Griddle Tomatoes and Shallots on Toast, Kale salad & Black Bean Dip

Serves 2

Preparation time: 20 minutes

On the Menu

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Griddle Tomatoes and Shallots on Toast

Kale Salad with Mirin Dressing

Black Bean Dip

Wow there's been a lot going on recently - friends staying over, holidays with Kevin, a trip to Romania for work... With all this running around I've eaten out a lot, and while I very much enjoyed the few too many glasses of wine and slices of cake, it's safe to say that I'm happy to have time to cook again and that my body is in proper need of some healthy nutritious food. So here it is, Ohlala's Healthy Come Back! Over the next few weeks I'm going to be posting a bunch of scrumptious healthy recipes so if you don't see any new posts up here soon it means I have been side tracked by work or most probably the pub, in which case I'm counting on you to message me with motivational shout outs to get cooking again! Honestly, I feel so much better when I do, it's my own form of meditation, a way to take time out, unwind and care for my self. 

So back to business! First up on this healthy come back is a colorful plate of griddle tomatoes and banana shallots on toast, served with kale salad with a mirin dressing and a black bean dip. A truly scrumptious warm and filling salad plate for this exceptionally unsummery summer day.

Before you scroll down any further promise me you'll forgive the poor quality of the photo, I've misplaced the battery charger for my good camera so this will have to make do for now, but believe me this dish tastes soooo much better than it looks here!

The black bean and mirin dressing recipes are from Rip Esseltyn's The Engine 2 Diet, a made-for-men recipe book full of useful information about a plant-based diet - including fitness tips and of course low fat nutritious vegan recipes. A great gift for the (hopefully or eventually kale loving) man in your life! 

Ingredients

For the Griddle Tomatos & Shallots on Toast

4 ripe vine tomatoes, cut lengthwise

2 large banana shallots, peeled and sliced lengthwise the root left untouched

2 slices of bread (I used rice bread)

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 T olive oil

1/4 tsp dried rosemary

1/4 tsp dried basil

pinch of salt & pepper

For the kale salad with mirin dressing

1 large bunch of kale, stalks removed and rinced

1 garlic clove

1 clove of garlic

1 t dijon mustard

1 T mirin (rice vinegar)

Black Bean Dip

1 can rinsed black beans

1 T lime juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

3 T dairy-free milk

Directions

For the grilled tomatoes and shallots on toast - Heat a barbecue or iron griddle pan until very hot. Toss the shallots, tomatoes and remaining ingredients together in a bowl then place the shallots and the tomatoes cut side down on the grill or griddle. Leave for at least 7 minutes, do not move the tomatoes so that they don't leak their juice. When slightly burnt turn the tomatoes and shallots over. Keep turning the shallots over every few minutes until they are grilled on all sides and cooked all the way through. Meanwhile rub the bread with any remaining marinade from the bowl and rub in with your fingers then place in the grill until toasted. 

For the kale salad and miring dressing - Steam the kale for a few minutes until tender. Mix together the dressing ingredients and pour over the drained kale. 

For the black bean dip - process all the ingredients together and serve. 

And voila, bon appétit!

And random photo of the day - my attempt at being a tree.. why not?