Occasional Füddie SNH sends us this quick, vegan & gluten-free dish using lemon zest and tahini to make a delicious, creamy and tangy sauce.
Ingredients:
3 lemons
1 crown of broccoli
1/2 crown cauliflower
1 cup okra, chopped
Thin rice noodles (or other noodles)
1 Tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
2 cloves garlic
Almonds, roasted and chopped
Olive oil
Black pepper (fresh ground)
– Chop broccoli, cauliflower, and okra. Cut large florets in half, keep small florets. Set aside.
– Zest one of the lemons and set the zest aside.
– Juice all three lemons.
– In a small saucepan (cast iron works well*), heat 1 tbsp olive oil on low.
– In a steamer, steam the broccoli, cauliflower, and okra.
– Chop or crush garlic, combine with olive oil in saucepan. Increase heat to medium-low, sautee 5 minutes.
– Add lemon zest and sautée for another 5 minutes.
– Optional: Remove lemon zest and garlic cloves from the olive oil.
– Add lemon juice and tahini to olive oil, stirring until the mixture has a creamy consistency. Reduce heat to low and stir every few minutes until ready to serve.
– Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the rice noodles. Cook according to directions on the package.
Once vegetables have reached desired tenderness, drain the noodles and vegetables. Serve noodles topped with vegetables, sauce, and almonds.
*If using cast iron for the sauce, be sure to rinse promptly after and re-season with oil right away. The highly acidic lemon juice can strip the pan of some of its seasoning/coating.