Tag Archives: Side

Healthy Gluten-Free Carrot Croutons / Vegan “Bacon” Bits Recipe for Spring Garden Salads (Perfect for Easter, Showers, Luncheons, & Brunches)

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This easy recipe for colorful carrot croutons transforms any spring garden salad into a healthy gluten-free creation. Roasting carrot slices enhances their inherent sweetness while herbs and olive oil impart crouton flavor. Use baby carrot slices for healthy vegan “bacon” bit crunch with no cholesterol. This modern twist on old favorites is a continuation of the undercover veggie series, which makes it simple to get your little bunny to eat her carrots!

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Ingredients:

  • sliced carrots (large carrots make crouton chips, while baby carrots make bits)
  • extra virgin olive oil (to drizzle over carrot slices before roasting)
  • your favorite dried herbs & seasoning (to sprinkle before roasting, I used sea salt and dill, but try grilling spices for bits)
  • fresh garden salad (I used baby kale, baby chard, baby spinach, diced English cucumber, orange heirloom cherry tomatoes, sprouted pumpkin seeds, & chopped fresh parsley)
  • dressing of choice (try a lemon vinaigrette with a 3 to 1 ratio of extra virgin olive oil to lemon juice plus herbs like dill & parsley)

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Instructions:

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Wash the carrots, and peel the large varieties. These baby carrots are a peel-free shortcut to orange vegan “bacon” bits. Slice as many as you like, keeping in mind that they will shrink with roasting. (A cookie sheet full is enough to top 6 side salads.)

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Disperse the sliced carrots over a parchment lined cookie sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil, or generously spray them with a Misto. Sprinkle dried herbs and seasoning over them. (I chose sea salt with dill for a light garden fresh taste, but grilling spices with black pepper would be more bacon bit like.)

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Roast in a 350ᵒ oven for about half an hour… this will vary greatly depending on carrot size and oven temperament! Just keep an eye on them once the edges brown, with the oven light on. (If utilizing a dehydrator, cook them at 145ᵒ for 30 minutes, and then reduce heat to 115ᵒ for 24 hours until crunchy.)

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Spoon the crunchy carrot bits over any variety of fresh garden salad.

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Roasting makes them more flavorful than regular old carrot slices. (Find the bunny ears napkin ring craft tutorial here.)

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Bunny sandwiches are the perfect accompaniment for a carrot topped garden salad. (Cut the bread shapes with a cookie cutter before filling them.)

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The colorful carrots are a beautiful way to coordinate with any existing orange elements in your menu or décor. (See more from the leaping bunny garden party here.)

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These are not only gluten-free, but also guilt-free… because no pigs or waist lines are harmed by consumption!

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For more undercover veggies and a creamy dressing, see my Heartbeats Recipe here.

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Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

P.S. The Easter Bunny approves this message.

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(This is one of the wild backyard bunnies visiting my porch!)

Quick & Easy Overnight Pickled Cucumbers Recipe (for Chinese New Year or Anytime)

This quick and easy recipe was inspired by a Chinese Travel Website that described the traditional foods of various regions. I was delighted to see that pickled cucumbers were listed… because who in the world doesn’t love a good pickle? Quick pickling makes this a great side dish for any occasion because it can be prepped overnight, and everyone really needs a good last minute dish. Just change up the spices, acids, and sweetener to suit your taste or event theme. It’s perfect for a Chinese New Year Celebration because it’s a light and green food to add to all the traditionally starchy New Year’s foods like longevity noodles, moon cakes, spring rolls, and dumplings. What’s more is that you can control the amount of sodium and sugar you put into it… so that family member with high blood pressure can still enjoy a good pickle without cheating with the jarred stuff!

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Ingredients:

  • 2 cucumbers (I used the English hothouse variety because no peeling is needed.)
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt (Adjust the amount according to taste & dietary needs.)
  • 3 tablespoons Ume plum vinegar (Use any type of vinegar or lemon juice.)
  • 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (Use any sweetener such as honey, agave, stevia, etc.)
  • ~ 1 teaspoon each of various spices (Try ground peppercorns, coriander, marjoram, ginger, etc.)

Instructions:

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Wash your cucumbers well. There is no need to peel English Cucumbers, as pictured here, but the traditional waxed variety can have a bitter peel so it’s better to remove it. (The hothouse types are prettier with the 2 green tones, and we are making quick pickles… so the quicker the better, right?) A traditional looking dish has “cukes” that are split down the middle twice, so that you’re left with 4 long sections. Then cut these into approximately 2 inch chunks.

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Salt the cucumber chunks, and stir them well. Refrigerate them covered overnight.

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Rinse the cucumber chunks several times in water to remove excess sodium. (I just run water right into the casserole dish they’re already in, and place the top back on. I hold the top and bottom together, and turn them to the side letting the water drain out, leaving the washed cucumbers behind. Not having to wash a colander makes quick pickles even quicker!)

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Add your acidic liquid such as lemon juice or vinegar. (I chose Ume plum vinegar because its flavor was a perfect complement for the other Chinese New Year dishes being served.) Also mix in your choice of spices. (After reading through about a dozen of my grandmother’s vintage Chinese cookbooks, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a traditional recipe. Everyone has their own spin, which means that you should feel free to make up your own concoction too!)

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Mix your flavored cukes well, and refrigerate until it’s time to plate and garnish for serving. (The pickles pictured here are garnished with diced spring onions and whole roma tomatoes. Click here to see more of the Chinese New Year Party of the Sheep/Ram.)

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I hereby confess that I don’t actually measure anything when preparing these little gems. I just go with my creative cooking instincts and prevailing mood to judge the flavor… which is exactly what is fun about this. They always seem to turn out just right. I do, of course, use less salt when making them for my grandmother, and less spice for my mother’s bland preferences. So, those pictured here were decidedly less flavorful than what I typically produce, yet they still tasted fantastic. The take home message is this, don’t be afraid to experiment with flavor. Have fun and enjoy not only the end result but the process as well!

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh