Dukkah-Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

This is definitely summer food and the kind I love most of all: food that introduces me to new ingredients and ignites my curiosity. Enter dukkah, an Egyptian spice blend comprised of ground hazelnuts, sesame seeds, coriander and cumin. There are variations to this blend, but that's the combination I stuck with. I'm sure I could have found dukkah at a specialty grocer, but had all the ingredients in hand to make it myself. Combined with the thick yoghurt dressing and roasted veg, it enriches the smokey flavours of the salad and helps make it a meal.

I used herbs from my own patio garden for this recipe. I don't have much of a green thumb, but have trialled herb combinations, soils and pot sizes. Year after year there have been improvements and this year, the plants have taken off. With the success of my herb garden, I've been looking for ways to include herbs not in the original recipes. I added flat leaf parsley to this one for that reason.

If you have nut allergies, the hazelnuts can be substituted for pumpkin seeds. A creamy feta would also be delicious with it. There are lots of opportunities to substitute ingredients if you can't find or can't eat certain items. Of course for the meat lovers, shaved prosciutto would be fantastic overtop.

Donna Hay's website is bookmarked on my laptop. Her recipes are appealing to me regardless of what mood I'm in. I've made comfort food, desserts and healthy entrees from her collection of ideas. Check it out if you're looking for inspiration.


Adapted from: https://www.donnahay.com.au

Serves 4

Ingredients

Dukkah

• 1/3 cup hazelnuts
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 T coriander seeds
• 1 T cumin seeds
• 1 T ground pepper
• 1 t flake salt

Salad

• 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 2, 400ml cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1 cup of dried)*
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 t flake salt
• 2 T dukkah
• 1 bunch of radishes, cut in half
• 1 cup of mint leaves
• 1 cup of flat leaf parsley leaves
• 2 avocados
• 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
• 2 T dill, chopped
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 cup of water

Method

Dukkah

Preheat oven to 400F. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool and then place in a towel. Rub the hazelnuts to remove the skins and set aside.

In a pan on medium heat, toast the sesame seeds until light brown, Remove from the pan and add the coriander and cumin seeds. Heat until they start to pop. Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor until well ground. The dukkah should keep for several months if well sealed.

Salad

Preheat oven to 425F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spread the chickpeas and cauliflower over each of the sheets. Drizzle with the olive oil and dukkah and bake for 30 minutes or until the cauliflower has browned on the edges.

Prepare the salad dressing by combining the yoghurt, half of one avocado, dill, lemon juice and water in a blender and mixing until smooth.

To make the salad, distribute the radishes, parley and mint leaves over the cauliflower and chickpeas. Place slices of the remaining one and a half avocados and then the dressing overtop. Season with a little additional salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Pan-Seared Chicken with Harissa & Chick Peas

I'm just climbing out of the Thanksgiving menu haze and not surprisingly, am inspired to post a recipe somewhat unrelated.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good turkey with all the trimmings. Unfortunately, making 8 dishes doesn't leave me much time to photograph and write about them. Frankly at this point in the season, anyone reading this is likely moving on to other recipes too.

We don't eat much chicken in this house. It's not my meat of preference and when I do have a hankering for it, I crave the bits that are the least healthy. This recipe however looked like the right balance of taste and nutrition. The key here is to sear your chicken thighs well, so the skin crisps up nicely. Pan searing the chicken takes longer than most of the recipes indicate, but it's worth the extra time to enjoy that golden, crispness. In my instructions below, I doubled my time to 10 minutes each side.

In addition to the great combination of flavours, you've got a one-pan dish if you want to keep it simple. I served this with some quinoa, but the chickpeas can make it a meal of its own.

Serves 3-4
From: http://www.kitchenkonfidence.com

Ingredients

• 8 bone-in chicken thighs
• 1 T olive oil
• kosher salt
• ground pepper
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1/4 cup harissa
• 1 540 ml can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Lemon wedges for serving

Method

Preheat oven to 425F. Season the thighs on both sides with plenty of salt and pepper. Place a cast iron pan (or other oven safe pan) on your stove top on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the pan. Place the chicken thighs, skin side down on the base of the pan. The chicken fat will splatter, so if you have a cover for the pan, use it. Sear the chicken for about 5-10 minutes on each side, or until the skin is brown and crispy. I cooked my chicken in two batches. Set aside the thighs on a plate and pour out all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the garlic and onions to the pan on medium heat and stir well, allowing the onions to soften, 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and combine it well with the onion mixture. Finally, add the harissa, the chickpeas and stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Place the chicken back in the pan, skin side up and move the pan to the oven for 25 minutes.

