I found it necessary to add treat to the title of this recipe, because there's usually a fair amount of nay saying when people are asked if they like brussel sprouts. I, too, was among that group for many years until I tried them fresh and lightly steamed, or is it that my taste buds are dying as I age. Whatever. I now enjoy the little darlings.
What I didn't like about brussel sprouts was the lack of variation in preparations available, unless a person is inclined to drench them in butter or some kind of cheese sauce. Note: New Year's resolution - nix the butter drench and cheese sauce.
Fortunately, I'm constantly stumbling upon new and delightful recipes for some of my beloved foods. Here's a delightful and simple recipe for brussel sprouts.
Ingredients:
Fresh brussel sprouts
Olive oil
Salt, to taste
I almost feel as if I should add other ingredients just to make this look like a real recipe, but that's not going to happen.
Simply prepare the brussel sprouts but cutting off their little bottoms and removing the outer leaves which are often dry and split. Throw the trimmed sprouts into some boiling water for about 3 minutes. While this is going on put a skillet on the stove at medium heat so it warms up nicely. I prefer a non-stick skillet, but I'm sure just about any skillet will do.
Next you simply drain and cut the brussel sprouts into two pieces, cutting through the bottom and out the top. You will have halves. So far, pretty easy.
Pour about a fourth of a cup of olive oil into a dish and simply dip each flat side of each half into the olive oil before placing it into the skillet. Cover the pan and continue to cook the sprouts until they are tender and lightly browned, or as we say in the restaurant business, slightly caramelized.
Uncover the skillet and continue to caramelize the sprouts until they are a lovely golden brown on their bottoms. Transfer to a serving bowl, salt to taste, and enjoy. A small sprinkling of Parmesan cheese might also prove delightful.
Enjoy!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
T'was the Night Before the Night Before the Night
Yes, it's just a few nights before Christmas. Today, Tuesday, is generally the busiest day of my week. Blessedly, the weather outside is frightful and I'm happily stuck at home for the day. This gives me plenty of time to wrap gifts, whip up a batch of sauerkraut, and read while snuggled deep in my favorite afghan. A big thank you to the god of snow and blizzards for this marvelous gift of free time.
Been also musing on the gifts that I can give to myself. One of my present priorities is the gift of good self-care. A great resource of information on self-care is the Mayo Clinic website, which reminded me that a person needs between 7 and 13 servings of fruits and vegetables each and every day. My fruit smoothie in the morning, which contains a grapefruit, orange, strawberries, cranberries, ground flax seeds, and chia seeds gets me off to a good start. I am fortunate to have a Vita-Mix which turns peeled grapefruit and oranges into a drink, gifting my body with all of their precious fiber. I get so excited by these tasty little drinks I'm able to whip up that I'm almost ready to grab my Vita-Mix and join a side show as a hawker.
I'm also gifted with friends and family that make the holidays a time of happiness instead of a time of dreaded obligations. I hope you are gifted by such good people as well. I hope you also gift yourself with good things, whatever those might be for you.
Happy Holidays!
Been also musing on the gifts that I can give to myself. One of my present priorities is the gift of good self-care. A great resource of information on self-care is the Mayo Clinic website, which reminded me that a person needs between 7 and 13 servings of fruits and vegetables each and every day. My fruit smoothie in the morning, which contains a grapefruit, orange, strawberries, cranberries, ground flax seeds, and chia seeds gets me off to a good start. I am fortunate to have a Vita-Mix which turns peeled grapefruit and oranges into a drink, gifting my body with all of their precious fiber. I get so excited by these tasty little drinks I'm able to whip up that I'm almost ready to grab my Vita-Mix and join a side show as a hawker.
I'm also gifted with friends and family that make the holidays a time of happiness instead of a time of dreaded obligations. I hope you are gifted by such good people as well. I hope you also gift yourself with good things, whatever those might be for you.
Happy Holidays!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Sweet Potato Treat
Here we are again with sweet potatoes. This time with that great sweet taste we've come to associate with sweet potatoes, but without the marshmallows, brown sugar, or butter. Can life still be worth living!
Get a grip. You, along with kids of all ages, are going to love these.
Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes or yams
Olive oil
Cinnamon
That's it! This is a three ingredient recipe. You simply peel then slice the sweet potatoes or yams into slices that are about a quarter inch thick. Next give them a light coating of olive oil and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
Testimonial - A dear friend of mine, who was raised to believe that all food worth eating comes in little cellophane packages and has the shelf life of rocks, joined me for lunch the other day. I served these sweet potato treats. When I was distracted for just a second, my "friend" swiped the last of the slices and scarfed them down. There is life after Twinkies!
