Category Archives: Dips and Sauces

Dips and Sauces, Main Dishes

Flank Steak With Chimmichurri Sauce

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Some may be asking, what is chimichurri? And how do you say that?

Pronounced just how it is spelled, this silly sounding word packs some serious flavor for grilled meats.  Originated in Argentina, it is a green or red sauce based typically on ground parsley, olive oil, and vinegar. Other spices, flavorings, and tomato sauces can be added. It is a bit like hummus or pesto, every home cook and chef has their own secret recipe to make it perfect.

This sauce is very forgiving, and a great way to use some of summer’s last herb bounty before Jack Frost takes the rest. Feel free to experiment with a dash of whatever green goodness you have on hand. It is a fantastic accompaniment to any grilled meats, from racks of ribs or lamb to chicken kebabs, skirt steak, or this recipe here for flank steak. Pretty much any meat you have, just grill it up, douse it in the chimichurri sauce, and watch whoever eats it eyes light up!

This recipe can be made Paleo friendly through the use of ghee or clarified butter, or coconut oil rather than regular butter. It all depends on how strictly you follow certain diets. Choose your cut of meat according to the tastes and appetites of those who will be eating the meal.

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Chimichurri Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup mint leaves
  • 1/2 cup basil leaves
  • 1/2 small green bell pepper
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic

Step 1: Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor, whirl until well combined.  Add a little vinegar or oil if needed to get it to the thickness desired.

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Flank Steak Ingredients:

  • 1 large flank steak (1-2 lbs)
  • 1/2 cup seasoning/rub of choice
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp chimichurri per person

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Step 1: Take a healthy handful of your rub, and slather it all over all sides of the beef. Don’t be afraid, get on in there! Rub it good, give it a nice massage. It deserves to be pampered in the last few minutes it has before being inhaled by you. I used a prepared Chicago Steak rub from McCormic, but you can try any one of millions of unique rub or marinade ideas, or invent your own!

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Step 2: In a hot frying pan, melt your butter, then add the steak. Let it cook and sizzle, about 7-9 minutes. You want the rub to caramelize a bit and form a nice crisp crust. Flip it over, and cook the other side. You want it to give a little when pressed, but not too springy. You could always use the fist technique to tell. Remove it to a plate and let it rest 5-10 minutes to redistribute the juices.

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Step 3: Cut it against the grain in thin slices for best results. This means if you can see the muscle fibers running lengthwise, cut it perpendicular, top to bottom, for the most tender bites.

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You can now use this meat for tacos, enchiladas, over rice or polenta, or just by itself with some simple sides. I made some garlic chili broccoli rabe and baked potatoes for a simple, amazing, delicious complete meal!

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Even the vegetable-allergic fiancée said that the chimichurri was soooo tasty, and really brought out the meaty, beefy grilled flavors. The vegetal flavors and aromas of the herbs combined with the acid from the vinegar & lemon is just what this humble smoky cut needs to be elevated to restaurant-quality at home. Enjoy!

 

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Appetizers, Dips and Sauces, Healthy, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Homemade hummus & Flatbread

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If you haven’t jumped on the hummus bandwagon yet, you should definitely consider it! Hummus is super heart-healthy, especially when made at home. And it is so very easy! Just put all the ingredients into a blender and whir for a minute or two, and presto! A tasty, healthy, fiber-full dip or snack.

This recipe is a basic recipe, great for pre-dinner appetizers, a party snack, or really anytime. You can get creative with roasted peppers, beets, green veggies, or really anything you set your mind to. Feel free to experiment with different nut butters if you don’t want to buy tahini. I’ve also made black bean hummus before, so you don’t even have to use chickpeas.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can chickpeas
  •  1/4 cup tahini
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 4-6 tbsp lemon juice
  • Optional: Dash of paprika

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Step 1: Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend on high until well mixed. Taste, and add more of this or that until it’s perfect.

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It’s best to serve with fresh cut veggies, or toast your own pita chips. To make pita chips, spray a cookie sheet with oil, and place 2-4 tortillas on it. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, until crispy but not burnt. Cut into wedges. Enjoy!

