First, I must credit the hipster diner in Phoenix called Ingo’s Fine Food for introducing me to the kraut burger concept with their Farmer’s Daughter burger. Love the name. I also used to order their smashed potato chips and fermented jalapeno hot sauce and now feature my version of those dishes here on the blog because I had to have them at home (and now you can, too).

Best Ground Beef for Burgers Is Angus, Grass-Fed, Freshly Ground

Confession, I stalked the kitchen cook form Ingo’s and asked him for his pro tips for recreating their burgers in my home kitchen, and he told me it’s really all about sourcing quality ingredients at the end of the day. On that note, I recommend you source Angus or grass-fed ground beef and try to bake your hamburger buns from scratch.

Source Quality Ingredients for a Curated Burger Experience

If you’ve ever wondered why so many people order burgers from restaurants when they are so easy to make at home, listen. It’s actually not that easy to make a great burger. Unless, you really take each individual ingredient seriously and really focus on quality, quality, quality.

Ingredient Tips: Instead of yellow mustard, make a Dijonnaise; that’s equal parts Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon lives in my fridge 365 days per year) and mayonnaise (I like avocado mayonnaise). Instead of swiss cheese, look for cheese labeled “baby swiss cheese” because it melts nicely for burgers. With sauerkraut, definitely select refrigerated sauerkraut which is alive with active cultures. You can totally make your own raw sauerkraut which is always my preference from a flavor perspective.

Pro Tips for the Perfect Patty

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Kraut Burgers with Baby Swiss

Whip out that jar of fermented sauerkraut and make these epic kraut burgers. They are an unbeatable combination of complex savory flavors with a touch of sour.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword burger

Prep Time 15 days days

Cook Time 10 days days

Total Time 25 days days

Servings 4 people

Calories 637kcal

Author Chef Sara Furcini

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef Angus or grass-fed, preferably freshly ground
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or any high-heat oil
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• baby swiss cheese thinly sliced
• 4 sesame seed hamburger buns preferably freshly baked
• 1/2 cup sauerkraut raw, fermented (not canned)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Instructions

• Divide the ground beef into 4 roughly equal portions and then flatten to make 4 burger patties about 3/4-inch thick by 4 1/4 inches in diameter. Preheat a skillet to medium-heat and add your favorite high-heat oil. Season burger patties front and back with salt and pepper and place in the hot skillet. Without moving, cook for 5 minutes then gently flip them over and top with the cheese. Cook 5 minutes longer. Note: A safe internal temperature to target is 160℉.
• [optional] If you can butter your buns and toast them, I highly recommend this step. Simply place the bun (butter side down) and toast in the skillet for 30 seconds.
• To assemble the burgers, place the burger on the toasted bun followed by the sauerkraut. Combine the Dijon and mayonnaise in a small bowl and smear the top of the bun generously with the Dijonnaise. Serve immediately.

Notes

For a paleo or gluten-free burger, you can serve everything “Adam and Eve” style where you take a stack of iceberg lettuce and create buns out of that. Of course, you can also make your own gluten-free hamburger buns.

Nutrition

Serving: 1burger | Calories: 637kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 568mg | Potassium: 554mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 5mg

This chicken soup recipe clocks in at 36 grams of protein per bowl so it can be served for dinner or as a light appetizer with a side of kale salad. It’s balanced, healthy and basic yet totally satisfying. As you can see, I’ve finished mine with fresh lime and chiles, but I encourage you to make it your own and have loads of ideas for you to try.

Soup is something I like to rotate between meals just to break things up. My family really enjoys soup, and it’s just another way to serve chicken that keeps it interesting to eat.

About This Chicken Broth

I practically never buy soup and it’s really because homemade chicken broth is superior in flavor. It’s just so simple to make from scratch and I’m constantly playing around with whatever I happen to have on hand.

• Ginger. Fresh, anti-inflammatory, adds a spicy factor.
• Garlic and onions. Just the right amount of potency, anti-viral, anti-bacterial.
• Salty broth. Think great for hydrating post workout or when you have the flu.
• Generous amounts of lime juice and a pinch of zest.
• A pile of cilantro – or go with fresh mint, Thai basil, kaffir lime, parsley, or rosemary.
• Coconut milk for richness (think Tom Kha vibes). Absolutely feel free to swap in half and half if you prefer.

What never ceases to amaze me about this soup is how people react. People assume this is an involved recipe because it tastes so complex, but it’s actually really simple to make.

💭Top Tip

When using delicate herbs or greens, add them at the very end so the color and flavors really pop.

White Chicken Chili Variation

Consider fanning some avocado and minced red onion on top if you’d like a white chicken chili option. Have powdered ginger and garlic? Try swapping those if that’s what you’ve got. You can even add corn (fresh or frozen) and a handful of cheese, canned beans, etc.

Preparation

Make the entire recipe start to finish or prep and freeze for later.

🔪 Instructions

Cook the chicken until they reach 165°F then set aside.

Dice the vegetables (medium chop). Use a microplane to grate the peeled ginger. This is where you can double the garlic if you prefer to swap out the ginger.

Sauté or sweat the vegetables until tender. Don’t skip this step because it forms the base layer of your homemade broth.

Add 2 cups of water and shredded chicken to the pot. Let that come to a simmer.

Finish the soup with coconut milk (for dairy free–half and half works, too), lime juice and zest, and a big pinch of fresh herb magic on top.

Taste the soup and if it needs it, add more salt.

Freezer Options

This soup can be frozen for up to 1 month and I have two options for you.

The Cook-Later Option: See the recipe card notes for instructions on how to prep, freeze, then cook the soup.

The Reheat-It Option: If you would like to cook the soup first, then freeze, you will follow the recipe as written but omit the garnish. Allow soup to cool 20 minutes then portion and transfer to freezer bags or glass containers. Simply microwave to reheat. Garnish and serve.

Scaling

If scaling up or down, keep all ratios the same except the salt; add 1 teaspoon sea salt and then add more to taste. When scaling, bare in mind you will need a vessel that can hold roughly 4 cups for the original recipe (so 8 cups if doubling, 12 cups if tripling).

Leftovers

Leftovers? But how? You mean you didn’t stand dunking your spoon into the leftovers in the pot? Just me then, okay. You can store any soup leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 4 days. The garnish should be stored separately and added after you’ve rewarmed it.

Nutrition, big flavor, and healing whole food ingredients make this a cold-weather (and head-cold) essential. Garlic, ginger, and lime juice? This trio can make it all better.

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Creamy Chicken Soup

Creamy homemade chicken and vegetable broth with shredded chicken and finished with citrus and cilantro. Chiles or spices may be added if you like.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword cream soup

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes minutes

Total Time 52 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 484kcal

Author Chef Sara Furcini

Ingredients

• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil lard, tallow, avocado oil, or butter work, too
• 1 onion diced
• 3 stalks celery diced
• 4 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger minced
• 1 14- ounce can full-fat coconut milk or substitute half-and-half
• 4 limes remove zest from 1 lime and then extract juice (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs cilantro, mint, thai basil for garnish (chiffonade)

Instructions

Cook the chicken.

• Slow Cooker Method: Season chicken thighs with salt and place in slow cooker with the oil. Set to “Bake” mode for 400F for 45 minutes.

