All posts filed under: Main Dishes

Everything Bagel Party Potato Salad

This is a dish I made to bring along to a Fourth of July BBQ that everyone loved. It’s a fun and delicious rift on an everything bagel with the works. It was inspired by a recipe in one of my favorite cooking magazines Bon Appetit. I adjusted it to make it dairy-free and include more flavorful, crunchy and nutritious veggies. I took a vegan version to the party because I knew it would go well with anything else on the menu. My husband had some for lunch before we left along with the salmon on a bed of salad greens and really loved it. So depending on what else you are serving (or your dietary preference) you can decide whether to add the lox. I used packaged tofu cream cheese from the supermarket, but you could certainly make your own. My cashew sour cream  would also work well in place of the cream cheese in this recipe. I hope you enjoy it at your next gathering!  xo Jacq Ingredients: serves 8-10 3 pounds Baby or Fingerling Potatoes, halved …

Meaty Grilled Portobello Mushroom Steaks

  These grilled mushrooms make a satisfying and savory centerpiece to any meal. They are both low-calorie and immune boosting. Try them sliced on top of salads, your favorite bowl or as a taco or sandwich filling. I like to serve them with rice and beans so you get the meaty flavor from the mushrooms and lots of protein too. Enjoy!     Ingredients: 2 Tbsp Olive Oil 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar 1 Tbsp Tamari or Soy Sauce 1 tsp Dijon Mustard (preferably grainy) Big pinch dried Rosemary Tiny pinch Garlic Powder 2 Large Portobello Mushrooms In a small bowl whisk the first 6 ingredients together. Trim the stem of each mushroom so it lines up with the cap. Dip the mushrooms into the dressing, making sure they are evenly coated. Heat a grill pan over medium for 5 minutes while the mushrooms marinate. Grill mushrooms whole for 12-15 minutes flipping every 2-3 minutes until tender and juicy. Serve whole or cut into thick slices.

Real Food Fast: Sautéed Mushroom and Wilted Spinach Salad with Cashews and Sun-Dried Tomato

Here is another healthy, flavorful meal you can throw together in 10 minutes or less. I served this with toast topped with protein-rich sage hummus that I made by blending regular hummus with a couple of fresh sage leaves. It was quick, delicious and super satisfying!  Ingredients:  2 Servings 3 Tbsp Olive Oil, divided 6-8 Sage Leaves 1 Shallot, chopped 1 lb. Button or Cremini Mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar 1 tsp Dijon Mustard, preferably whole-grain Sea Salt & Black Pepper 6 cups Baby Greens (spinach, kale and/or chard etc.) 1 Radish, thinly sliced 1/4 cup Cashew, Raw 1/4 cup sun-dried tomato, sliced Heat a pan over medium-high then add 2 Tbsp olive oil. When hot, fry the sage for 30-60 seconds, if it starts to brown remove immediately from the pan. Use tongs or a fork to transfer the leaves to a plate covered with a paper towel to drain and crisp. In the same pan add the chopped shallot and mushrooms and cook 5 minutes until the mushrooms have softened. Add the …

Mexican Quinoa Bowl with Zucchini and Corn, Black Beans and Avocado Cream

Comfort food means different things to different people, but when I think of comfort food the first thing that comes to mind is a big bowl of yummy mexican food. I’m mexican on my mom’s side so family gatherings almost always included fragrant pots of rice and beans simmering on the stove along with some other flavorful and spicy veggies. This recipe is inspired by those meals, but adapted to come together in far less time. While cooking rice and beans from scratch is wonderful, it takes a bit of planning, requiring soaking and simmering for hours. Instead here we substitute quicker cooking quinoa for the rice and canned black beans for the dried version making this easy enough for lunch or a weeknight meal. While this recipe cuts down on time, it doesn’t lose any of the delicious traditional flavor that make it one of my favorites. I hope you love it to! This makes more portions than most of my everyday recipes, but it makes for great leftovers so if you have extra …

Super Nachos with Gooey Sweet Potato Cheese Sauce (Vegan)

This is my favorite thing to make when people come over to watch football so I wanted to share it in time for the big game! Everyone loves these nachos and people always ask for the recipe. They are fresh, flavorful and satisfying without being too heavy or greasy. They’re packed with veggies and other wholesome ingredients so they’re super healthy, but still rich and filling. I make a couple of plates of these, one of my big party platters, and big bowls of popcorn sprinkled with truffle oil, sea salt, black pepper and nutritional yeast. This simple menu keeps everyone happy and since you can make most of it ahead of time, you won’t have to spend the whole game in the kitchen. Enjoy! xJacq Ingredients: Serves approx. 6 Cheese Sauce: 1 Sweet Potato 1/4 cup Raw Cashews, soaked 2-4 hrs and rinsed 1 1/4 cup Hot Water 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast 2 Tbsp Tapioca Flour 1 1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar 1 tsp Dijon Mustard 1 Garlic clove 3/4 tsp Kosher Salt 1-2 tsp …