Dips and Sauces

Perfect Sweet & Tangy Barbeque Sauce

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Barbeque sauce, how America loves you, let me count the ways.

Put simply, barbecue sauce (or BBQ) is a flavoring used as a marinade, basting, or topping/dipping for meats and other grilled foods. While the ingredients vary as widely as the cooks creating it, most begin with a tomato and vinegar base. Other common additions include chilies, garlic, ginger, molasses or brown sugar, liquid smoke, coffee, and other spices.

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For a nice history lesson and some ancient sauce recipes, check out TIME and/or amazingribs.com. Every cook has their favorite ‘secret’ recipe, perhaps passed down from grandmothers or grandfathers, or containing an unusual ingredient they will never disclose, even on pain of death.

I’ve written before about BBQ sauces, and this recipe expands upon my simpler one. Most ingredients are staples I always have around the kitchen, while things like sriracha and liquid smoke you may have to make a special purchase. You can even choose to omit those ingredients you do not have, and likely it will still be delicious. Experiment with recipes until you find one you love, then it can become your “signature” BBQ sauce.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups ketchup
  • 2 tbsp mustard
  • 2 tbsp sriracha
  • 2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
  • Dash liquid smoke (1-2 tsp)
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup plain cola
  • 2-4 tbsp maple syrup, depending on how sweet you like it
  • Sprinkle paprika, salt & black pepper to taste

Step 1: Combine all ingredients in a giant bowl, and whisk away!

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This makes a substantial amount of sauce, so be prepared to throw a huge backyard bash with tons of sauce on meats, or store what you don’t use in the refrigerator for about 2 months. The more salt or acid you add, the longer it can last in the fridge.

 

 

Appetizers, Dips and Sauces, Healthy, Vegan, Vegetarian

Blender Black Bean Hummus

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As a food, hummus is enjoying more and more notice in North America. Long a staple of cuisines such as the Mediterranean, Egyptian, and Indian cultures, America has been slower to recognize its unique texture, taste, and health benefits. Luckily, this is changing as stores begin carrying national brands as well as their own store brands, and consumers are driving this change.

Hummus has a reputation as a ‘clean’ food, and it definitely deserves its healthy reputation. Each ingredient in hummus is a superfood in their own right: chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, garlic, and lemon juice. All these items have fabulous health benefits. Unfortunately, ‘Big Food’ can manage to take all these good things and ruin it with additives, chemicals, sweeteners, and preservatives.

The great news is, hummus is super easy to make! And the even better news is that it is so easy to create new hummus flavors and recipes based on what you enjoy. For a plain classic hummus recipe, check out this post, and for a different take, read my Feta and Red Pepper Hummus recipe. On the future try-it list: Beet hummus & edamame hummus. Keep an eye out for those posts.

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In this recipe, I show how you don’t have to stick to the expected ‘chickpea’ for the protein and texture. Any old bean type will do honestly, so be creative. If chickpeas don’t do it for you, try lima beans, or black eyed peas. As long as it is in the legume family it should work out texture wise.

Using dried beans makes this recipe incredibly cheap, but you could use canned beans to skip the cooking step; just add straight to the blender. Also if you don’t want to buy a whole can of tahini, you can use any nut butter like peanut butter or almond butter. All tahini is, is roasted and blended sunflower seeds.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup rinsed black beans
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika

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Step 1: Rinse the black beans & make sure there are no rocks/dirt/debris. Place in a crock pot with enough water to cover, and cook on low for 4-6 hours, until beans are soft.

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Step 2: If using canned beans, start here with rinsing. Rinse the beans under cool water until it runs clear.

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Step 3: Add the beans to the blender, along with the spices, tahini, and lemon juice.

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Step 4:  Turn the blender on, and drizzle in the olive oil. Scrape down the sides as needed. Once it reaches the desired consistency, just put in a bowl and you’re done! If it’s too thick, you can add a little more oil or lemon juice, or even warm water, until it’s how you like.

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Once you have your homemade hummus, there are so many options for how to enjoy it! For a nice presentation, drizzle on a little more oil, and sprinkle with paprika. It is a delicious dip for cut fresh veggies, spread it on any kind of sandwiches and wraps, bake your own chips to dip, or use it on pizza like a sauce.