  Oven Method: Use an oven-safe pan or Dutch oven at 400F, spread oil and place seasoned chicken thighs in pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until an internal temperature registers 165℉.
• Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Chop the vegetables (onion, celery, and garlic) and transfer them to a large prep bowl as you work to give yourself plenty of room on the cutting board. If you own a microplane, mince the ginger directly over the bowl to capture as much ginger juice as possible (as opposed to just chopping it).
• Sweat vegetables and make broth. Use tongs to transfer the cooked chicken to a plate. Allow to rest for 10 minutes so you don't burn your hands and so the chicken can reabsorb surface juices. Combine the vegetables (onion, celery, garlic, and ginger) to the hot slow cooker or Dutch oven. Sauté on high heat for 7 minutes. Stir then add 2 cups of water. Return the shredded chicken (discarding the bones) to the pot.
• Finish the soup. Bring to a simmer then add coconut milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Allow the soup to warm then serve along with salt to taste. Top with fresh cilantro, mint, or Thai basil for Asian flavors or try adding avocado or red onion for Southwest.

Notes

Freezer Instructions:

FREEZE TOGETHER:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
• 1 onion diced
• 3 stalks celery diced
• 4 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger minced
• 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk (additive free)
• 4 limes (zest of 1 lime plus 1/4 juice)

INSTANT POT: From frozen, add 2 cups water then high pressure for 13 minutes + 10 minutes natural release.

SLOW COOKER: Thaw first, and then cook 6 hours on high.

FINAL STEP: Shred the meat and serve with cassava pasta, baked sweet potato, cauliflower or broccoli rice, zucchini noodles, etc.

If you regularly make batches of smoked chicken thighs, you can simply shred that for a smoky version of this soup.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 161mg | Sodium: 775mg | Potassium: 873mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 526IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 6mg

As always, if you try a variation to this recipe that you like, you can leave it in the comments so you have a record for when you come back to make it again.

I suppose I should just be grateful that most places don’t even offer a gluten-free option and I have to make my own.

In the spirit of not paralyzing you with impossible decisions, you will get a crispy chicken sandwich recipe with gluten-free breading, a smoky hot sauce recipe, and a kale slaw. By all means, add that mayo and those pickles if you please.

Now, the real magic of any chicken sandwich is the seasoning and breading that goes on the chicken and I honestly believe that this gluten-free breading is SUPERIOR to all-purpose flour. I’ll tell you why.

Cassava flour. It’s basically the higher proportion of starch that gets incredibly crispy and just works really, really well as a coating.

If you love chicken recipes, here are a few more favorites to try: How to Make Crispy, Juicy Chicken Thighs, Miracle Chicken and Zucchini, and Marry Me Chicken Tikka Masala.

How to Crisp Chicken with Gluten-Free Breading

When it comes to crisp chicken, the name of the game is temperature and timing. You want a high-heat cooking method with this batter or else it won’t crisp up properly.

Why This Recipe Works

We have tested the cooking methods for you and have found success with the gluten-free breading regardless of cooking method! Simply start by preheating your oven/air fryer or skillet to 425°F (medium to medium-high heat).

Next, grease your baking sheet (or skillet) with avocado or olive oil–because these oils are high-heat oils and healthy choices.

Be sure to place the chicken tenders with space in between; if you crowd the tenders, the breading will stay soft. 

Bake for 7 minutes, gently flip and bake another 7 minutes (14 minutes total).

Pro Tip: If your chicken tenders aren’t golden/crispy, it’s generally ok to cook longer; I find the texture of chicken is still quite succulent at 175°F.

Ingredients

For a complete list of ingredients, see the recipe card (below). Here are a few ingredients you will need and some tips about sourcing and substitutions.

• chicken tenderloins, preferably organic: Have you tried to cook a giant chicken breast lately? Very prone to dryness if you ask me. Therefore, I recommend tenderloins which are naturally a smaller, thinner, more evenly-sized cut of meat.
• fresh thyme leaves: feel free to leave this ingredient out or substitute with finely chopped fresh parsley or chives. Marinating the chicken just gives it a little something extra.
• cassava flour: I buy a big bag of cassava flour every 6 months and find it’s most similar to all-purpose flour; I like it because it’s a more wholesome ingredient than tapioca starch, which we aim for to keep our blood sugar balanced. You may substitute tapioca starch or a gluten-free flour blend. All-purpose flour works, too.
• coconut flour: I use coconut flour sparingly because it’s highly fibrous and absorbent, which is exactly why it helps so much compared to just cassava flour alone (cassava flour only has a tendency to fall off the chicken)
• fine sea salt: don’t be put off by the amount of salt in the recipe; you are adding it to the flour mixture and so you want to season more heavily
• onion powder: this ingredient is there for flavor but it actually also helps achieve a crispy texture; interestingly, you might want to leave this one out if you know you want to serve your tenders with honey
• garlic powder: I personally prefer the combo of onion and garlic powder but if you only have one, you could double the onion/garlic powder to compensate
• coconut milk: We are making this egg-free today so the fat and thickness of coconut milk gives the flour something to stick to (note: you may use 2 eggs stirred in a bowl if you like)
• oil: I like avocado oil the best but often use olive oil or refined coconut oil, too. While I haven’t tested lard or tallow, both should work.

Hot Sauce Ingredient Notes: If you want to try my perfected hot sauce recipe, you really must source the chipotle powder and the umeboshi vinegar for which no substitutes exist. Alternatively, make a “special sauce” using mayo infused with your favorite store-bought hot sauce.

How to Make Gluten-Free Chicken Sandwiches

Marinate the chicken. (Optional Step for flavor)

Rub the thyme leaves over the chicken and allow to marinade for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.

Make the gluten-free breading.

In a large bowl, combine the cassava flour, coconut flour, salt, and spices. In a small bowl, pour your canned coconut milk and stir to combine. For this recipe, you will be coating your chicken in the coconut milk, then grain free flour mixture, and then cooking in an airfryer/a skillet (pan-frying)/an oiled baking sheet in the oven.

Dredge the chicken.

Dip the chicken in the coconut milk followed by the cassava-coconut flour mixture.

Cook the chicken. (Air Fryer Method pictured below)

Make the kale slaw. This part is optional and can be replaced with just crunchy lettuce, if you prefer.

On second thought, you could totally make this slaw with cabbage. Either would add a nice bit of crunch and some veggies.

As I mentioned, I’m sharing my smoky hot sauce which gets warmed briefly in a pot. It is definitely spicy but very, very good but if you prefer to skip it, you could use mayo (or try a special sauce with mayo and a little hot sauce swirled in).

To assemble the sandwiches, I recommend toasting the gluten-free buns in a hot skillet where the underbelly of the bread gets brushed with some oil. That way, the entire sandwich is supple, warm and just as good as a chicken sandwich can get.

So what are you in the mood for? Will you go for the classic or are you craving some heat? If you go spicy, be sure to include a drink. I love these Homemade Salted Lemon Sodas! In the comments: What variation did you try?

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Gluten-Free Crispy Chicken Sandwiches

This gluten-free breading works fabulously for crispy chicken sandwiches. Bring on the gluten-free bun! Make this recipe a few ways: The Classic Chicken Sandwich (pickles, mayo, lettuce) or homemade hot sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken, sandwiches

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 chicken sandwiches

Calories 773kcal

Author Chef Sara Furcini

Ingredients

Chicken Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds chicken tenderloins organic, sliced evenly
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• ¾ cup Cassava flour not tapioca starch
• ¼ cup Coconut flour
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper or garlic powder
• 1 14- ounce can full-fat coconut milk
• avocado oil or olive oil used throughout (see individual steps)

Slaw Ingredients:

• 1 bunch lacinato curly, or red kale
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
• 1 tablespoon umeboshi plum vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• ¼ purple cabbage thinly sliced
• 1 carrot use peeler to get thin ribbons

Spicy Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon chipotle powder
• 5 teaspoons umeboshi plum vinegar no great substitutes exist
• ⅓ cup water *If sauce is too thick at any point, you can thin it out by adding more water or add honey for sweetness

Serving:

• 4 hamburger buns toasted
• Pickles if desired

Instructions

• Marinate the chicken. Rub the thyme leaves over the chicken and allow to marinade for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Make the gluten-free breading. In a large bowl, combine the cassava flour, coconut flour, salt, and spices. In a small bowl, pour your canned coconut milk and stir to combine. For this recipe, you will be coating your chicken in the coconut milk, then grain free flour mixture, and then cooking in an airfryer, a skillet (pan-frying), or on an oiled baking sheet in the oven.
• Dredge chicken. Dip the chicken in the coconut milk followed by the flour mixture.
• Cooking the chicken (air-fry or oven bake).

