Category: Cilantro

--adapted from Truly Mexican by Roberto Santibañaz   This is a fragrant, beautiful rice that is delicious served just with black beans and an egg for a simple supper. It would be delicious with any kind of braised or grilled meats as well. This makes quite a bit and I love having it on hand to add to soups or stews or even use for fried rice. I like a version with more peppers, egg and plenty of cilantro and scallions. You could add any leftover meat to this as well.... Read more »

This is gorgeous, bright, tart and crunchy from the seeds. It's delicious as a salad as well as on toast with hummus or avocado or cheese or egg, in some form. It will enliven most anything, really. ... Read more »

This bright, tangy sauce comes together in a couple of minutes. It's delicious with salmon or other fish or any pretty much anything that needs brightening up a bit.... Read more »

This salad came about on a hot evening when I didn't feel like neatly rolling salad rolls but had most of the ingredients I typically use to make salad rolls. Instead of dressing the salad in a peanut sauce (which I would normally make to accompany proper salad rolls) I just added roasted peanuts to the salad and made a lighter/brighter dressing.  Don't be put off by the handful of steps--it comes together fairly quickly. This salad is begging for variations: add snap peas, blanched green beans or edamame, cooked shrimp or chicken, diced cucumber, even halved cherry tomatoes or sliced red peppers. Have fun with it and use what you have on hand and use fewer herbs if you don't have the volume I suggest. Shiso would be a delicious addition here as well.... Read more »

As with most recipes in this Collection, this dish is a result of combining what I had on hand--sweet, tender young fennel, cilantro and scallions. It's simple, bright, crunchy and delicious and will complement most anything, particularly salmon or any grilled meat. You could also toss it with cooked grains or beans for a much heartier salad.   Quantities are just approximations so scale up or down based on what you have on hand and your taste, when it comes to the lemon juice. I like it nice and tart. You can also substitute parsley or dill for the cilantro or use a little mint, if that's what you have.... Read more »

I have a thing for fritters, savory pancakes, latkes, and the like. There is a designated category of these delights on this site that is now 17 strong! These tender, fragrant and deeply yellow fritters are delicious with their cool, garlicky yogurt topping.  When I have time I toast my spices whole in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 90 seconds and then coarsely grind in mortar, though this dish is delicious with already ground spices as well.   I imagine these would be equally delicious with cauliflower or broccoli. ... Read more »

All the dishes on this site with frikeh (parched green wheat) have yogurt in common. I must branch out but it is a lovely combination.  Frikeh is parched green wheat. It is smoky, chewy and delicious. You can substitute regular wheat berries, farro or barley or even small green lentils (that keep their shape when cooked) for the frikeh in this dish. Consider adding a little smoked paprika (pimenton) if you are not using frikeh to intimate that smoky flavor.   Frikeh is often sold cracked, rather than in whole kernels, in grocery stores and cooks more quickly in that form and has a much finer texture and increases in volume from dry to cooked more than the whole kernels. Adjust quantities and cooking times as needed. ... Read more »

Zhoug is an herb and green chile sauce/paste from Yemen but popular in Israel as well and other parts of the Middle East. ... Read more »

Everything I might put into fried rice gets mixed in a bowl and panfried into neat little pancakes. A delicious alternative! And another reason to make twice as much rice as you need in the moment. . .so you have it ready for this sort of quick dinner.   Cabbage, peas, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, turnips or any leafy green, basil and/or mint would be great. Be sure to chop them finely which helps the pancakes hold together when frying. ... Read more »

This is a delicious, fresh dish and it’s a good template. Use whatever vegetables and herbs you have/like. You will likely have sauce left over which is good with cold noodles, leftover rice or chicken, roasted vegetables, etc.  ... Read more »

I adapted this dish from the always creative Yotam Ottolenghi and Sam Tamimi from the book Jerusalem. It can be a one-dish meal as is or enjoyed with a fried or poached egg on top.   I rarely deep fry anything but it's totally worth using 3/4 cup oil (which you can reuse) to fry the onions for this dish. They are sweet, crispy and luxurious.  ... Read more »

  This is a warming, flavorful one-dish dinner. You could substitute green cabbage for the cauliflower or add some diced potatoes or sweet potatoes for heft. Use a vegan alternative to the yogurt topping, if you'd like.   If you have already cooked rice this comes together quite quickly.... Read more »

This is a simple and hearty salad that holds up well for a few days though the seeds lose some of their crunch.   I tend to have cooked grains in the freezer and sometimes roast lots of vegetables at once to have on hand for various dishes throughout the week which makes a dish like this come together in very little time. And I do my best to have a jar of this classic vinaigrette on hand as well.  ... Read more »

I love harissa--the spice paste/sauce common in Tunisia and Morocco and many other countries--made of dried and fresh red peppers and various spices. I decided to try a "green" version using the same key spices (cumin, caraway, coriander) with Anaheim chilies as well as Jalapenos and Serranos and lots of fresh cilantro and mint. The sauce is looser because of the fresh roasted chilies but it's rich and delicious and just as versatile. You can increase the spice level with more Jalapenos and Serranos. This version I'd call medium hot and of course these peppers themselves vary in their heat level so taste as you go. ... Read more »

Years ago the wonderful Heidi Swanson of 101cookbooks.com posted a version of this dish that has inspired me ever since. I make variations of this simple concept--a beaten egg in a skillet, covered after a few seconds with a corn tortilla, then flipped over and topped with herbs, cheese, beans, veggies, . . . then folded in half and cooked for another minute.   You can also make these with flour tortillas, if that's what you have on hand or if you want to feed more people. Use at least 2 eggs for a large flour tortilla, and a larger skillet.   Watch a quick video of me making this with my son, if you'd like a tutorial.   I usually use an 8-inch skillet which works perfectly for my 6-inch corn tortillas. You want the skillet to be just a little bigger than the tortillas so the pan contains the egg to the size of your tortilla but still enables you to flip it easily.... Read more »

  This combination of sauteed bok choy and scallions with fresh herbs, roasted peanuts, rice noodles and a fish-sauce based dressing can be a light meal-in-one. You can substitute different vegetables--carrots, peas, zucchini, tat soi, or mustard greens would all be good. ... Read more »

I cook more grains--rice, quinoa, bulgur, barley--than I need in the moment because leftover grains are so handy. These bulgur patties are quick to assemble, easy to adapt and so tasty. ... Read more »

This is a wonderful combination. The sweet cabbage is enlivened by the fragrance and spice of the harissa and the cilantro is a pretty, fresh addition. I used a batch of harissa here that was not very spicy and a little looser, from plenty of fresh, roasted peppers, not just dried, hotter ones. If you have a spicier/thicker version you might use a bit less and thin it down with a little olive oil so you can toss it with the cabbage.   This is one of the many recipes that takes advantage of what I call the Prepared Pantry--harissa in this case. And store-bought versions would be just fine too and in that case it's just a good use of the pantry!  ... Read more »

This dish is inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi’s book Plenty More though it’s different enough to be barely recognizable. The original recipe includes 5 ounces of udon noodles so by all means add those if you’d like. I think it's fantastic with just vegetables. And feel free to play with the vegetables you include and the type of squash. It is important to slice the raw vegetables very thinly and that they are good and crunchy by nature.... Read more »

  Fresh, sweet, savory and good as is with chips, in tacos, mixed with black beans, etc. ... Read more »