Hummus has tons of plant protein and filling fiber, just try to restrain yourself from eating the whole batch at once.

 

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Administrative, Dips and Sauces, Main Dishes

Walmart Grocery To Go – Part 2

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This is part two of my experience with the Walmart Grocery To Go service.

This second order was in anticipation of a birthday party. My boyfriend got lucky, our birthdays are exactly one day apart. No excuse for forgetting my birthday, ever.

So we were both at home in our respective states for the holidays, meaning we did not get to celebrate our birthdays together. We decided when we got back we would throw a joint party for all our friends to come hang out and tell stories of their holidays too. This would be the first time we all saw each other in about a month.

I had placed the order a few days ahead of time, and set the delivery for between 6-8PM on Thursday. We had dinner, watched a movie. It was 6:30… 7:30… 8… 8:30… 9. I called the customer service line to figure out what was going on. The representative was refreshingly helpful and kind, he really was awesome. If only all customer service was like this.

However, what he found out was that the location I had ordered from was running four hours behind, and no one could contact the driver of the delivery truck, though my order was apparently already loaded onto the truck.

My order might not be delivered until after 1am… do I still want it? Ummm… no! I’m not staying up way past midnight when I have to wake up the next day at 5:30AM for work.

So I thought he cancelled it, yet I still got a call from someone around 11, who left me a voicemail telling me the same thing, my order will be delivered around 1am, do I still want it?

No.

However, there were no delivery times available the next day, which was the planned day of the party. I could go pick up the order at the store after noon, did I want to do that?

No, thank you.

The whole point of delivery, is that it is delivered. I don’t have to drive a half hour and go into the store to pick it up then load it into my car, drive home, and unload it all.

Needless to say, I was frustrated.

However, three of the people we invited had other things happening that weekend anyways, so we moved the party date to the following weekend. Good news for Walmart I guess.

So I rescheduled the delivery. And as a bonus for having messed up, they increased my budget a little and gave me free delivery again. Something is better than nothing I suppose. Now the delivery was set for the following Thursday night, same time, 6-8PM.

Thankfully, this one showed up on time, right around 6:45.

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I had decided to go with an Asian theme for dinner. I stocked up on some stir-fry noodles, teriyaki sauce, fresh veggies and chicken, sweet & sour sauce, and egg rolls. I already have some chop sticks I bought forever ago, so I busted those out too.

There was one item out of stock (the bok choi for stir fry) and a substitution of Lays brand dip for the Walmart Great Value brand. That wasn’t a problem, because the substituted brand was actually more expensive, but they do not charge you the difference.

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Then for the “party” portion after dinner, I got several types of chips and French onion dip. A few cans of chickpeas and a can of tahini so that I can make my own hummus. Several party size bags of white cheddar popcorn (pretty sure the “white” part is crack. Cause for real, I can eat an entire bag in a day), and jelly beans.

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In terms of the rest of the party experience, I also decided to get some “Island Fresh” Febreze so my house smells pretty, as well as Suave clinical strength deodorant, so I smell pretty too! And bonus for those readers over 21, beer is an option on Walmart Grocery. Count me in for a 24-pack of the 16 oz cans of Budweiser. For after the party, I got a gigantic bottle of lemon scented Cascade, to make dish clean-up easy breezy.

On to the cooking!

Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry

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Ingredients:

  • 2 boxes Thai stir fry noodles
  • 2 cups shredded Napa cabbage
  • 1 cup julienned bell peppers
  • 2 cups broccoli/cauliflower
  • 1 cup shredded spinach
  • 1/2 red onion, sliced
  • 1 small bottle teriyaki sauce (or make your own)
  • 3-4 pounds chicken breast strips
  • 2 tbsp. cornstarch or flour to thicken sauce
  • Sriracha or hot sauce, to taste
  • 4 tbsp coconut oil

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Step 1: Bring a pot of water to a boil, and boil your noodles 7-9 minutes. In a large frying pan or wok, heat the coconut oil. Add the peppers, broccoli, and/or cauliflower and cook 5-6 minutes, covered. Then add the spinach, cabbage, and any spices/hot sauce. Cook another few minutes, until all veggies are soft.