  Preheat to 425°F. Grease a baking sheet really generously with avocado or olive oil. Place chicken tenders on top with space in between; if you crowd the tenders, the breading will stay soft. Bake for 7 minutes, gently flip and bake another 7 minutes (14 minutes total).

  If your chicken tenders aren't golden/crispy, it's generally ok to cook longer; I find the texture of chicken is still quite succulent at 175°F.
• Make the kale slaw. Submerge the kale in water then lift to drain. Use a knife to remove the bottom couple inches of the thick stem, discarding. Slice the greens into 1/4-inch wide ribbons. Place the kale ribbons into a mixing bowl with 3 tablespoons of oil, plum vinegar, and thyme. Add shredded purple cabbage and carrot. Using your hands, massage the slaw until tender. Set aside.
• Make the Korean sauce. In a small pot, whisk together the tomato paste, chipotle, 1 tablespoon Korean ground chile, vinegar, and ⅓ cup of water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 seconds to thicken the sauce. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Toast buns, assemble, and serve. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Brush the flat side of the buns with mayo or olive oil. Place them face-side down on the pan to toast (about 30-40 seconds). Assemble the sandwich with pickles followed by chicken strips, and the kale slaw. Top with Korean sauce and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 773kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 1753mg | Potassium: 1265mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4218IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 173mg | Iron: 9mg

FAQs

• Can I tenderize the chicken?
  • Yes. To tenderize the chicken you can marinate it in buttermilk or use a meat tenderizer and gently bang on it a few times. This will ensure that the texture is nice and tender.
• Can I use any gluten-free flour?
  • You might want to stick with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend or even try adding some additional tapioca starch to the blend.
• Can I deep fry the chicken tenders?
  • Yes, you can use this same recipe for the deep fryer. Be sure to preheat your oil to the right temperature first so the breading does not turn out oily.
• What other sauces could I try on chicken sandwiches?
  • Ranch dressing, honey, bbq sauce, ketchup, special sauce (a blend of ketchup, mayo, and hot sauce), honey mustard, sriracha, this fermented jalapeno sauce, plain yogurt

Picture perfect roasted Brussels sprouts packed with flavor. That’s these miso citrus glazed Brussels sprouts. Seasonal sides need not be predictable or dry. This is how you get everyone to eat their vegetables.

We eat a healthy serving of vegetables every night for dinner. These roasted Brussels sprouts will be a forever favorite–and for good reason.

My not-so-favorite part of a vegetable side? When it’s served dry and just lifeless. I simply can’t abide a sauceless vegetable. Not no way. Not no how.

As the resident saucier of the house, I set out to deliver a new and lighter (yet saucier) Brussel sprouts dish (this time no cheese). Going for something fresher in flavor, memorable, interesting.

And the perfect backdrop for our sauce? Little crisp, dry pockets of perfectly roasted Brussels sprouts.

Tip #1: Roast Brussels Sprouts at 400F, Tossing Every 5 Minutes

Steaming has ruined so many people on Brussels sprouts. If you want just crispy and caramelized-not-mushy sprouts?

1. Spread them out: crowding = steaming = gross
2. season with salt and pepper: and I mean generously
3. lightly toss with avocado oil: your go-to high heat oil
4. stir them every 5-minutes until they look really caramelized, are tender, have crisp edges, but not mushy: this is how you guarantee success regardless of the size of your Brussels sprouts

Gluten-Free, Dairy Free, Vegan POW Sauce

To sum, this sauce says “pow.” It hits your entire tongue in an instant with some seriously savory, floral notes. It’s definitely an unexpected experience. It’s different but in that way that you are craving.

Ingredients Explained:

How to Roast Brussels Sprouts

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ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH CITRUS MISO GLAZE

DAIRY FREE, GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN

I'm firmly in the camp that we underestimate the value of bitter greens. Take these Brussels sprouts. On their own, they're bitter and slightly spicy. When roasted? These become caramelized, less bitter, and pair spectacularly with this citrus-based sauce. You get umami, floral, and mustard flavors from this dish that leaves your taste buds wanting more.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword Brussels sprouts

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 138kcal

Author Chef Sara Furcini

Ingredients

Brussels Sprouts:

• 1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts halved, stems removed
• 3 tablespoons avocado oil high-heat, neutral oil
• ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt or use truffle salt
• Fresh ground black pepper 15 turns

Citrus Miso Glaze:

• 1 ½ teaspoons tamari
• 1 ½ teaspoons miso paste such as white, chickpea, or yellow
• 1 ½ teaspoons fresh citrus juice ideally yuzu or a combination of lemon and grapefruit
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 tiny pinch evaporated cane sugar
• ¼ teaspoon truffle oil*
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil neutral oil

Instructions

• Roast. Preheat oven 400F. Toss Brussels sprouts, oil, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl and lay out on a sheet tray, making sure not to crowd. Roast until golden brown and tender, stirring every 4 minutes.
• Toss Brussels sprouts with the glaze. In a medium prep bowl, combine tamari, miso, yuzu, nutritional yeast, and sugar. Whisk while adding oil one drop at a time until emulsified. Toss roasted Brussels sprouts with the glaze and use tongs to serve.

Video

Notes

Truffle oil: You may replace the salt in this recipe with truffle salt (that’s salt sold with pieces of truffle in it) and omit the truffle oil.

Nutrition

Serving: 1half cup portion | Calories: 138kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 459mg | Potassium: 455mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 856IU | Vitamin C: 97mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg

Photography by Adam Rahman

You can’t go wrong with a crispy tortilla layered with chipotle simmered black beans, pickled red onion, and refreshing avocado slaw. We are covering our bases with these gourmet black bean tostadas and then some.

I really love a simple, yet gourmet, tostada. Can you tell?

In my book, there are a few musts when it comes to tostadas. They must be:

1. crispy, and preferably made with freshly fried corn tortillas
2. have a thick, hot layer of saucy black beans
3. topped with something(s) fresh

Don’t let these guys fool you. These black bean tostadas and every component are weeknight friendly and should only take you about 30-minutes to make (a bit more if you want to make the tortillas yourself).

