Category Archives: Vegetarian Main Dish

Honey Harissa Sheet Pan Tofu

Honey Harissa Sheet Pan Tofu by Alison's AllspiceThis honey harissa sheet pan tofu has made it into our regular rotation of dinners for a lot of reasons.  The texture of the tofu is amazing, the whole thing is super easy, and you can make simple swaps for what you have on hand.

Have you tried ripping tofu by hand?  It creates lots of edges that all get crispy when baked with starch and yields some of the crispiest tofu.  On top of that, it is kind-of fun and easy just getting into the tofu block with your hands. Good for stress relief, or a good option for kids to help out in the kitchen. Continue reading

Curried Tomato Sandwich

Curried Tomato Sandwich by Alison's AllspiceWhen quality heirloom tomatoes are in season, I never miss an opportunity to make a curried tomato sandwich. I adapted this recipe from an old Bon Appetite magazine and I like my version better because they are less messy with less waist.

This method of adding the curry powder and olive oil directly to the bread in the skillet is simple and avoids making a mess.  If you transferred oiled bread to the skillet, there would certainly be drips.  If you placed the oil and curry powder directly in the skillet, you need a lot more of it because the surface area of the bread is less than the skillet, and a lot of oil and curry powder would get waisted. Continue reading

Kale Smoothie

Kale Smoothie by Alison's AllspiceThis spring, I was eating kale salads on repeat and still had more kale than I could use coming out of my garden. I decided to try blanching and freezing it with the intent to make a kale smoothie recipe, which is finally here!

There are a lot of kale smoothie recipes on the internet, and not all of them are good, in my opinion. I love kale, its flavor does not bother me. In addition, I’m using blanched kale which naturally should be less bitter, so perhaps my taste buds are biased on what makes a kale smoothie good. Continue reading

Italian Tomato Panzanella Salad

Italian Tomato Panzanella Salad by Alison's AllspicePanzanella is a rustic Italian style salad that uses stale bread and tomato.  From there, many variations to this classic recipe can be found.

When researching this recipe, I found that no two recipes look alike.  They all vary based on the bread to tomato ratio, if cheese is used, what other vegetables are used, and even the type of dressing. Continue reading

Peach Yogurt Smoothie

Peach Yogurt Smoothie by Alison's AllspiceThe other day I was looking for a fast easy lunch so I whipped up this peach yogurt smoothie. It was so easy and so filling, this one is going into my regular rotation!

Lunches for me generally include leftovers, or something simple to make.  When I don’t plan in advance, its great to have back pocket recipes like this one to save the day. Continue reading

Snow Pea Fried Rice

Snow Pea Fried Rice by Alison's AllspiceThis snow pea fried rice recipe is simply a classic fried rice recipe which swaps fresh snow peas for frozen green peas.  Nutritionally, they are the same, but when you have garden fresh snow peas why use frozen?

Snow peas have a tender pod and are often times used in stir fries because they cook quickly.  They fit seamlessly into a fried rice recipe as well, perfect for late spring and early summer when snow peas are ripe and bountiful. Continue reading

Red Curry Chickpea Salad

Red Curry Chickpea Salad by Alison's Allspice I have been in love with my homemade curry powder long enough that I have forgotten how flavorful curry paste really is.  All the work of building base flavor is done for you so that you can make simple yet delicious meals like this red curry chickpea salad with ease.

I have not tried it, but I’m certain you could still use curry powder to season a delicious chickpea salad.  However, I’m hooked on this version with the paste because of the depth of flavor that it brings so easily. Continue reading

Asparagus and Pesto Baked Eggs

Asparagus and Pesto Baked Eggs by Alison's AllspiceI have another asparagus recipe for you this week!  This time, I made a quick and easy lunch, asparagus and pesto baked eggs.  I used sundried tomato pesto, and it was stunning in this dish!

First, many asparagus baked eggs do not use pesto.  I used it because I wanted an extra pop of flavor.  If you don’t have any, this dish will still be tasty, just not as complex. Continue reading

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

Thai Sweet Potato Soup by Alison's AllspiceI had a huge sweet potato crop in the garden this fall and I have been loving cooking with sweet potatoes all winter long. Soup season is just about over for me, so you should try this Thai sweet potato soup before spring weather sweeps us off our feet!

I almost always pair sweet potato with a spicy flavor.  Sweet and spicy are a perfect match and there are lots of ways to do it with sweet potatoes.  Usually I go with chipotle to add heat, but the red curry paste in this soup did a wonderful job as well. Continue reading

Gouda and Smoked Tofu Grilled Cheese

Gouda and Smoked Tofu Grilled Cheese by Alison's AllspiceThis post is really more like an idea than a recipe.  Yes, the recipe for gouda and smoked tofu grilled cheese is written out in full below.  However if you know how to make a grilled cheese sandwich, then all you need to do is add some smoked tofu to have a hearty, cozy, and easy to make meal in only a few minutes.

The grilled cheese was one of the first things that I learned to cook.  I was just a kid probably getting in the way in the kitchen.  I imagine I was told to flip the sandwich while another was being made. Continue reading