Serve 1-2 of the chicken thighs in a shallow bowl with some of the parsley sprinkled on top and a lemon wedge on the side. I served mine with a little quinoa as a base.

Meat-Free Middle Eastern Feast

I am officially meated out. Over the last two weeks, we've indulged in too many meat-laden meals. I need a break from steak.

On occasion I crave meatless dishes, especially after the holidays when meat appears only to be served with heavy sauces and sides. After a spring cleaning session, I pulled out a March issue of Canadian House & Home and found the solution to my cravings: North African and Israeli-inspired salads and entrees. The kinds of dishes we prepared tonight call for quality produce. I had farm carrots, beets and onions, so our salads felt clean and tasted crisp and new. 

The Shakshuka, a simple egg dish on a layer of cooked tomatoes was lovely, but lacked the punch that great tomatoes can contribute. All I could find at the grocer today were stacks of tired-looking romas, which I reluctantly used. In a case such as mine, you may want to wait for better quality tomatoes or experiment with canned as the recipe suggests.  You'll notice in the photo above, the large plate with the carrot salad and Shakshuka also has a slice of grilled eggplant with a chunk of Appenzeller cheese on top. The eggplant is simply sliced in 1/2 inch sections, brushed with olive oil and baked at 375F for 15 mins or so. I typically add whatever leftover cheese I have to each slice's surface once grilled and throw it back in the oven for 10 minutes tops. Tonight I just threw a piece on the hot eggplant and let it melt on its own. 

From: Canadian House & Home March 2011. pp. 116 & 118.

Shakshuka
Serves 8

Ingredients

• 10 large ripe tomatoes
• 1T flour
• 2 t sugar
• 3 T olive oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 cup of flat-leaf parsley

Method

Slice off the very top of each tomato then, using the largest holes on a box grater, grate tomatoes until only the peel is left (I lost bits of my hand doing this so be careful). Discard peels. If you cannot find serviceable fresh tomatoes, use canned whole ones in a pinch; just use a few more and squeeze out a bit of the excess juice. In a deep cast-iron skillet or pan, stir together tomatoes, flour, sugar and olive oil and cook uncovered over medium-high heat for 30-40 minutes, or until sauce is a rich, deep red and has cooked own significantly. Season with salt and pepper.

A few minutes before serving, reduce temperature to low, make 8 wells and crack an egg into each. Cover pan with a lid or tinfoil for 5 to 7 minutes, or until eggs are cooked to your liking. Top with a little more salt and chopped parsley. Serve hot with warm pita or lavash bread.

Orange & Carrot Salad
Serves 8

Ingredients

• 4 large carrots
• 4 large seedless navel oranges
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 T honey
• 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts, lightly toasted in a fry pan (I used pumpkin seeds)
• Sea salt to taste
• Pinch of chili flakes

Method

Peel carrots and discard peel. Using the same carrot peeler, make "ribbons" out of each carrot, peeling away until you get down to the woody core. Discard the cores. Cut tops and bottoms from oranges, slice off peel, then cut sections of oranges out from between the membranes. In a serving bowl, mix lemon juice with honey. Add carrot ribbons, orange sections and red onion. Gently toss with lemon-honey dressing. Tear up mint leaves and toss into salad. Scatter toasted pine nuts over top and sprinkle with salt and chili flakes, then toss once more before serving.

Beet & Pomegranate Salad
Serves 8

Ingredients

• 4 whole medium beets, washed
• 2 t Dijon mustard
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• Pinch of sugar
• 1/4 cup good-quality olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1 bunch watercress ( I used two cups of baby spinach)

Method

Preheat oven to 400F. Trim the rough root and green leafy tops from the beets (save the greens...if you've learned anything from this blog you will SAVE THE GREENS!!!). Wrap beets tightly in foil-like swan and roast 1-1.5 hours, depending on size. When done, let cool until you are able to handle them, then pop off skins over the sink. Cut beets into 1" cubes and set aside.

To make vinaigrette, in a small bowl whisk together mustard, lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a salad bowl, toss prepared beets with pomegranate seeds and vinaigrette and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Just before guests arrive, toss with watercress (aka spinach). Taste for seasoning and adjust if need be.