Here are the Mexican Ingredients You Need:

• Avocado oil: This is a healthy cooking oil with a neutral flavor.
• Corn tortillas: homemade or store-bought
• Salt: sea salt or smoked sea salt are ideal
• ¼ medium white onion diced: don’t be tempted to use an entire onion in this recipe. I have tested this and you should keep the ratios so as not to over-power the beans.
• Garlic: you can mince your own garlic or use the pre-minced kind
• Chipotle chile in adobo sauce canned *1 chipotle chile from the can, roughly chopped plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce: these peppers are smoky and spicy; be careful not to add too many or the beans will be very spicy
• 1 14- ounce Can Black Beans: you can mash these up a bit if you like or use refried beans
• 1 pinch Dried Mexican oregano/regular oregano/fresh minced oregano: this adds a floral, earthy flavor that is important to Mexican cuisine
• 1 pinch Anise seed: while this may seem like a strange ingredient, I encourage you to use it. The anise imparts that something extra that makes these incredibly fresh-tasting.
• ½ Red Onion very thinly sliced: this is used for quick pickling and will become a garnish; I really like the flavor of red onion pickled in salted lime so don’t use a white onion for this
• 3 Limes: limes impart a sweet, sour flavor for pickling the onion; this juice gets re-purposed in the slaw and helps break down the cabbage so that it’s softer
• Jalapeno minced: I like to include the seeds for flavor and spiciness; adds freshness
• Cilantro: a garnish that adds a lemony, peppery, pungent taste to the dish
• Cotija cheese: any mild fresh cheese will work and you can leave off the cheese if you are making these vegan
• Green cabbage: I like the crunchiness of shredded green cabbage; it holds up better than lettuce
• Avocados: you can use the avocado to garnish and to impart a rich, creaminess to the cabbage slaw; acts like sour cream in this recipe

Step-by-Step Black Bean Tostada Recipe

Step 1: Pan-fry the tortillas until crispy. 

Technique Tip: For best results, you need to pan-fry (not bake) the tortillas. Really aim for firm and crispy so that they can hold the toppings without flopping around.

Step 2: Make the beans. 

Step 3: Quick pickle the onion. 

As you can see, the red onion gets submerged in lime juice with salt and this acid breaks down the onion, making it soft and a pretty pink color (see picture below).

Step 4: Make slaw, garnish and serve. 

For the slaw, you can serve this on top of the tostada like you would lettuce or on the side.

You can use store-bought corn tortillas to save time or you can make your own for a restaurant quality experience. Homemade tortillas are easier that you might think, and you don’t even need a tortilla press.

How to Make Homemade Corn Tortillas (Optional)

You can make homemade tortillas in less than 10-minutes by cleverly sandwiching the masa dough between parchment paper, which makes for both easy clean-up and prevents the dough from sticking. Here’s the basic process:

Homemade Tortillas Ingredients:

• 1 cup masa harina
• Lukewarm water
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fat, such as avocado oil, olive oil, or lard

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the masa, lukewarm water, salt, and fat. Mix well to form a thick paste. 
2. Divide masa paste mixture into 4 roughly equal-sized balls. 
3. Set a large piece of parchment paper on the counter. Transfer the masa balls on top spacing far apart and set another large piece of parchment on top sandwiching the masa in between the parchment layers. Press, flatten and roll the masa balls until very flat (approximately ⅛-inch thick). 
4. Peel away the top piece of parchment. Flip to make it easier to peel the parchment away from the flattened masa dough. To do this, you can place the masa over the palm of your hand and carefully remove. Gently lay palm-side-up onto a preheated griddle. Cook 40 seconds, then flip every 20 seconds until cooked through, approximately 2-minutes total. Store tortillas covered to keep moist.

Variations and Serving Tips:

• Cherry tomatoes: Halve and add as a garnish for a pop of color
• Salsa: any fresh salsa
• Taco sauce, hot sauce, or enchilada sauce
• Sour cream, especially thinned with a bit of lime juice and cilantro added
• taco shop guacamole
• shredded cheddar cheese, especially if melted over the beans
• microgreens: such as radish, kale, or arugula
• Just a pinch of this mesquite salt will impart some really special wood smoke flavor.
• Make mini tostadas: If you are making homemade tortillas, you could try serving mini tostadas for a fun appetizer or as a party food for a buffet

Mexican Recipes You Might Like:

• Chilaquiles with Fried Eggs: This is a great breakfast recipe if you end up with extra tortillas
• Bona Fide Fried Ice Cream
• Mangonada Smoothies
• How to Make Chamoy
• Pork Pozole Verde
• Forever Barbacoa – Mexican Shredded Beef

I hope you love a weeknight gourmet tostada as much as I do. Thanks for stopping by. You’re welcome back any ol’ time.

The Frayed Apron is committed to creating high quality recipes that work. We are transparent about the recipe notes we receive:

Tostadas – Tortillas were easy to make, funnily enough I have a low carb tortilla recipe on my website that uses the same method for flattening. These were delicious, my toddler loves the tortillas. I kept a bit of water on hand to keep the dough from drying out as I worked on them. We had these for dinner the night I made them with shredded chicken on top and they were great!

Adam Rahman, Recipe Tester and Photographer

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Smoky Black bean tostadas with avocado slaw and pickled onion

I love a good tostada and these black bean beauties have got it going on! You get bold, smoky and spicy from the chipotle black beans. Plus, the best of the best in toppings: pickled red onion, avocado slaw, and fresh Mexican cheese.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword black beans, tostada

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 535kcal

Author Chef Sara Furcini

Ingredients

• Avocado oil
• 8 corn tortillas homemade preferably or store bought
• Salt to taste
• ¼ medium white onion diced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• Chipotle chile in adobo sauce canned *1 chipotle chile from the can, roughly chopped plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 1 14- ounce can black beans
• 1 pinch dried Mexican oregano regular oregano or fresh minced oregano work, too
• 1 pinch anise seed
• ½ red onion very thinly sliced
• 3 limes
• Jalapeno minced
• 1 ounce cilantro roughly chopped
• Cotija cheese crumbled (optional)
• 1 tiny head green cabbage very thinly sliced (1 cup)
• 3 ripe avocados halved, seeded, and outside peels removed

Instructions

• Pan-fry the tortillas until crispy. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and when it shimmers, add the tortilla in a single layer, cooking one at a time until golden brown. Flip the tortilla and repeat, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel and season with salt while hot. Note: For tostadas, you are aiming to cook the tortillas until they are crispy like a chip.
• Make the beans. In the hot skillet, add the oil and chopped onion with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are slightly brown around the edges. Add the garlic and chipotle chiles. Stir then add the canned black beans, oregano, and anise seed. Leave to simmer. Note: While you can’t over-cook the beans, they can dry out so feel free to add water 1 tablespoon at a time to keep them moist.
• Quick pickle the onion. In a small bowl, combine the red onion, the juice of 3 limes, and 3 pinches of salt. Massage for 10 seconds then set aside and watch as the color transforms. When they appear bright fuschia, they are ready (approximately 10 minutes).
• Make slaw, garnish and serve. Slice 2 of the avocados thinly lengthwise for garnish, set aside. For the slaw, place one avocado in a bowl and mash with a fork. Pour the pickled onion liquid (reserve the onions for garnish) over the avocado. Add the cabbage and massage to create the slaw. Plate the slaw with a sprinkle of cotija. To plate the tostada: Place a layer of beans and garnish with jalapeno, cilantro, cotija, avocado slices, and pickled onion.

Video

Notes

Chipotle chiles are sold canned in adobo sauce. You can include some of the sauce in the beans, if you wish. It has a spicy, smoky flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tostadas | Calories: 535kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Sodium: 488mg | Potassium: 1666mg | Fiber: 28g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 952IU | Vitamin C: 119mg | Calcium: 217mg | Iron: 5mg

Photography by Adam Rahman

This is no ordinary sheet pan salmon. You will love the unique flavor of the Asian-ingredient sesame sauce and how it sticks to everything in that way. It has a spicy, sweet, and tangy flavor that totally surpasses the ritualistic salt+pepper+salmon trio.

Where to start?

Roasted and glazed sweet-spicy salmon and sweet potato wedges all piled into a bowl with crispy ribbons of bok choy? Yes. Wow. Repeat. 

With a sheet tray and a hot oven, it’s amazing what you can create in 30 minutes. I think you’ll find that the star of this dish is actually the sauce, which adds so much personality to the sweet potatoes and salmon.

And the best part? 

This is a sheet pan to bowl preparation which makes it weeknight possible. 

