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Quick Pickled Green Beans with a Spicy Ginger Brine are a perfect addition to a charcuterie platter. They are also an excellent garnish for a spicy Bloody Mary. Or, if you’re like me, you can just snack on them right out of the jar. However you want to enjoy them, you’ll love the tangy, spicy flavor of these Pickled Green Beans.
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Slightly smoky, tangy, and highly addictive, Everything But the Bagel Veggie Dip will disappear soon after you set it out. It reminds me a little of French onion dip, but so much healthier for you than a store-bought version. Plus, this veggie dip is so easy to make–it takes less than ten minutes once your garlic is roasted.
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Cowboy Caviar with Jalapeños is a perfect dip for football Sundays, or any time for that matter. If you’re having a gathering of friends or family, this is a must make. It’s super easy to prepare, and is a definite crowd pleaser.
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This Greek Vinaigrette salad dressing with feta and lemon is deliciously tangy and the perfect complement to any salad, but I particularly love it with my Mediterranean Chickpea Salad. It comes together in less than 10 minutes and stays fresh in the fridge for up to a week.
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Champagne Vinaigrette has become a new favorite dressing for me. It’s tangy, a little sweet, and creamy thanks to emulsification.
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Looking for a cleaner barbecue sauce that still packs a ton of smoky flavor and just a hint of heat? I’ve got you covered with this Homemade Barbecue Sauce. It boasts no refined sugar and uses ingredients that you probably already have on hand. Okay, maybe you’ll have to buy dates and liquid smoke, but you probably have everything else.
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Homemade Teriyaki Sauce is super simple to make, and you can feel great about eating a sauce that is refined sugar-free and gluten-free. That doesn’t mean we’re lacking flavor here. Fresh garlic and ginger combine with coconut aminos and natural sweeteners to make a teriyaki sauce that is sweet and tangy.
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Veggie Ribbon Salad with Honey Thyme Vinaigrette is a fresh, bright salad that comes together in no time. This is a fantastic salad to make as a large batch for a potluck barbecue, or use it as a light, refreshing side dish on those warm summer evenings.
I usually make smaller batches of dressing since I am the only one in our house who uses them. (I just can’t convince Russ to ditch the ranch dressing.) However, I wanted to have enough of the Honey Thyme Vinaigrette left over to use it as a marinade as well. Feel free to adjust the ingredient quantities to fit your needs. The recipe for the dressing makes about two cups. I’ve found that it keeps well in the cupboard for about a week. You could keep it in the fridge, but you’ll have to bring it to room temp before serving as the oil will partially solidify.
First, prep your veggies. Peel the carrots, then use a ribbonizer or simply continue peeling the carrots into a medium bowl after the outer skin is removed. Use the ribbonizer again to create cucumber ribbons, or slice very thinly, and add to the bowl. Slice a half cup of very thin slices of onion. Cut to desired length and add to the bowl. Slice one cup of grape tomatoes in half and add to the bowl. (Note: I use ribbonizer from Pampered Chef, but thinly slicing works just as well.)
To make the vinaigrette, pour the avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, and white wine vinegar into a food processor. Add the honey, ground thyme, and black pepper. Process for about thirty seconds to fully incorporate all the ingredients.
Pour a third cup of the dressing over the veggies and toss well to coat. Refrigerate for thirty minutes to an hour before serving to let the veggies marinate. (Toss a few times during refrigeration to make sure all veggies are fully coated.)
When ready to serve, divide Veggie Ribbon Salad between two small bowls and enjoy as a light, refreshing side dish. I even got Russ to eat this salad without his usual ranch dressing 🙂
Store the remaining Honey Thyme Vinaigrette in a pint jar or dressing bottle.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Passive Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings | people |
Ingredients For the salad:
For the vinaigrette:
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Specialty items used in this post:
I love adding pickled beets to my salads, but I have always purchased them from Trader Joe’s. Now that I know how easy they are to make, I will be making my own batches. While looking at different beet recipes, I came across a recipe for pickled red onions from A Farm Girl’s Dabbles. They had such a beautiful color that I knew I had to try them. I’ve used the pickled onions in salads, on burgers, and most recently sautéed with green beans–yum! I used What’s Cooking America’s basic recipe for pickling the beets (subbing coconut sugar for the white sugar), then changed up the spices.
With summer just around the corner, you’ll defininetly want to have Pickled Beets and Onions on hand for grilling season and fresh salads.
To make the Pickled Onions, slice the onion in half, remove the outer peel, then cut into half moons about 1/8-inch thick. Combine the apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, coconut sugar, and salt in a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium high heat until the mixture boils, whisking until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Then, whisk in the allspice and red pepper flakes. Finally, add the sliced onion to the sauce pan and stir to combine well. Allow to cool to room temperature then carefully pour into a quart-sized canning jar. (The jar won’t be full.) Onions are ready to eat the next day, but the flavor intensifies the longer you wait to eat them. Keep in the refrigerator for up to a month.
The Pickled Beets take a little more time since the beets have to be roasted first, but I roasted the beets while I was making the Pickled Onions. (Also, roasted beets are available in the produce section at Trader Joe’s.) First, roast your beets. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Trim and wash your beets, coat lightly with a little olive oil, then wrap each one in foil. Place on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven for about forty-five minutes. Beets are done when a knife easily pierces the skin. Peel the beets when cool enough to handle. If you’re opposed to purple fingers, wear gloves, but the beet juice does wash off. Next, cut the beets in quarters, then slice into 1/4-inch thick pieces.
While the beets are roasting, prepare the brine. In a medium saucepan, add the apple cider vinegar, water, coconut sugar, and sliced garlic cloves. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes. Stir in the thyme, rosemary, and onion powder. Allow the brine to cool before adding to the beets.
Place the sliced beets in a quart-sized canning jar, then pour the cooled brine over the beets. Cover the jar with a lid, then place in the refrigerator. Allow the beets to pickle for a week before eating them so that they have time to develop their flavor. You can store the beets in the fridge for at least a month. Mine don’t usually last that long!
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 45 minutes |
| Servings |
Ingredients For the Pickled Beets:
For the Pickled Onions:
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You can also find Organic Coconut Sugar at Trader Joe's if you're lucky enough to have one near you.
I have really been loving using farro in place of rice in recipes–the chewy nutty flavor is quite satisfying. This Veggie Farro Stir Fry delivers on both flavor and nutrition. In fact, I used it as part of my food prep and took it to work for lunch three days last week.
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