Enjoy!
Get a grip. You, along with kids of all ages, are going to love these.
Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes or yams
Olive oil
Cinnamon
That's it! This is a three ingredient recipe. You simply peel then slice the sweet potatoes or yams into slices that are about a quarter inch thick. Next give them a light coating of olive oil and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
Testimonial - A dear friend of mine, who was raised to believe that all food worth eating comes in little cellophane packages and has the shelf life of rocks, joined me for lunch the other day. I served these sweet potato treats. When I was distracted for just a second, my "friend" swiped the last of the slices and scarfed them down. There is life after Twinkies!
Enjoy!
Friday, December 18, 2009
How Now?
I recently heard a program on public radio about the environment, carbon emissions, and that whole discussion as to whether Ohio will some day be a seacoast state. Sometimes it's difficult to sort out fact from over-reaction.
However, a gentleman called in to ask if it were true, as he had heard, that we could solve the whole global environmental fiasco by changing just one thing, and we wouldn't even have to cease and desist any manufacturing on this planet. The one thing he'd heard about, for an immediate solutions, was for the entire world to go vegetarian. Is he crazy! Actually, the resident "expert" who was fielding questions said that, indeed, he was correct. Getting rid of the mega-meat industries would set things right environmentally.
But then again, there would be a number of people out of work who rely on the popularity of cookouts and those family dinners of meat and potatoes. And do you really think a chain of fast food tofu joints would catch on? Hmmmm.
While discussing this information with some friends we wondered aloud why Al Gore isn't a vegetarian. Come on, Al! We also discussed the need to support local cattle raisers and chicken breeders who engage in sustainable agriculture.
But bottom line, I want my cake and I want to eat it too. Can't I simply change all my light bulbs to the energy efficient models, jump into my car and head for the mall where I can spend a few mindless hours purchasing useless plastic items, and still consider myself one of the good guys when it comes to environmental issue?
It's also been conjectured that we're now raising a generation of children who do not have a life expectancy greater than that of their parents. We're slipping backwards on that score. Seems that the sugar-coated, marshmallow world that we live in combined with our high fat diets are taking their toll.
Light at the end of the tunnel? New Year's Eve is on the way, and with it an opportunity to resolve. Perhaps a resolution to eat one or two vegetarian dinners every week. Vegetarian chili with a lovely, grainy bread is a great winter warmer. Grilled cheese sandwiches made with real cheese and a salad on the side is also pretty good stuff. And best of all, your body and your planet will thank you!
However, a gentleman called in to ask if it were true, as he had heard, that we could solve the whole global environmental fiasco by changing just one thing, and we wouldn't even have to cease and desist any manufacturing on this planet. The one thing he'd heard about, for an immediate solutions, was for the entire world to go vegetarian. Is he crazy! Actually, the resident "expert" who was fielding questions said that, indeed, he was correct. Getting rid of the mega-meat industries would set things right environmentally.
But then again, there would be a number of people out of work who rely on the popularity of cookouts and those family dinners of meat and potatoes. And do you really think a chain of fast food tofu joints would catch on? Hmmmm.
While discussing this information with some friends we wondered aloud why Al Gore isn't a vegetarian. Come on, Al! We also discussed the need to support local cattle raisers and chicken breeders who engage in sustainable agriculture.
But bottom line, I want my cake and I want to eat it too. Can't I simply change all my light bulbs to the energy efficient models, jump into my car and head for the mall where I can spend a few mindless hours purchasing useless plastic items, and still consider myself one of the good guys when it comes to environmental issue?
It's also been conjectured that we're now raising a generation of children who do not have a life expectancy greater than that of their parents. We're slipping backwards on that score. Seems that the sugar-coated, marshmallow world that we live in combined with our high fat diets are taking their toll.
Light at the end of the tunnel? New Year's Eve is on the way, and with it an opportunity to resolve. Perhaps a resolution to eat one or two vegetarian dinners every week. Vegetarian chili with a lovely, grainy bread is a great winter warmer. Grilled cheese sandwiches made with real cheese and a salad on the side is also pretty good stuff. And best of all, your body and your planet will thank you!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Holiday House
Here's a quick little table decoration that's structured around 1/2 cup milk cartons. It's a fun group project that takes just a bit of prep time to whip up the frosting. And it's the frosting that's the important part of the project because it dries completely and holds all the candy decorations firmly in place.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
1/2 cup milk cartons, rinsed out and allowed to dry
Various candies to use as decorations
A batch or two of special frosting. The recipe is at the bottom of this entry.