Instead of rice, sweet potato plays the chewy starch role. Bok choy is your bitter green counterpoint, which gets roasted to perfection. Then there’s salmon. It gets just slightly brown, which, of course, we love.

Now, let’s zero in on the sauce. 

Its got toasted sesame oil, which combines beautifully with the classic Asian flavors. And would you look at that glossy sheen? To give it that slick consistency, you just whisk in a flavorless thickener called xanthan gum. I like it because it’s allergy friendly, but you could replace it with cornstarch if that’s what you have. One thing to note: the sticky magic happens when you heat it.

Optional Add-Ins:

• Avocado, sliced and fanned or cubed

• Green onion, sliced oh-so-thinly on the bias

• Rice – white, brown, sticky or fluffy. I think this is a great dish to try forbidden rice, which has a purple hue when cooked

And if you’re striving for more veggies (who isn’t?), this salmon mash-up makes for one beautifully balanced bowl!

My Eat the Rainbow Philosophy

Creamy, almost candied, sweet potatoes (orange) meet tender ribbons of bok choy (green) on the same tray with the salmon (pink) and Asian-inspired sauce. Colorful ingredients spark my creativity and I know that eating just a little bit of different colored fruits and vegetables every day is a sure way to get more vitamins and nutrients from whole foods.

Sheet Pan Ingredients (Salmon, Veggies, and Sauce)

• sweet potatoes: any sweet potato will work in this recipe; be sure to remove the peel
• bok choy: small or large heads (one per person), cut into 1-inch ribbons; tatsoi, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts make good substitutes
• Avocado oil: for drizzling
• Sea salt: seasoning the vegetables on the tray will draw out moisture and aid in caramelization, which=flavor
• fresh salmon skin-on or off, best flavor will be if the salmon is very fresh; please use clean tweezers to remove any bones
• sesame seeds: preferably buy toasted to save time or toast your own in a dry skillet (note: this can take up to 30 minutes on low heat)

Sesame Glaze Ingredients:

• rice wine vinegar: this is a shelf stable Asian vinegar that has a mild acidity and slightly sweet flavor profile; it’s most similar to white wine vinegar; look for rice wine vinegar (made from fermented white or brown rice) in the Asian ingredient or vinegar/spice aisle of your local grocery store
• Sriracha: an aged chili-garlic sauce available with other Asian condiments in most grocery stores
• tamari: this is your salt/umami source; look for “gluten-free” if you have dietary restrictions; shoyu is a great substitute
• coconut sugar or Evaporated cane sugar: this adds just a touch of sweetness and a hint of umami as well due to being less processed. You can also use a small amount of honey or maple syrup instead but I just really like the way palm sugar tastes in Asian-inspired recipes.
• Xanthan gum: This is used to thicken the sauce. It has a tendency to clump so be sure to whisk it in thoroughly. It is very shelf stable. Cornstarch or arrowroot powder make good substitutes.
• sesame oil: toasted sesame oil is a fabulous, richly flavorful ingredient and has no great substitute.
• avocado oil: this is a flavorless high-heat cooking oil that I love for it’s health properties in cooking; a great alternative in terms of health cooking would be refined coconut oil

Step-by-Step Recipe Rundown

Step 1: Prepare the Vegetables.

Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise, then cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces. Cut off and discard the root ends of the bok choy; julienne (cut into strips, roughly ½-inch thick).

Step 2: Roast the sweet potatoes. 

Place the sweet potato pieces on a sheet pan. Drizzle with avocado oil and season with salt. Toss to coat and arrange in an even layer. Roast approximately 15 minutes to cook halfway through.

Step 3: Make the sesame glaze.

Add the rice wine vinegar, sriracha, tamari, coconut sugar/cane sugar, xanthan gum, and oils to a small pot. Whisk to combine (note: xanthan gum will clump if you don’t). Set aside.

Step 4: Add the bok choy and salmon to the sheet tray and roast. 

Use a spatula to stir then slide the sweet potatoes to one side of the sheet tray; add the bok choy off to the side making sure to overlap the greens. Drizzle lightly with avocado oil and season with a pinch of salt. Place the salmon (skin side down) off to the other side and rub the top with a very thin layer of glaze, about 1 tablespoon.

Bake for 6 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of your salmon.

Technique Tip: Your salmon should flake easily with a fork when cooked through.

Ingredient Tip: Your sweet potatoes are done when they can be pierced with a fork and have some brown color.

Step 5: Bowl it up.

Just before serving, heat the remaining glaze to a simmer and immediately remove from the heat. Toss the roasted sweet potatoes with the glaze and pile into bowls. Portion off some salmon and bok choy then top with toasted sesame seeds for some crunch.

Sheet Pan Salmon FAQs

Broccoli Sheet Pan Salmon How to Make: You can replace the bok choy with 1 head of broccoli broken into florets. Simply add the florets to the tray and with the salmon and cook until you see some browning.

Sheet Pan Salmon and Asparagus: If making in Spring, you can also replace the bok choy with asparagus. To prepare the asparagus, simply remove the tough end of the stem and then cut into two-inch long sections. Add to the tray with the salmon and bake until slightly crispy.

How long to cook sheet pan salmon: In a 450F oven, you will begin the sweet potatoes only and partially cook through for 15 minutes. You will then add the green vegetable of your choice along with the salmon fillet. Now, continue cooking for 6 to 12 minutes, more or less depending on the thickness of your sweet potato slices and the thickness of your salmon. Total Recipe Cook Time: Approximately 20 to 35 minutes.

Asian Ingredient Online Resources:

If you need to order an ingredient online, here are some quick links to some of my favorite brands:

Eden organic brown rice vinegar and if you do a lot of Asian cooking like I do, you can get a great deal by purchasing a gallon at a time, such as this Marukan Rice Vinegar

I’ve used this Japanese brand of toasted sesame oil and it lasted for up to 1 year at room temperature.

The thing to know about toasting your own sesame seeds is that you should rinse them first and toast in a dry skillet on low heat while stirring occasionally for up to 30 minutes. They are done when golden and very crunchy. Store after they are totally cool for months at room temperature and sprinkle over sushi rice, mango sticky rice, or as a garnish for pumpkin porridge.

Sriracha has a fermented chili-garlic flavor profile. You can use any brand you like but I recently tried the Sky Valley Sriracha and thought it was very fresh tasting.

A bag of coconut sugar is pretty much essential if you ever cook Asian food because it has a savory flavor profile and is far less processed than brown sugar. You can even use it in baking (try my farmer’s carrot cake).

Tamari is my gluten-free soy sauce of choice. If you are not sensitive to gluten, you can buy shoyu if you prefer (it has slightly more umami depth in my opinion). Whatever you do, never buy soy sauce that contains caramel color or flavor; this type of ingredient has an inferior artificial taste because it often does not involve fermenting the soybeans at all.

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SESAME GLAZED SALMON WITH BOK CHOY AND SWEET POTATO

Serves 4 / Prep time: 5 minutes / Cook time: 30 minutes

30-Minute | One Pot

Dairy Free, Gluten-Free

In this quick-cooking recipe, sesame and a soy-based chili sauce form the glaze and serving sauce for the salmon. Two sides round it out: crispy roasted bok choy and tender sweet potato.

Cook's Notes: Sheet pan meals are effectively about reducing dishes and timing all the parts so that they come out at the same time. Since the sweet potatoes take the longest to cook, I like to start those first and then add everything else to the same tray later. You can make the glaze while the sweet potatoes are roasting.