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Step 2: Either in a separate pan, or remove the veggies and keep warm, cook the chicken strips 8-10 minutes both sides, until no longer pink in the center. Pour on the terikayi sauce, heat to simmering. Add the cornstarch and whisk to combine. Cook until sauce thickens. Combine with veggies.

Step 3: Strain the noodles, and add to the pan. Mix everything well, and heat through.

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We had a lovely dinner together, sharing stories and catching up. The stir fry was a hit! The teriyaki sauce is delicious but thinner than I thought. I added some cornstarch to thicken it up and it worked like a charm.

Homemade Hummus

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Ingredients:

  • 1 15-ounce can chickpeas/garbanzo beans
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, about 1 large lemon
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1-3 garlic cloves, depending on taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons warm water
  • Dash of ground paprika for serving

Optional: black or red pepper, roasted red peppers, dill, cilantro, parsley, cooked edamame, roasted beets

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Step 1: Add the tahini and lemon juice to a food processor or blender, and blend on high for at least 1 minute, up to 10. According to this recipe from Inspired Taste, this makes all the difference in a smooth, store-bought-like consistency.

Step 2: Open the can of garbanzos, and put in a colander. Run cold water over them for several minutes to remove any toxins & excess sodium. If you wish, add to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes to soften them. Then add to the tahini paste and blend another 4-5 minutes.

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Step 3: Add the garlic cloves, olive oil, and sea salt to taste, along with any other desired ingredients. If you don’t have tahini, try peanut butter or almond butter. You can use whatever spices sound good to you. Roast some beets and add them for a shocking pink hummus or a cup of cooked edamame for a delicate green boost of protein and fiber. Get crazy!

Step 4: Blend everything well until the desired consistency, adding a few tbsp water if needed. Use a spatula to pour into a bowl, and garnish with some olive oil, a dash of paprika, and/or some fresh herbs. Enjoy alone, on sandwiches, or with fresh crudités.

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Several games were gifted to us during the holidays, one of which is always a huge hit at parties: Cards Against Humanity. With game-play much like Apples to Apples but with a much more… “mature” card content, our group of friends loved it.

If your friends (and you) like intricate games with a lot of thought and strategy, you might want to look into Betrayal at House on the Hill.  In this game, you are a band of brave explorers who find a haunted house. You go through the house discovering new rooms. Based on the rooms you find, different events can happen.

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At some point during the game, “the Haunting” is triggered. The game decides who becomes the Traitor, who must now try to accomplish their goal to the detriment of their former friends, whilst the Heroes now try to defeat them first.

With 50 different unique stories, and endless unpredictable variations, this game will keep us entertained for a long time to come!

One whole bag of the white cheddar popcorn disappeared within the first two hours, and the homemade hummus was way better than even the freshest deli purchased tub. No one commented on the Island scent, but no one said it smelled bad either, so that’s a win. And the lemon Cascade works great for clean dishes with no streaks, and just a hint of lemon scent.

All in all, this delivery was far more trouble and frustration, though it worked out in the end. If I had this planned for an event that actually happened the day it was planned and my delivery just didn’t show up until after midnight, I would be extremely displeased. They did try to make it right after the fact, but we are at 50% (one of two deliveries were positive experiences).

One more delivery remains, so stay tuned!

 

This post contains affiliate links.

Dips and Sauces, Healthy, Vegan, Vegetarian

Fresh garden salsa

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Salsa is a beloved condiment in many cultures. The ingredients can vary widely, but basically always contains tomatoes and chilies of some sort. “Salsa” is the Spanish word for sauce, and may come in many forms such as pureed until smooth, a combination of smooth and chunky, or the uniformly diced pico de gallo.

Salsa can be wickedly spicy to light and fruity. See Wikipedia for a long list of salsa types. Basically any fresh fruit and/or vegetable, diced or blended, with or without fresh herbs, can be called a salsa.

