael Pollan, parmesan, philosophy, salad, salad dressing, sauce, vegetarian, weeknight

Veggie

Guacamole

The avocado is native to… Mexico! The growing season peaks in the summer but avocados are prevalent year-round (PSA: this post is NOT local). Then there is the less-desirable, much larger Florida avocado, which is less preferable for guacamole due to its high water content.

The avocado has an extremely high fat content with about 20g of fat per cup. But it’s the good kind of fat (yes, there is a good kind). We actually really need healthy fats in our diet which is why I am not high on low-fat or non-fat things. When you eat fat, eat real fat (e.g., avocados, nuts, coconut, yogurt, cheese) and when you’re going to eat sugar, eat real sugar (e.g., fruit, honey, maple syrup).

High in fiber, potassium, and vitamins, avocados are super nutritious. Honestly, most of the fat in a snack of chips and guac is in the chips… Which is why I recommend serving guacamole with carrot sticks and cucumbers. You’ve probably all heard my healthy living rule of thumb by now: if you do nothing else, don’t eat anything that comes in a package. Easy rule to follow, right? I’m convinced it’s the single best thing someone can do for themselves, followed closely by eliminating soda, juices, and flavored waters.

Now let’s talk about avocado skin and… skin. Avocado is a skin food. It is the single best moisturizer and face mask money can buy. It probably sounds crazy but… you’ve got to try this, if for no other reason than to turn your face green and provide some entertainment value to your cohabitant. Turn the leftover avocado skins inside out and smear the remaining pulp onto a clean, dry face. Massage the pulp into your skin until your face adopts a green-ish hue. Let sit for 10 minutes, gently remove with warm water, and pat your face dry. And just like that… baby face. Another solution to face or body moisturizer is to buy straight cold-pressed avocado oil in the grocery store and use it similar to coconut oil. Avocado oil can be a bit heavy, so use it sparingly.

Finally, it is no secret I am a fan of bowls. Bowl diets. Weeknight bowls. Themed bowls. Guacamole (or just plain avocado) is the perfect and necessary addition to a Mexican-themed bowl. Simply put, avocado is one of those hearty fruits that can stand on its own as a main course… like a sweet potato, a russet potato, or a Portobello mushroom. It is incredible how little the body actually needs to sustain itself (especially when we consider the portions restaurants deliver). It is also incredible how much protein we actually consume. To avoid giving an unsolicited lecture, I’ll simply head nod to Michael Pollan. Depending on your level of interest and amount of free time, here are three resources that make the case for altering the Western notion that a large piece of meat has to appear as the centerpiece of every plate:

For those with 15 seconds: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” – Michael Pollan
For those with 15 minutes: Unhappy Meals, Michael Pollan for NY Times
For those with 15 hours: In Defense of Food (also, The Omnivore’s Dilemma and The Botany of Desire).’

what you need

1 ripe avocado

Juice from 1/2 lime

1 small tomato, finely diced

1/4 sweet onion, finely diced

1/2 jalapeño pepper, finely diced

Fresh cilantro leaves

(optional) 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

(optional) 2-3 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese (I use about 1/4 of a half goat cheese brick)

Salt, pepper, and cumin to taste

For serving: corn chips (I like salted blue corn chips), carrot sticks, and cucumber slices

how to make it

Cut avocado in half and remove pit. In a ripe avocado, the pit should come out easily when tapped with the blade of a sharp knife and twisted. Spoon avocado pulp into small mixing bowl and mash with a fork to desired consistency (I like to leave mine a little chunky). (Save the skins!)

Add lime juice, chopped cilantro leaves, salt, pepper, cumin, and mustard, and stir until just combined.

Add goat cheese, mashing it gently with a fork and combining with avocado mixture until little white pieces are still visible.

Finally, mix in tomato, onion, and jalapeño pepper.

Top with: pomegranate seeds or bacon pieces or more cilantro leaves.

Serve with: blue corn chips, carrot sticks, and cucumber slices.

Tags avocado, bowl, chips, condiment, Dan Barber, dip, Florida, goat cheese, guacamole, health, latin, lime, mexican, Michael Pollan, nutrition, sauce, skin, summer, vegan, vegetarian, weeknight