End of year greetings, Darlings!
What a fun ride it’s been to accompany you through all your holiday cooking!
We conclude our series today with three recipes that will help you eat clean right into the new year. Whether it be for yourself or family and friends with specific dietary needs, if you’ve been cooking and enjoying these recipes over the last few weeks and are experiencing not only the health benefits but also an appreciation and excitement for cooking this way, I encourage you to stay with me!
Above all, I hope you have found that my approach to cooking and eating is not just about what we are trying to avoid. More importantly, it is about what we are choosing to eat and being conscious of using nutrient-rich, anti-inflammatory ingredients wherever possible. And making sure the finished product is always delicious!
So, today I present you with three of my favorite recipes. For breakfast, I’m serving up Spiced Goji Berry Pancakes, for lunch, Cream-less Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup, and for dinner, Vietnamese-ish Salmon with Almost Nouc Cham.
These recipes have been staples in my cooking repertoire—they have fed my children, my friends, and me. Each of these recipes is packed with flavor and intrigue and will take you right from winter into spring. The pancakes are cozy and nostalgic for cold weekends, the soup is a perfect wintertime lunch option that stores well in the freezer and reheats for months to come, and the salmon, well, who doesn’t love a wildly flavorful and out-of-the-box salmon recipe?
I have truly enjoyed sharing my beloved recipes with you through the holidays, and I hope you will stick around and check out my website, sign up for my newsletter at www.aubreeholmes.com, and follow me on Instagram @aubreeholmes for many more recipes in 2023.
And for now, wishing you the most delightful end of your year and best wishes for the new one!
Warmly,
Aubree
SPICED GOJI BERRY PANCAKES
1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
1 banana
¼ cup dried goji berries
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup almond flour
½ cup cassava flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
Coconut oil, ghee or salted butter for greasing
Salted butter, for serving (optional)
Maple syrup, for serving (optional)
TO MAKE:
Bring a large cast iron skillet or pan to medium heat.
Combine the non dairy milk, banana and goji berries in a high-powered blender and blend until the berries are fully processed and the mixture looks like orange milk, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cassava flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves. Pour in the milk mixture and whisk until combined. Whisk in the eggs until combined to make a batter.
Melt 1 tablespoon of coconut oil on the skillet. Pour about ¼ cup of batter onto the skillet to make each pancake. Cook until bubbles start to form on the edges of the pancakes and the bottom has turned golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip them and cook until the other side is golden brown, about 3 more minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve immediately with the toppings of your choice.
THINGS TO NOTE: If you can’t get your hands on almond flour and cassava flour, this recipe will work well with 1 cup of a paleo or gluten-free flour blend. If you don’t have all the spices, don’t worry, just use those that you have.
CREAM-LESS CREAMY ROASTED TOMATO SOUP
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes and their juice
3 cups water
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
16 slow-roasted tomato halves, recipe below
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy kefir or yogurt (I prefer Forager)
8 tablespoons non-dairy butter or unsalted butter (I prefer Miyokos)
Juice from 1 lemon
TO MAKE:
Bring a large pot to medium heat. Add olive oil to the pot. Stir in garlic and let cook until fragrant.
Pour in the canned tomatoes and water. Bring to a simmer.
Stir in the basil, slow-roasted tomatoes, salt and pepper. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
Turn the heat to low. Stir in the non dairy kefir, butter and lemon juice. Let simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Use an immersion blender or pour the soup into a high-powered blender to purée.
Pour the soup into serving bowls and top with a little more basil. Serve right away or keep the soup in a sealed container, refrigerated for up to 1 week. The soup can also be kept in a sealed container in the freezer for a couple months.
for the SLOW-ROASTED TOMATOES
8 roma tomatoes, halved widthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
TO MAKE:
Preheat the oven to 275º F.
Place the halved tomatoes cut side up on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and place in the oven to roast for 2 1/2 – 3 hours, until the tomatoes have golden brown edges.
These can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to one week. Use them in “Cream-less” Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup, in sandwiches or on top of a bowl of grits.
VIETNAMESE-ISH SALMON WITH ALMOST NOUC CHAM
2-3 lb fillet of wild salmon, deboned, skin-on
1 cup Almost Nuoc Cham, recipe below
¼ cup Quick Pickled Shallots, recipe below
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons Quick Pickled Peppers, recipe below
TO MAKE:
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Line a roasting pan or baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pat the salmon dry and place on the parchment paper, skin-side down. Pour ½ cup Nuoc Cham over the salmon, using your fingers or a brush to ensure it is fully coated. Place in the oven to roast until the salmon flakes when pressed with a fork, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes.
Sprinkle the pickled shallots, mint, cilantro and pickled peppers over the top of the salmon. Serve right away alongside the remaining ½ cup of Nuoc Cham to be poured over the top.
for the ALMOST NOUC CHAM
1 cup water
1/3 cup coconut aminos, liquid aminos or tamari
½ cup maple syrup
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 fresno chili, red serrano peppers or red jalapenos, finely chopped
½ cup lime juice
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
TO MAKE:
Bring a saucepan to medium heat. Add water, coconut aminos, maple syrup, garlic, chili, lime juice and salt. Stir together and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes.
Carefully pour the nuoc cham into a sealable glass jar. Let cool to room temperature, about 20-30 minutes, before placing the lid on the jar. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
for the QUICK PICKLED SHALLOTS & PEPPERS
3-4 small shallots, thinly sliced
2-3 fresno chilies, red serrano peppers or red jalapenos, thinly sliced
1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
1 ½ cups water
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon white peppercorns
2 bay leaves
TO MAKE:
Bring a saucepan to medium heat. Add in apple cider vinegar, water, maple syrup, salt, red pepper flakes, white peppercorns, and bay leaves. Stir together and bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, place the sliced shallots and sliced peppers in two separate sealable glass jars. Carefully divide the vinegar mixture between the two jars, pouring it to cover the shallots and peppers. Let cool to room temperature, about 20-30 minutes, before placing the lids on each jar. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
NOTE: This method can be used to quickly pickle just about any vegetable. The white peppercorns add a little kick, but black peppercorns will do just fine, as well. The pickling liquid is enough to make two jars worth – one for the shallots and the other for the peppers. The leftovers are a delicious addition to sandwiches, tacos…you name it.
Images via Carla Choy
