This is one of those amazing side dishes that disappears incredibly fast! It’s a fancy, restaurant-worthy recipe that is sure to impress special guests. (If you are serving a large crowd, I recommend doubling the recipe, since it only serves four as a side.)
If you’ve been skeptical about arugula in the past, I encourage you to give this recipe a try; the spicy, peppery-tasting green pairs beautifully with a bold and bright pesto. If you can’t find baby arugula, be sure to chop regular arugula into bite-sized pieces so it’s easier to eat. Hemp hearts add a kick of protein and omega-3 fatty acids for a nutritional boost. This dish is amazing served warm, but the chilled leftovers taste great as well.
Per serving:
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Line extra-large baking sheet (15 x 21 in/38 x 53 cm) with parchment paper.
Place potatoes on baking sheet and toss with oil until thoroughly coated. Spread potatoes into even layer. Season with a couple of pinches of salt and pepper.
Slice top off garlic bulb so all individual garlic cloves are trimmed. Place garlic bulb on square of aluminum foil (about 8 in/20 cm square) and drizzle top of cloves with olive oil. Wrap garlic bulb entirely in foil and place on baking sheet with potatoes.
Roast potatoes and garlic for 20 minutes, then remove pan from oven and flip potatoes with a spatula. Return potatoes and garlic to oven and continue roasting for 15 to 20 minutes more, until potatoes are golden and fork-tender.
In food processor, combine pesto ingredients and process until mostly smooth, stopping to scrape down bowl as necessary. Keep pesto in processor because we will add the roasted garlic as the final step.
Remove potatoes and garlic from oven. Carefully unwrap garlic bulb and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes, until cool enough to handle.
Turn off oven and return potatoes to oven with the door ajar so they stay warm. (You can also put the potatoes into an oven-safe casserole dish so the dish stays warm when serving.) Squeeze roasted garlic cloves out of the bulb. You should have about 2 Tbsp (30 mL) roasted garlic. Add into food processor with pesto. Process until mostly smoothu2014you can add a touch more oil if necessary to get it going.
This is the important part where you need to act fast; I like to assemble the salad very quickly so that itu2019s warm when I serve it. Grab a large serving bowl and place arugula in bottom of bowl. You can break arugula up into smaller pieces with your hands a bit. Then, remove potatoes from oven and quickly place in serving bowl on top of arugula. Toss potatoes and arugula with pesto until thoroughly combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Sometimes I add another drizzle of lemon juice if I feel like the dish needs more acidity. Sprinkle on hemp hearts and serve immediately.
Crunchy, with sharp and satisfying flavour, this hearty salad is a great accompaniment to tacos (including the ones in the next recipe). Cabbage is high in fibre and vitamins C and K. Higher consumption of cruciferous vegetables such as radishes and cabbage is linked to lower rates of cancer. Make ahead Unlike a typical green salad, this one can stand up to an hour or two in the fridge, so if you want to make it ahead of time, go for it. The cabbage will soften up and some water will be released; just drain any excess before serving.
These taco-inspired lettuce wraps are full of vibrant flavour tempered by subtle heat, all topped off with a zingy tomatillo salsa. Shredding the chicken helps to make a small quantity of chicken feed a crowd, and the texture pairs well with the light wrapper. The bright salsa features heart-healthy tomatillos, which contain phytochemicals called withanolides, which studies have found can help inhibit cancer cell growth. Quick shred If you have a kitchen mixer with a paddle attachment, you can use it to quickly and easily shred chicken for taco lettuce wraps. After chicken has rested, add it to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Reserve any pan juices that may have accumulated in the baking dish. Turn mixer on to a low-to-medium speed and process the chicken for 30 seconds to 1 minute, so that chicken is just separated, being careful not to overprocess. Add in cooking juices and mix through with spoon. To shred chicken by hand, use two forks to gently pull meat apart before combining with pan juices.
This rich bean dip is delicious warm or cold. It’s also a good source of protein, iron, and potassium. A single serving of this dip will help Dad get 19 percent of the recommended daily value of dietary fibre. Dried pasilla peppers impart a smoky, earthy fruitiness balanced with mild spice from a hint of hot paprika and cayenne. And those canned tomatoes add a nice hit of lycopene to an already healthy dish. Epazote (Eh-pah-zo-tay) Epazote has a history of use as a medicinal herb throughout Latin America and is a frequent ingredient in bean dishes because of its antiflatulent properties as well as its pleasant aromatic taste. Its flavour has no direct comparison but is reminiscent of oregano, tarragon, or licorice. There is a pungency to the scent, which some have described as having notes of kerosene, but it imparts a pleasing, earthy, and herbal quality to dishes. Dried epazote added to beans can help reduce their gas-causing properties. Epazote contains saponins, which can be toxic in copious quantities, so sparing use is recommended. Look out for it at specialty culinary stores. If you can’t find it, try cilantro, fennel, or oregano.
Lime juice and ginger add a tropical whiff to this French-Japanese mashup, where seaweed tendrils and Dijon mustard bring out the umami flavours in mushrooms and eggplant. The ingredients might seem to be strange bedfellows, but they work. The result is somewhere between a quiche and a soufflé, with a gluten-free eggplant crust featuring punchy mustard and citrus. This makes for a hearty vegetarian main for brunch, lunch, or dinner with a side salad, or a filling side dish. Fresh or dried If you don’t have fresh thyme and parsley, use 1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme (divided) and 1 Tbsp (15 mL) dried parsley. The flavours won’t be as pungent, but a little flavour is better than none.