When I want an appetizer or side dish that's high protein, vegetarian, quick and easy to make and ultra delicious, I love to make Greek beans with garlic sauce, or fasolia me skordalia. Skordalia is a Greek garlic dip or spread, that although not as well known as the popular tzatziki, is as tasty but more versatile and packs a big garlicky punch.
Skordalia is made a variety of ways around Greece, using either stale bread, potatoes, almonds or walnuts as the base, but always mixed with a healthy amount of crushed garlic and olive oil. It can be used as a dip, spread, or most commonly, used as a condiment on fried vegetables, like eggplant and zucchini, and fried fish, usually cod. You can use it in place of mayonnaise, or tartar sauce, or aioli, or anything that you may eat a creamy sauce with, and since it's egg and dairy free, it's perfect for vegans or those with food allergies but really anyone who loves a hit of garlic will love it.
This recipe for skordalia is kind of a cheat, and my yiayia would probably disapprove, but it still gives the garlicky, delicious result in literally a fraction of the time. I'm using almond flour here, or crushed almonds, but you can experiment with crushed walnuts, boiled, cooled and mashed potatoes or rehydrated stale white bread and find the one that you love best, but this one really is super quick and tasty.
In this recipe, I like to combine red kidney beans (but you can try with any canned bean really) with this garlic sauce to give a super quick, flavorful, high-protein, meat-free appetizer or side dish that's also vegan!The garlic sauce is also super good on french green beans and roasted beets, but again feel free to try it with any of your favorite veggies to amp up the flavor of what can be sometimes a boring vegetable side dish.
Skordalia is so addictive you'll be eating it with everything, you just might want to keep a couple packages of minty gum in your pocket to fight the garlic breath that comes with it! Good thing it's ultra heart-healthy, with its hearty dose of garlic, nuts and olive oil, so feel free to indulge!
Skordalia - Greek garlic sauce (score-dah-lia) (click link for Printer Friendly)
5 garlic cloves
2 pinches sea salt
1 cup almond flour/meal or 1 cup crushed blanched almonds *or preferred base
water
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp white vinegar
In a mortar and pestle, crush 5 peeled garlic cloves with a couple pinches of sea salt. Add garlic sauce base (whether it is almond flour, crushed almonds or walnuts, rehydrated stale white bread, or boiled, cooled, mashed potatoes) in small batches, about 1/4 cup at a time, always adding a bit of water to loosen. When consistency is to your liking, whether you like it a bit more chunky or more fluid, add the olive oil for extra flavor and the vinegar to brighten it up. Always taste and season and adjust to what tastes best for you. Now eat to your heart's content!
Beans with garlic sauce - Fasolia me skordalia (click for Printer Friendly)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp skordalia, or how much you like
Juice of 1/4 lemon
In a skillet, heat a couple swigs of olive oil and pour in your choice of drained, rinsed beans. When heated through, add the skordalia, how much you desire, and cook for 30 seconds, you don't want to burn the garlic. Tip your beans in garlic sauce into a dish and squeeze the juice of 1/4 lemon over the beans. See..super quick! Enjoy!