A foil covered cardboard square to use under your Holiday House.
Plastic knives to spread the frosting.
Staple the milk carton closed. Spread some frosting, about a quarter inch thick, onto the carton, perhaps doing half at a time because the frosting dries quite quickly. It will be a more leisurely project if you don't have to concern yourself about rushing with the candies before the frosting dries out.
Next, place candies into the frosting in some sort of decorative pattern. Quality control nibbling is allowed.
Place your Holiday House onto a foil covered cardboard square and use as a table centerpiece. This could also be a wonderful project for residents to do with visiting family members.
Enjoy!
FROSTING RECIPE:
2 large egg whites
1/4 t cream of tartar
2 t water
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in an electric mixer until frothy.
Mix in the powdered sugar then beat on high speed about 5 to 10 minutes.
Use or cover and store up to 8 hours. One batch of the frosting is enough to do 3 or 4 little houses.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
1/2 cup milk cartons, rinsed out and allowed to dry
Various candies to use as decorations
A batch or two of special frosting. The recipe is at the bottom of this entry.
A foil covered cardboard square to use under your Holiday House.
Plastic knives to spread the frosting.
Staple the milk carton closed. Spread some frosting, about a quarter inch thick, onto the carton, perhaps doing half at a time because the frosting dries quite quickly. It will be a more leisurely project if you don't have to concern yourself about rushing with the candies before the frosting dries out.
Next, place candies into the frosting in some sort of decorative pattern. Quality control nibbling is allowed.
Place your Holiday House onto a foil covered cardboard square and use as a table centerpiece. This could also be a wonderful project for residents to do with visiting family members.
Enjoy!
FROSTING RECIPE:
2 large egg whites
1/4 t cream of tartar
2 t water
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in an electric mixer until frothy.
Mix in the powdered sugar then beat on high speed about 5 to 10 minutes.
Use or cover and store up to 8 hours. One batch of the frosting is enough to do 3 or 4 little houses.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Sweet Potato - Fast and Delicious
The weather outside is frightful! Yes, we're in the middle of our first major snowstorm of the season. There are about 12 inches of snow on the ground and it's still coming down. To add insult to injury the winds are supposed to pick up today and cause blizzard-like conditions. Question - how are blizzard-like conditions different than a blizzard? Another of life's mysteries.
Anyway, it's at times like these that I'm content to stay indoors and enjoy some comfort food. Here's one of my favorite, warm, side dishes.
Ingredients:
One yam or sweet potato
Olive oil
Celtic sea salt
Preheat the oven to about 400 degrees.
Take one sweet potato or yam (honestly, I don't know the difference) and cut it into wedges. The smaller the pieces, the faster they'll get done in the oven. Toss with a little olive oil or other heart-friendly oil just to coat, spread onto a baking sheet, and sprinkle with Celtic sea salt. This salt has a bit of a gray cast and is full of good minerals. Regular salt also works so don't despair if that's what you have on hand. Of course, you can easily double or triple this recipe to accommodate any number of diners.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through. These can bake while you put together the rest of your meal. I like them as a side dish with a big salad.
The sweet and salty tastes work beautifully together. A great way to serve this wonderful vegetable without the mini-marshmallows and giant pats of butter.
Enjoy!
Anyway, it's at times like these that I'm content to stay indoors and enjoy some comfort food. Here's one of my favorite, warm, side dishes.
Ingredients:
One yam or sweet potato
Olive oil
Celtic sea salt
Preheat the oven to about 400 degrees.
Take one sweet potato or yam (honestly, I don't know the difference) and cut it into wedges. The smaller the pieces, the faster they'll get done in the oven. Toss with a little olive oil or other heart-friendly oil just to coat, spread onto a baking sheet, and sprinkle with Celtic sea salt. This salt has a bit of a gray cast and is full of good minerals. Regular salt also works so don't despair if that's what you have on hand. Of course, you can easily double or triple this recipe to accommodate any number of diners.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through. These can bake while you put together the rest of your meal. I like them as a side dish with a big salad.
The sweet and salty tastes work beautifully together. A great way to serve this wonderful vegetable without the mini-marshmallows and giant pats of butter.
Enjoy!
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