Fresh salsa right out of the garden, just lightly diced, is my favorite kind. I like to see the chunks of what I’m eating in bright technicolor on my tortilla chip. This salsa is amazing on its own, or you could spoon it over fresh white fish fillets, onto tacos, or into a soup with rice, beans & diced chicken.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cherry or pear tomatoes
  • 2-10 large tomatoes, diced small
  • 1/4 red onion, diced
  • 3-5 garlic cloves, diced
  • 2 jalapenos, diced
  • 1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
  • Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Handful fresh chives, chopped
  • 4-5 tbsp lime juice, or juice of 2 fresh limes
  • Sea salt to taste

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Step 1: Dice up all your tomatoes and onions. This part takes a little time, but is well worth it. It is up to you how big to dice, or you can puree part of the tomatoes or all of them. Totally up to you.

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Step 2: In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, onion, garlic, peppers, herbs, and lime juice. That’s really all there is to it!

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This salsa is wonderfully fresh and vibrantly colored. It is super healthy for you, so throw it into everything, or just eat spoonfuls!

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Dips and Sauces, Less than 5

Fresh Herb Salt

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This idea came from an old “Midwest Living” magazine article I read while on vacation. In it they had several tips for making fancy kitchen condiments at home. Why buy expensive infused olive oil when you can make it yourself? Don’t let excess herbs go to waste, make your own seasoned salt to use long after summer is set!

A friend of mine has an herb garden that includes basil, so I asked for a handful of leaves and she kindly complied. A few cloves of garlic and some pink Himalayan sea salt, and I had myself the makings of a tasty seasoning! Adjust the type of herb and amounts to suit your own tastes.

Ingredients:

  • About 1/2 cup basil leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup sea salt, coarse

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Step 1: Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse until leaves and garlic is finely ground.

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Step 2: Spread flat to dry for 1-3 days. The leaves and garlic have moisture which will cause clumps if you don’t do this step.

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Step 3: You can use as is, or grind the spices together one more time. Use a funnel to pour into a seal-able container.

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And that’s it! Now you have a unique, fresh herb salt to sprinkle on chicken or fish, mix into rice dishes, or use a dash on garden-fresh tomatoes. Change up the type of herb and other ingredients you use for endless possible combinations.

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Other ideas and recipes from the same magazine clipping. Can’t wait to try them all! They would all make a darling gift for someone if put into a cute little re-useable glass or plastic container with a bow.

Dips and Sauces, Healthy

Lean Green Guacamole

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Not going to lie, I absolutely LOVE avocados. I think they make just about anything better, including all kinds of Mexican food, smoothies, sandwiches, salads, and dips. Never would I turn down guacamole. Especially Chipotle’s… there’s magic in there, and maybe some crack.

So when I read a recipe on Sparkpeople for guacamole involving extra healthy green stuff, I had to try it out!

This recipe adds in the goodness of greens and cucumber to add extra vitamins and bulk. It also decreases how much fat you eat per serving.

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cucumber
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 2 avocados
  • 1/4 red onion
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • Garlic salt

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Step 1: Dice up your veggies, peel and pit the avocado. Use a knife to cut all the way around it, then twist to separate halves. Pull out the pit by running a spoon along it and then pop it out.

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Step 2: Combine in a blender all ingredients. Save 1/2 of one avocado if you like extra chunks, and wait to add diced onion if you like the crunch bites. I just blended all of it together into one creamy mess.

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Step 3: Try really hard to keep yourself from eating the whole bowl!

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This stuff is so delicious. I found it a little bit watery, probably because the cucumber I used was getting old. The cucumber does give it a bit of a fresher taste, so don’t be alarmed. Add as much lemon or lime juice as you like. You could use fresh garlic cloves in place of garlic salt if you have it.

If you follow the recipe from Sparkpeople exactly, here’s the Nutrition Info breakdown:

  • Servings Per Recipe: 8
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 76.4
  • Total Fat: 6.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
  • Sodium: 143.8 mg
  • Total Carbs: 4.7 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 3.1 g
  • Protein: 1.0 g
Dips and Sauces

Sweetly Simple Barbeque Sauce

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One of my favorite things about football season is the food. Delicious, greasy bar food with the occasional bit of healthy thrown in to pretend (I’m looking at you, those two celery sticks that come with five sides of ranch and bleu cheese and two dozen hot wings).

