Spinach & Chickpea Spread with Zahatar Seasoning

 

Most my recipes are developed during lunchtime. I wish I could say I always plan ahead and have something whipped up ready to eat but that's not the case. The norm is that by 11am I'm closing my eyes, envisioning what ingredients are in my fridge, what beans or meat I have ready to use and what I may be craving.

This particular lunch was meant to feed my craving for playing around with a new ingredient: Zahatar. A Middle Eastern seasoning made up of dried herbs, sumac, sesame seeds, salt and other spices that my sister sent over to me from Israel.

As I thought of what I might make, I pictured her in her Tel Aviv kitchen, gathering ingredients with Hebrew labels. I recalled Skype chats where she shared her new-found obsession with Israeli dairy and anecdotes of her toddlers' love for hummus. I also knew I had loads of La Nay Ferme spinach in my fridge. Then it came together.

I would make a play on hummus. Not something smooth and creamy in texture but rather taste. I'd make a spread loaded with spinach...the entire plentiful bag of spinach and my favorite bean: the chickpea. Add in the brightness of fresh lemon juice, the punch of garlic and some creaminess of sour cream and I had the filling of a delicious pita bread sandwich. A lunch that fullfilled my craving for creativity, hunger and a longing to feel closer to my sister who was 6,000 miles away. 

Spinach & Chickpea Spread with Zahatar Seasoning

Ingredients:

6-10 oz. spinach

1 TB. garlic cloves, sliced

1 TB. Zahatar seasoning (or to taste)

1 TB. lemon juice

2 TB. sour cream

salt (to taste)

Directions:

Pulse spinach in food processor until it appears as if you finely chopped with a knife. Place remaining ingredients except for sour cream in and pulse until slightly chunky. Add in sour cream and pulse until it’s combined evenly.

Serve with pita bread (or in lettuce cups) and tomatoes.

Swiss Chard (or Kale) Cashew Dip

Food guilt. It sucks. I hate having food guilt. When I think of those two words...two others immediately come to my mind: artichoke dip. I hate seeing it at holiday parties because I always feel so awful (physically and mentally) after I eat it. It's good but it's so heavy.

I've been getting a lot of Swiss Chard in my CSA share lately. I've been eating it raw in salads and juicing it but the Utah spring rains made me want some sort of comfort food. You've seen me use cashew in other creamy recipes as a replacement for dairy.

So I thought, why not make a play on dip. I looked to my friend Lindsey's site for the cashew sour cream recipe she introduced to me a while back. I started with that as a base, then added in some lemon zest, red pepper flake heat and I was ready to go. All I had to do was add in some sauteed chard (or kale) and mix it together. This dip is awesome with carrots.

Swiss Chard (or Kale) Cashew Dip

by Becky of Project Domestication

Ingredients:

1 ½ c. raw cashews

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon (about ¼- ⅓ c.)

½ - ¾ c. water

½ tsp. Redmond Real Salt ( + more to taste)

1 - 1 ½ tsp. red pepper flakes

1 TB olive oil

1 c. shallots, sliced thin

5 cloves garlic, sliced thin

2 TB. water

6-7 oz. Swiss Chard, chopped well

Directions:

Place cashews, lemon zest, lemon juice ½ c. water, salt and red pepper flakes in high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until smooth like sour cream. Add more water to achieve desired consistency. Set aside.

Bring olive oil to a shimmer over medium heat in large saute pan. Saute shallots until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes being careful not to burn. Add chard and stir using spatula, making sure to coat the chard with oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes until limp. Add water and cover, cook for 1 minute or until all water is dissolved. Take off heat and let cool until room temperature. Combine spicy cashew cream mixture with sauteed chard. Serve warm with bread, carrots and other vegetables. Also good chilled.

For Kale & Cashew Dip: Substitute 12-16 kale leaves for chard. Keep the kale stalk and chop small, sauteeing with shallots and garlic. (Also great without shallots and garlic.)

Red Onion, Parsley, Thyme & Sea Salt Compound Butter

I'll let you in on a little secret: compound butter is where it's at. One of my favorite ways to dress up meats, vegetables and other sides is by adding compound butter. If you're not familiar with compound butters: it's basically a fancy way of saying flavored butter.

My most recent favorite is this Red Onion, Parsley, Thyme and Sea Salt version. It is UNREAL on grilled steak. It's great on a baguette (like above) next to a spaghetti and meatball dinner (which I had tonight) and yummy over roasted vegetables.

I like to go heavy on the herbs and add-ins because it adds so much flavor and freshness. Plus I've got a pleathora of herbs on hand right now and it makes me feel less guilty about using bread as a vehicle for butter.

Red Onion, Thyme and Parsley & Sea Salt Compound Butter
by Becky of Project Domestication

Ingredients:

4 TB. unsalted butter, room temperature

2-3 TB. red onions, minced

3 TB. parsley

1 TB. thyme

½ tsp. Redmond Real Salt (or your sea salt of preference)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients with a fork or small spatula. Mix well until combined and evenly distributed. Place in serving bowl, scoop in balls, pipe into small serving dishes or roll into a log using plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator and pull out and bring to room temp before serving if you’d like it to easily spread.

Cilantro, Lime & Chili Compound Butter

Cilantro has always been some sort of special herb to me. Perhaps it's because I never had it growing up. Doesn't that always make something more desirable? This flavored butter screams Mexican flare with lime zest, lime juice and a bit of chili powder. It is killer on corn as a side or caramelized onions a top a lunchtime salad or rice bowl.

Cilantro, Lime & Chili Compound Butter

Ingredients:

4 TB unsalted butter, room temperature

½ tsp. Redmond Real Salt

¾ c. cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

zest of 1 lime

1 tsp lime juice

¼ tsp. chili powder (to taste)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients with a fork or small spatula. Mix well until combined and evenly distributed. Place in serving bowl, scoop in balls, pipe into small serving dishes or roll into a log using plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator and pull out and bring to room temp before serving if you’d like it to easily spread.

Balsamic Compound Butter with Grey Sea Salt

A balsamic vinegar reduction is candy. And even though I tend to buy higher-quality brands, I still insist on reducing it for certain recipes. I just taught a cooking class that focused on dips, toppings and spreads for my  local CSA farm, using their produce. A couple of the spread recipes were compound butters--oh beautiful compound butters!

Out of pure indulgence, I brought a tiny Weck jar of this balsamic compound butter with grey sea salt. It didn't use any La Nay Ferme produce, but it perfectly illustrated what a flavored butter should be!

Balsamic Compound Butter with Grey Sea Salt
by Becky of Project Domestication

Ingredients:
4 TB. unsalted butter, room temperature (I prefer European-style butter)
2 TB. balsamic vinegar reduction
1/2 tsp. grey sea salt (French sel gris)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients with a fork or small spatula. Mix well until combined and evenly distributed. Place in serving bowl, scoop in balls, pipe into small serving dishes or roll into a log using plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator and pull out and bring to room temp before serving if you’d like it to easily spread.

Note: I love serving it over Harmon's roasted garlic artisan bread and if you get a chance try it over whole wheat English muffins...it's a treat!