Bok choy: plan for at least 1 head per person

Sweet potato: Peel then extra large dice (for roasting)

Glaze shelf life: 5 days if refrigerated

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Asian

Keyword bok choy, salmon, sweet potato

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4 bowls

Calories 455kcal

Author Chef Sara Furcini

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes peeled
• 4 small heads bok choy or 1 large bok choy
• Avocado oil for drizzling
• Sea salt
• 1 pound fresh salmon skin-on or off
• Toasted sesame seeds for garnishing*

Sesame Glaze Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 4 teaspoons tamari
• 2 ½ teaspoons coconut sugar or Evaporated cane sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil

Instructions

• Prepare the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 450F. Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise, then cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces. Cut off and discard the root ends of the bok choy; julienne (cut into strips, roughly ½-inch thick).
• Roast the sweet potatoes. Place the sweet potato pieces on a sheet pan. Drizzle with avocado oil and season with salt. Toss to coat and arrange in an even layer. Roast approximately 15 minutes to cook halfway through.
• Make the sesame glaze. Add the rice wine vinegar, sriracha, tamari, cane sugar, xanthan gum, and oils to a small pot. Whisk to combine (note: xanthan gum will clump if you don’t). Set aside.
• Add the bok choy and salmon to the sheet tray and roast. Use a spatula to stir then slide the sweet potatoes to one side of the sheet tray; add the bok choy off to the side making sure to overlap the greens. Drizzle lightly with avocado oil and season with a pinch of salt. Place the salmon (skin side down) off to the other side and rub the top with a very thin layer of glaze, about 1 tablespoon. Bake for 6 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of your salmon. If you aren’t sure, see notes. Your sweet potatoes are done when they can be pierced with a fork and have some brown color.
• Bowl it up. Just before serving, heat the remaining glaze to a simmer and immediately remove from the heat. Toss the roasted sweet potatoes with the glaze and pile into bowls. Portion off some salmon and bok choy then top with toasted sesame seeds for some crunch.

Video

Notes

 

You can remove the salmon at any point if you think it is cooked and simply return the sheet tray to the oven if the sweet potatoes need more time. With salmon, you want to look for the texture to flake easily with a fork. If you own a good thermometer, you want a reading of 145F. You can cut the salmon filet into 4, 4-ounce portions then cook or you can simply cook the whole filet and use a spatula to break into pieces. It’s really just a presentation preference.
I think a 4-ounce portion of salmon is on the small side but the sides help make this a meal. Feel free to increase to 1 ½ pounds of salmon if you like.

Sesame seeds should be toasted. If you can only find raw sesame seeds, you will have to toast them in a dry skillet over low heat until they are fragrant, brown and crunchy. This requires frequent stirring and can take up to 20 minutes. I like to do a big batch at once because they store for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

Ingredient tips:
If you would like to use coconut aminos, use 2 tablespoons in place of both the tamari and coconut sugar in this recipe.
Avocado oil – This is a flavorless high-heat oil. You may use any neutral high heat oil in this recipe, such as refined coconut oil or even your favorite cooking olive oil.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 1090mg | Potassium: 3072mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 53613IU | Vitamin C: 383mg | Calcium: 932mg | Iron: 8mg

Photography by Adam Rahman

This recipe is part of my cooking Basics series, a collection of recipes that are all about how to cook basic, everyday things.

My dad notoriously undercooked wild rice throughout my childhood. It was always a task to eat it, and I didn’t learn how to cook it until I went to culinary school.

Turns out, you want to cook wild rice like pasta. That is to say, in salted boiling water. You also want to look for the grains to sort of burst open. Trust me, it makes all the difference.

Wild rice fetches a premium price because it can involve being harvested by canoe as it grows in water like a grass; making it difficult to cultivate.

How Much Water to Use When Cooking Wild Rice

Unlike regular rice which involves precise measurements, wild rice is less finicky because the outer shell prevents it from turning mushy. You don’t have to be as precious about the ratios of water to wild rice. Just be sure the rice has plenty of room to cook. In other words, you can’t have too much water when cooking wild rice (but you could have too little).

How to Tell Wild Rice Is Done

Simply dump it into a pot of boiling water and cook until you see the grains burst open. You do want to remove the rice as soon as this happens. It is possible to over-do it with the cooking. As a rule of thumb, wild rice takes anywhere from 35 to 55 minutes, depending on the brand. Just begin checking every 20 minutes or so.

Best Way to Serve Wild Rice

Once strained, the wild rice will have the best texture if you allow it to steam and fluff it with a fork.

You can serve wild rice like a salad with a shallot vinaigrette and some dried cranberries or with a hearty wild mushroom sauce like my mushroom stroganoff. It’s lovely as a side to some broiled salmon and those pan drippings can double as a sauce for the rice, too.

Hope you enjoyed this basic cooking method. Now, grab your apron and let’s go!

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How to Cook Wild Rice

You want to treat wild rice less like rice and more like pasta.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword wild rice

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 158kcal

Author Chef Sara Furcini

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups wild rice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

Instructions

• Boil. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the salt and the wild rice. Stir every so often to ensure the rice cooks evenly. Note: You can check the bag for approximate cook time. Typically 35 to 55 minutes.
• Strain and serve. When you see the grains visibly split open, immediately strain using a fine mesh strainer. Transfer to a large serving bowl and toss with some olive oil or butter to fluff and allow steam to escape. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 11/2 cup portion | Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 148mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg

You only need 5 ingredients and hot skillet to get these sautéed snow peas on the dinner table in a flash.

After a long winter, I eagerly await fresh spring offerings, especially snow peas. When I can grow them, I’m usually one to simply eat them right off the vine but then I feel guilty because I know I really should share with the rest of the family.

So here’s a proper recipe and a reason for us all to gather and enjoy together.

Now, snow peas are such a fun raw snack so I wouldn’t dream of distracting from their subtle virtues: their crispness, their mild sweetness, their lovely color.

This is one simple recipe but don’t let that fool you. It packs a punch (especially if you can sneak in some minced mint or tarragon right at the end).

Snow Peas vs Snap Peas – What’s the Difference?

Snow peas have a flat pod with tiny, premature peas inside whereas sugar snap peas are more rounded with larger peas. Since their flavors are quite similar, you can easily use them interchangeably in this recipe.

5 Basic Ingredients for Sautéed Snow Peas

There’s just salt, freshly ground black pepper, olive oil (or butter) and a squirt of lemon juice right at the end. And don’t forget the zest.

Cooking Tips for Snow Peas

Definitely get your pan nice and hot from the start. You don’t want the food to steam too much. Just a quick toss with some fat will bring out the color a bit and will intensify the flavor while preserving the crunch.

After only a couple of minutes of tossing the snow peas in the skillet, you finish the snow peas off with a small amount of acid from the lemon to really make the green color deepen.

These are so pretty, you can’t NOT want to pop them in your mouth.

Serving Ideas

If you’re looking for a few sides to throw together. You can make a great meal with a protein side:

• Broiled Salmon with Honey Mustard Glaze
• How to Make Crispy, Juicy Chicken Thighs
• Pan Seared Steak with Blistered Shishito Peppers

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5-Minute Snow Peas Recipe

Snow peas are a cold weather crop so they are harvested in Spring and Fall. Since the seeds aren't fully mature, they have a mild, sweet delicate flavor.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword snow peas

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 79kcal

Author Chef Sara Furcini

Ingredients

• 16 ounces 1 bag snow peas
• olive oil or butter
• sea salt
• lemon zest and juice
• freshly ground black pepper or red chile flakes optional

Instructions

• Prep the snow peas. Grab any hard stems and pull to remove any thick fibers that might be unpleasant to eat.
• Sauté, season, and serve. Heat a skillet over medium heat and coat with a glug of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon). Add the snow peas and stir occasionally cooking just a few minutes. Season with salt (pepper, too, if you’d like) and shave some lemon zest over top (a quick squirt of lemon will brighten the green color even more). Serve as a bright, crisp side to salmon or enjoy as-is!