But not all of it is unhealthy, and one really great option to make healthier without much extra work is BBQ pulled pork. I’ve already written about how much I love crock pots and how to make pulled pork in one.

But you can take it one step further by making your own BBQ sauce. This lets you control how much sugar goes into it, along with everything else. This sauce can of course be used for anything which could use some sweet/spicy/smoky flavor. Feel free to mix it up to your own tastes, adding extra chiles or less sugar, whatever.

Ingredients:
1 cup ketchup
1 small can tomato sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup apple juice
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp sriracha/hot sauce
1 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp Worchestershire

Step 1: Simply combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.
Step 2: Pour over/brush onto your grilled meat of choice.
You can use it as a dipping sauce, condiment, marinade…
If it’s too thin, add some flour or cornstarch to thicken it up. If it’s too thick, add some extra tomato sauce or vinegar to thin it out. The longer you let it mix, the more the flavors will meld. Store in the refrigerator up to a week.
Dips and Sauces, Fish, Healthy

Lemon Pollock with Olive Tapenade

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Fish is healthy and delicious, especially white fish like Alaskan pollock, but it can be bland or boring. Some think this is a negative, but I see it as a huge perk. Fish is the perfect neutral, like a flattering beige sweater or couch. You can dress it up however you like, and it goes well with all types of spices, cooking styles, toppings, and side dishes.

Tapenade is a classical Provençal French dip slash topping. It has also been growing in popularity in other areas of the world, like Greece and the US. The base ingredient is olives. The rest of the ingredients vary by location and chef. Typically, capers, olive oil, garlic, and anchovy fillets are also involved. But there are plenty of variations in which you don’t need anchovy, or no olive oil. (I had sardines, not anchovy, so I used that instead. And it turned out fine.)

Ever since I bought a jar of pimiento and a jar of kalamata olives, I’ve been wanting to make olive tapenade. I finally put it on my meal plan, and made it with some white fish fillets. It was indeed everything I ever dreamed it would be!

It is an amazing topping for fish, but I imagine there are so many other possible uses. Spread on crusty bread slices, a condiment for a sandwich, in pasta like pesto, a dip for crudites, a stuffing for poultry, or as a salad dressing. The possibilities are endless! And it keeps for some time in the fridge, as long as you pour a thin layer of olive oil on top to preserve it. So make a big batch.

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Photo from Joyful Abode

Ingredients:

  • 3 white fish fillets
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 4 tbsp fish sauce
  • Salt + pepper
  • 1 cup rice
  • 1 can diced tomatoes

Olive Tapenade

  • 2-4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup olives, pits removed
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 anchovy or sardine fillet
  • 4 tbsp lemon juice

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Step 1: In a frying pan, place the three fish fillets and cover with lemon juice & fish sauce. Cover with a lid and let cook for 5-7 minutes, then flip. When fish is fully white and flakes easily with a fork, it is ready. Season as desired.

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Step 2: While fish cooks, place olives in a blender or food processor. Meanwhile, boil the rice in 1 cup water and 1 can of diced tomatoes, not drained for 20-25 minutes, until fully cooked.

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Step 3: Blend the olives. Add the garlic, sardine, lemon juice, and a few tbsp olive oil. Blend, adding extra juice or oil as needed to make it smooth.

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Step 4: Place a scoop of rice on a plate, add a fish fillet and a smear of the tapenade topping.

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I got a little creative with the plating. Which do you think looks best?

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The fish is tart and moist yet firm, and is a perfect canvas for the olive masterpiece. The level of saltiness will depend on which type of olive(s) you use, I had a combination of green pimiento and kalamata. You can omit the sardine or anchovy fillet if you don’t have it or don’t like it, but I think it adds an extra layer of “seafood” taste, and since they were packed in tomato paste they also added a subtle tomato flavor.

This is a great, healthy alternative to something like mayonnaise or hummus, with lower fat and carb content yet a huge hit of flavors. Take a walk on the Mediterranean side and try some tapenade today.