Tag: Western

Seven-Layer Bean Dip

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Remember the ’90s? “Ethnic” food meant Chinese chicken salad, fajitas, and various ~pizza creations~. Everyone’s so creative!

That being said, I’m nostalgic for some of the finer culinary delights the 1990s offered us. Pasta salad, imitation crab in everything, and seven-layer bean dip should have come with us to the new millennium. Even though bean dips are not as ubiquitous as they once were, there’s no reason why you can’t easily recreate it at home. Serve this with chips and you’ll wonder why we still don’t wear hypercolor and fanny packs with everything.

Ingredients:
  • 1 15-ounce can refried beans
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
  • 1 cup chunky salsa
  • 1 cup guacamole
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 3-ounce can sliced black olives, drained
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 4 green onions, sliced
  • Tortilla chips, to serve
  1. Combine beans and jalapeno and spread onto a 12-inch casserole dish. Layer the salsa, guacamole and sour cream over beans. Sprinkle with olives, cheese, tomato and green onions.
  2. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips.

Blood Orange Aperol Spritz

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I know we reached peak Aperol spritz saturation sometime around mid-2024, but this blood orange Aperol spritz is the perfect cocktail to carry you through the springtime. It’s sunny, it’s citrusy, it’s herbaceous. Warmer weather is almost here, I can feel it.

This recipe makes enough for 8 servings, so adjust accordingly.

Ingredients:

  • 1 bottle Prosecco or other sparkling wine
  • 2 cups Aperol
  • 1 cup club soda
  • Juice of 2 blood oranges
  • About 20 basil leaves
  • 8 slices blood orange, to garnish
  1. Pour in the Prosecco, Aperol, club soda, and blood orange juice into a pitcher. Add the basil leaves and stir gently to combine. Pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish each with a blood orange slice.

Sweet Potato “Toast” with Bananas and Almond Butter

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These “toasts” may not be beautiful but they’re the perfect breakfast: both dense in nutrients and sweetly satisfying. Bake the sweet potatoes ahead of time and this dish comes together in minutes. This recipe makes enough for four people but feel free to scale up or down depending on your preference.

Ingredients:
  • 2 large sweet potatoes (skin on), cut crosswise into 1 1/2 inch-thick slices
  • 1 teaspoon avocado or coconut oil
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 4 teaspoons almond butter
  • 1 banana, sliced into rounds
  • Pinch of ground cinnamon
  1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Place the sweet potato slices on the baking sheet and toss with the oil and salt. Roast for 15 minutes, then flip over the slices and cook for 15 more minutes, or until lightly browned and tender. Let cool for 10 minutes.
  3. Top each slice of sweet potato with a heaping teaspoon of almond butter, banana slices, and a pinch of sea salt and cinnamon.

Kale Salad with Tahini-Honey Mustard Dressing

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I promise you that this kale salad doesn’t taste like a plate of twigs. It’s got the perfect texture and thanks to chickpeas and hemp seeds, it’s nutty and full of protein, too. And honestly? The roasted spiced chickpeas make a terrific snack on their own too. Make sure to use curly kale here, as Tuscan kale will be too rough for the salad.

Ingredients:

For the salad:

  • 1 bunch curly kale, washed and stemmed
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3-4 radishes, diced
  • 2 Persian cumbers, diced (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

For the roasted chickpeas:

  • 1 15-ounce can chickpeas
  • 1 teaspoon avocado oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the tahini honey mustard dressing:

  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  1. Make the roasted chickpeas: Preheat the oven to 400F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Rinse and drain the chickpeas, then pat dry. On the baking sheet, toss the chickpeas with the avocado oil, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne. Roast the chickpeas for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Set aside.
  3. Make the tahini honey mustard dressing: In a small bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, mustard, and honey. Whisk the dressing to emulsify. Whisk in up to 1 teaspoon water to thin as needed. Set dressing aside.
  4. Make the salad: Tear kale into bite-sized pieces, then add to a large bowl along with the olive oil, vinegar, and salt and massage for 30 seconds or until the kale appears softened. Add the roasted chickpeas, radish, cucumbers, hemp seeds, and nutritional yeast.
  5. Drizzle the dressing and toss to combine, and serve.

Chili Crisp Charred Beets with Ricotta

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I can’t get enough chili crisp and I know you can’t either. This unlikely pairing of chili crisp, beets, kale, and creamy ricotta has won me over and honestly, I can’t stop making (or eating) it. Adapted from Bon Appetit, you can easily prepare the beets a day ahead of time and assemble the rest of the dish the day of. And this side dish is just as delicious without the ricotta, too.

Ingredients:

  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons chili crisp
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 bunch Tuscan kale, stems and ribs removed
  • 1 pound prepared cooked beets, drained
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • 4 ounces ricotta cheese
  1. Prepare a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Stir garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chili crisp, and salt in a medium bowl until sugar and salt are dissolved. Set dressing aside.
  2. Toss kale, beets, and oil in a large bowl with your hands until coated. Cook kale and beets, turning occasionally, until kale is crisp and charred and beets are charred, about 4 minutes for kale, 12 minutes for beets. Transfer vegetables to a cutting board and let sit until cool enough to handle. Cut kale into large pieces. Cut beets into quarters. Add beets to reserved dressing and toss to coat. Let sit 20 minutes.
  3. To serve, spread ricotta on a platter. Add kale to bowl with beets, toss to combine. Spoon mixture over ricotta and drizzle remaining dressing all over.