Nutrition

Serving: 11/2 cup serving | Calories: 79kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 227mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1233IU | Vitamin C: 68mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg

Photography by Adam Rahman

With thin strips of cucumber as the wrapper, these nibbles prove that you don’t need to go to a sushi restaurant when the craving strikes. Fresh tuna is such a splurge and yet always leaves me proclaiming, “I could eat this way every week!”

You can’t go wrong with cucumber, tuna, and avocado. This combination is so fresh and the textures work in harmony. A spritz of lime and a thin slice of jalapeno round out all the flavors for one glorious bite.

This simple spring dish is a blast.

There’s a creaminess from the avocado and some crunch from microgreens, jalapeno, and cucumber. And the tuna! Let’s not forget about the luxurious tuna–so smooth and melt in your mouth.

Plus, you can make this recipe in about 15-minutes in one pan! So, there’s really no downside.

While these seem like an appetizer, I habitually make this dish a full meal by adding rice and miso soup to the table. If you have day-old rice, even better, I have this ahi tuna recipe that will walk you through how to make crispy golden rice in the same pan as the seared tuna.

Watch How to Make Cucumber Tuna Avocado Rolls (Video)

You can watch how to prepare the cucumber and layer the ingredients to make rolling easy.

Ingredients/Tips/Substitutions

• Tuna steaks (6 to 7 ounces/180-200g each) (boneless, skinless): Fresh tuna with vibrant color and marbling will have the best flavor and texture. Use purchased fish within 2 days.
• Olive oil: A high heat oil for searing the tuna. Avocado oil is a great alternative.
• Salt: sea salt or Kosher salt ensure maximum flavor
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Seedless English cucumbers: This forms the wrap and can be prepared easily with an open faced vegetable peeler or a mandolin set to the thinnest setting
• Avocados: you can ripen avocados quickly by placing in a brown paper bag someplace high (with a banana if possible)
• Microgreens: any delicate microgreen works; I like anything with a spicy bite, like radish or mustard greens (you can even grow microgreens yourself). Chopped cilantro is a good substitute.
• Jalapeno: Just a thin slice per bite gives the right amount of heat to accentuate the other flavors.
• Lime: Balances the savory flavors by adding a fresh, acid component.

Equipment Tip: a mandolin or vegetable peeler is key for peeling extra thin slices of cucumber for rolling. If you don’t own one, you can deconstruct the whole dish and serve it salad style in a bowl.

Step-by-Step Instructions and Cooking Tips

Step 1 – Cook Tuna.

Be sure to season the tuna well with salt and pepper. Rub with a thin coat of olive oil.

In a really hot pan, sear the tuna until you see a nice, even gold crust form. Repeat on the other side. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Step 2 – Prepare the Vegetables.

There are several ways to get thin strips of cucumber. You can use a vegetable peeler easily enough or a mandolin. If you don’t have either, you could thinly slice the cucumber and serve everything salad-style in a bowl.

Ingredient Tip: Look for “English cucumber” because the seeds are very delicate and English cucumbers tend to be long, making them perfect for strips (see above picture).

Step 3 – Assemble. Roll. Serve.

You can cut the tuna into thin ¼-inch thick squares (about 1-inch x 1-inch). Make sure the tuna has cooled completely or it will tear when you cut into it.

To assemble: Place the cucumber strip in front of you (note: you may need to stack 2 pieces of cucumber on top of each other).

Add a single layer of tuna starting from one end and leaving at least half the length bare (over-stuffed cucumber will be difficult to roll). Repeat with the avocado slices, a thin layer of microgreens, adding a single slice of jalapeno per roll.

Starting at the end with the tuna, begin to roll to form a single bite-sized roll. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Serve with lime juice.

FAQs

What temperature for cooking tuna steak?

Rare: A final temperature of about 90 degrees for that beautiful red color and luxurious texture that tuna is known for. You can cook it to medium-rare (130 degrees when measured at the thickest point) but any further and it will become dry.

How do you ripen avocado?

Place the unripe avocado in a paper bag with a banana and place on a shelf up high. This method will ripen an avocado within about 8 hours, so it’s great to do this the night before.

How many calories in a spicy tuna roll?

Approximately 460 calories in the total recipe, so divide the number of rolls you get by 460 and that’s the number of calories per roll.

How to store:

While you could make this dish ahead, I’d recommend omitting the salt because it will draw too much moisture out of the cucumber. You could assemble the rolls and store in a container in the refrigerator for a couple of days. The lime will prevent the avocado from oxidizing somewhat, but the ingredients will be at their best texture when fresh.

Now that you have the basic technique, it’s time to test the waters. You’ll soon get the hang of how to stack and roll everything. It’s also fun to lay everything out and let people stack and roll at the table together. It’s interactive and fun!

More Fresh Seafood Recipes For You:

• Halibut Foil Pack with White Wine Sauce
• Beer Braised Mussels with Spicy Salami and Sun-Dried Tomato
• Lemon Orzo Shrimp Salad
• Baked Scallops with Citrus Ginger Sauce

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CUCUMBER TUNA AVOCADO SALAD ROLLS

One Pot, Fast

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free

Fresh tuna served rare is paired with everything it needs: salt, fat, heat, and acid.

These fresh little bites can be served a number of ways as an appetizer or light lunch: as sushi rolls, in a salad bowl, on top of cucumber coins (thickly sliced cucumber), or stuffed inside of cucumber. The sky is the limit and what really matters is the ingredients coming together into one harmonious bite not so much the exact presentation.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword avocado, cucumber, rolls, salad, tuna

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 122kcal

Author Chef Sara Furcini

Ingredients

• 2 tuna steaks (6 to 7 ounces/180-200g each) (boneless, skinless)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 seedless English cucumbers outer peel removed and thinly peeled lengthwise into wide strips
• 2 ripe avocados cut in half, seed and skins removed
• Microgreens
• 1 jalapeno sliced very thinly
• 1 lime cut in half

Instructions

• Cook tuna. Drizzle half the oil over the tuna. Smear over one side then sprinkle with half the salt and pepper, flip and repeat. Heat skillet over high heat until smoking hot. Place tuna steak in the skillet and cook on all sides for 45 seconds. You just want to sear the outside but keep the center rare (118F in the middle). Move to a plate and allow to cool completely before slicing.
• Prepare the vegetables. Use either a vegetable peeler or mandolin to slice the cucumber lengthwise into long thin strips. Set on a paper towel and sprinkle lightly with salt to remove excess water. With the avocado (rounded side face-up) cut into very thin ¼-inch thick slices lengthwise.
• Assemble the tuna salad rolls, slice, and serve. Once the tune is completely cool, cut it into thin ¼-inch thick squares (about 1-inch x 1-inch). To assemble: Place the cucumber strip in front of you (note: you may need to stack 2 pieces of cucumber on top of eachother). Add a single layer of tuna starting from one end and leaving at least half the length bare (over-stuffed cucumber will be difficult to roll). Repeat with the avocado slices, a thin layer of microgreens, adding a single slice of jalapeno per roll. Starting at the end with the tuna, begin to roll to form a single bite-sized roll. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve with lime juice.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (Total rolls made/4) | Calories: 122kcal | Protein: 20g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 214mg | Vitamin A: 1856IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg

Photography by Adam Rahman

This salmon gets coated with a honey mustard marinade then broiled. The result? A delicate sticky sweet caramelized layer of flavor. It’s so balanced, and so good!