Quinoa Salad with Edamame, Orange & Fennel

This is the first in a new series of bargain recipes. Each salad cost approximately $2.75 using all organic produce. In LA I would say a salad like this would cost $12-14 at a cafe so making it at home is a big money saver!  It’s a hearty and flavorful winter dish using the best ingredients of the season. I love it because it’s really high in protein; both quinoa and edamame are complete proteins. All of the veggies means it has lots of vitamins and fiber so it’s really filling and energizing too. It’s one of those clean eats meals that’ll help you get back into your skinny jeans after the holidays 😉  You can make a bigger batch of the quinoa and edamame then freeze the leftovers to use later as a quick base for a meal. Just freeze it in a 1-inch layer in a freezer zip-lock. It will keep for months. When you’re ready to thaw, place a bag in the fridge overnight or reheat the frozen quinoa directly in a …

Baked Salmon with Mango Chutney and Pecans

This is one of the most popular recipes on my blog, which is no surprise since it’s one of the easiest dishes to make! It’s quick enough for a weeknight meal, but the complex flavors also make it a great choice for a dinner party. The sweet nuttiness of the pecans works beautifully with the spicy mango chutney and the salmon offers a brain boosting dose of omega-3s. It’s also perfect for a brunch buffet since it’s equally tasty hot out of the oven as it is after it’s cooled. Cook a side of salmon for a striking presentation and allow people to serve themselves as much as they like, or cook a small fillet for an easy date night dish. PREP // 5 minutes COOK // 15 to 30 minutes SERVES // 2 per pound (455 g) of fish Ingredients: 1 skin-on salmon fillet or side (2 pounds/910 g) PER POUND (455 G) OF FISH, USE 1/8 teaspoon kosher sea salt Pinch black pepper Pinch paprika 2 tablespoons mango chutney 1/3 cup (40 g) finely …

The Perfect Vegetarian Main Dish for The Holidays- Stuffed Maple Glazed Acorn Squash

The Perfect Vegetarian Main Dish for The Holidays- Stuffed Maple Glazed Acorn Squash

Every year there is the question of what vegetarian main dish to make on Thanksgiving. I’m always looking to serve something that feels extra special, but that isn’t too complicated on an already busy holiday. In the past I’ve made dishes that turned out well, but still kind of felt like one more side. I decided to do a little recipe testing ahead of time this year and came up with this dish that deserves to be the center of attention. It’s beautiful, flavorful and hearty. It’s super satisfying because it’s full of protein and fiber. Maple, pecans, cranberries, and warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg make it the perfect dish for fall. It’s simple to make, but using the acorn squash as bowls makes for an impressive presentation. The filling comes together easily while the squash roasts. This is the kind of meat-free main dish that will make a carnivore feel jealous if there is not enough to go around. I really can’t wait for you to try it. I’ve made it two more times …

Creamy, Gooey Cashew Mozzarella

Sometimes you just want to yell “Cheese Please!” so if you’re avoiding dairy it’s best to have some fabulous plant-based versions that you can throw together when you want need a gooey, melty cheesy fix. This cashew mozzarella is perfect on Pizza, Lasagna, Pasta and as a topping for grilled veggies or steamed broccoli. It’s one of my favorite non-dairy cheeses to make because it requires only a little bit of cashews. A lot of recipes are made almost completely of nuts which can be a little too rich, not to mention pricey! It takes just a few minutes to make and uses simple wholesome ingredients, unlike a lot of the processed non-dairy cheeses at the market. Tapioca flour helps thicken this cheese and gives it a creamy, melted texture. It comes from the root of the cassava plant and is naturally gluten-free. The cheesy flavor comes from the nutritional yeast which has an almost parmesan-like taste. Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that is high in B vitamins. Make sure you don’t mix it up with brewers …

REAL FOOD FAST- Zucchini Noodle Pesto Pasta with Cannelini Beans & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This is another in my Real Food Fast series of healthy and delicious recipes that take 10 minutes or less to whip up. This flavor packed dish is a nutritious plant-based, gluten-free alternative to traditional pasta that leaves you feeling full and satisfied thanks to all the fiber, plant protein and heart healthy fats. Zucchini and summer squash also happen to be some of the lowest calorie vegetables around meaning this is the perfect kind of dish to help maintain a healthy weight.  You can get a spiralizer to turn your veggies into noodles online or most places where they sell kitchen appliances. I use the 4-blade spiralizer from Paderno which has settings for angel hair, spaghetti and shoestring noodles plus a blade for accordion cuts. Angel hair and spaghetti sized noodles work well for this. If you don’t have one however, don’t worry! You can use a regular vegetable peeler to make thin, wide pappardelle noodles. Just press down firmly along the length of the zucchini to make the noodles with your peeler.  This …