Know thy fish. We should all be broiling our salmon. It’s the best way to introduce flavor and, hey, salmon loves a high heat cooking method. It’s those caramelized bits that my fork finds first. When it comes to broiling salmon, the name of the game is marinade (because moisture).

Now, here’s the thing with broiling marinated anything. You really want the right amount. You don’t want to boil your salmon in liquid because you really want an amount of dry heat to happen before the fish dries out.

I’m going to recommend a technique along with my go-to marinade today–a honey mustard sauce that coats the salmon just so. It’s delicately flavored and won’t mask the actual taste of the salmon.

While in the past, I have cut my filets into individual 6-ounce portions, I’m embracing broiling whole salmon filets right now because I can get dinner on the table in 15-minutes (and I don’t have to dirty a cutting board)! For me that’s a double win.

You just take a really good quality Dijon and mix up this marinade that you spread all over the fish. Of course, I use the honey we got from our bees (ha, like if I wasn’t so busy raising bees, maybe I’d have time to wash a cutting board!), but you could use any honey you have.

To serve, you can just present it like you would a platter: family-style with some fresh sides. Let everyone dig in. You can use foil, too, so it’s really easy to lift it off the pan and makes clean-up simple.

Broiled Salmon Really is the Way to Go

You know me, I had to test it multiple ways so I’ll save you the trouble. I tried marinating then pan-frying, played with the proportions of mustard to honey–I even tried forgoing high-heat and baked the salmon.

Big differences:

• Definitely, don’t pan-fry. That was the worst. I totally under-cooked the middle because I was judging the doneness on color and the outside started to burn and stick to the pan. Honestly, it was a mess.

• With the baked salmon, it was good but not great because…no color. In terms of moisture and the outcome I’m going for, the best method is to stick the salmon right up under the broiler.

• Skin-on or off doesn’t matter (more on that later).

• I definitely didn’t mind the version where I added more mustard, but in the end decided to go with equal portions of mustard to honey.

Oh, and let’s talk about the best part: the Dijon. Yes, we are obsessed with Dijon–I mean, it does open your nose and let you taste more salmon flavor (same concept as wasabi or horseradish).

Do you have a favorite Dijon? I thought all Dijon was good until I bought this store brand one that really was awful. Even that tasted good in this recipe, but I have to say, I’m really a big fan of Grey Poupon. With the white wine and the right balance of tangy to spicy flavors, it’s just so freakin good. I think their Country Dijon would be fun in this recipe because those mustard seeds are kind of visible, and I like that.

Another unexpected thing that came out of testing this recipe was the liquid factor. I found that if you pour all of the sauce on the fish, it has a tendency to cause the salmon to steam instead of caramelize. To account for this, I figured out that it’s best to coat the salmon in a bowl, lift it, and just place it on the pan. There might be a little bit of sauce leftover (not much), but if you’re worried about wasting it, you could refrigerate it and use it with some chicken wings or something (as long as it’s within 24 hours).

Point is, with this mustard sauce, less is more. We want to hit the sweet spot in terms of moisture but not too much moisture for the broiler to work its magic.

Prepping the Salmon

If you buy your fillets from Costco, they’ll probably be skinned, boned and ready to go.

You can gently run your fingertips over the flesh of the salmon fillet, feeling for any bones. Remove the bones by grabbing firmly and pulling with a pair of tweezers. I like to keep culinary tweezers with my fillet knife for this purpose.

Skin on or off? This will depend largely on how it’s sold and whether you think you can remove it. If you want to take a stab at it here’s how (video)

Even if you don’t like eating the skin, I find that it’s no big deal to cook with it on because it almost always separates easily from the flesh and you can just remove it at the time of serving. In terms of portioning, I like the practicality of serving a whole fillet (again, no cutting board needed). You could just as easily cut each fillet before cooking; for broiled salmon, I’d recommend a 6-ounce portion minimum to account for shrinkage.

Coordinating Fast, Fresh Sides with Broiled Salmon

We should talk about sides. I know salmon can be tricky because it cooks so quickly. It can be gosh darn hard to put together a side before the salmon gets cold. But it is possible!

Foil and Broil Hack: I stole the foil and broil method from my mom because I’ve seen how it can double as a moisture-locking wrap if the fish has to sit for a bit.

I like the simplicity of wild rice for fish because there’s nothing to measure. As a grass, wild rice can be simmered like pasta then strained. You know wild rice is done when the grains slightly open up. I’ve always found that the package instructions are solid. The only tip I have is to use salted water because it helps accentuate the subtle sweetness that makes wild rice so special.

My second side dish is a method that can be applied broadly to any delicate green. I’m going with snow peas today because (again) no cutting board:)

How to Broil Salmon

For perfectly broiled salmon, you need to keep a close eye on what’s happening. Since salmon fillets can vary wildly in thickness, it’s impossible to offer one standard cooking time.

Instead, use your eyes and look for caramelization.

Use a fork: cooked salmon will flake easily. If it doesn’t flake, it needs more time. While the USDA recommends an internal temperature of 145 degrees, many would call that dry. You might want to target 135 degrees and allow for some carry-over-cooking. In the end, it’s your judgment.

If you would like to try arctic char which has orange flesh and is actually a trout, I would recommend reducing the cook time. Unlike salmon, char is a lean fish and will dry out if over-cooked by even 1 minute.

Honey Mustard Glaze Ingredients

You need a bowl, a spoon and these 7 ingredients to whip up this quick sauce:

More Fish Recipe For You:

• Kale Salad with Pan-Seared Salmon
• Salmon Curry with Kaffir Lime
• Smoked Salmon Cream Sauce with Gnocchi
• Baked Salmon with Parsley Garlic Crust
• Thai Sea Bass
• Crispy Sea Bream with Olives and Pickled Onion

Now grab your apron and let’s make salmon for dinner!

Print

BROILED SALMON WITH HONEY MUSTARD GLAZE

ONE PAN, 30-MINUTE

DAIRY FREE, NUT FREE, SOY FREE, GLUTEN-FREE

This is inspired by my mom’s salmon, which she broils or grills when we all get together. She uses foil for easy clean-up and to protect the outside edges of the salmon. The result? Moist salmon with a bit of caramelization on top.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword fish, salmon

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8 4-ounce portions

Calories 227kcal

Author Chef Sara Furcini

Ingredients

• 2 pounds salmon filets boneless and skinless
• 1 ½ tablespoons honey
• 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 garlic cloves minced (about 3 teaspoons)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 lemon cut into wedges for serving
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Instructions

• Prepare the salmon. Line a sheet tray with two layers of foil, coating the top layer thinly with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking. Place the honey, dijon, garlic, olive oil, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir until combined. Add the salmon, toss to coat evenly. Set the salmon on the prepared sheet tray. Fold the top foil layer to hug the thin outer edges of the salmon, leaving the top of the salmon open.
• Broil on high heat (500°F) and serve. Set the oven temperature to broil and transfer the salmon to the top shelf, approximately 6-inches from the broiler. Do not walk away or forget as it will cook very quickly (especially the closer it is to the heat). Checking every 5 minutes, pull the salmon out as soon as you see it is brown and opaque (approximately 10 minutes total). Garnish with lemon wedges and minced parsley, then serve. Note: Reserve those pan drippings and drizzle over a side of sauteed vegetables or rice. If it will be a while before you can serve the fish, I recommend completely covering tightly with foil to lock in the moisture.

Video

Notes

Many of the ingredients can be swapped without losing the essence of this dish, which is fast, fresh-tasting caramelized sweet and spicy.

Nutrition

Serving: 14-oz portion | Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 227mg | Potassium: 588mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 93IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

Photography by Adam Rahman.