Sunday, March 25, 2012

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts have a reputation of being so gross you have to feed them to the family dog. Not true! They are a fantastic little veggie.

We ate at Graffiato in DC earlier this month and had the most divine brussels sprouts I have ever had. They have this delicious light cream sauce that I still can't put my finger on. Maybe some sort of Creme Fraiche? Pancetta, maple, and bits of hard boiled egg to boost the flavor.


Want an easy at home recipe? Start with trimming the bottoms just a little, then halving the little darlings lengthwise. Next you will want to parboil them so they are bright green.

In the meantime, dice up some pancetta and brown it in a pan. Once that is completed, add your parboiled brussels sprouts and cook until browned. 

Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar and serve.

Throughout this post I really wanted to refer to brussels sprouts as BS, but it just didn't seem right. Enjoy this delightful little cabbage, but don't eat too much because then you will be tooting all night long.

Update: I had the BS again, and it appears the cream may just be sour cream.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Easy Dinners

Weekdays get crazy, we come home tired, and just want to do something simple. Well that doesn't mean that you can't have something delicious and nutritious!

Here a couple of easy ideas:

Tofu Tacos
Cube up some tofu and toss it in cornstarch, garlic powder, and ginger powder.
Fry it in the wok (not deep fry) with just enough oil to make it golden brown.
Slice up some green cabbage.
Spread some hoison on a tortilla, lay down the cabbage and tofu and you are good to go!

Lazy Lady's Lasagna
Cook some whole wheat penne, then toss it with your favorite red sauce and a vegetable like peas or spinach. Those are vegetables I always keep on hand in my freezer for quick meals.
Brown up some ground beef or use a vegetarian substitute.
Mix together some part skim ricotta and pesto.
Now time to layer: spread some sauce on the bottom of a baking dish, layer some pasta/vegetable, layer the ricotta/pesto, layer the meat, layer the rest of the pasta, and top with shredded mozzarella.
Put under the broiler  to melt and slightly brown.

Pretzel Crusted Chicken Salad
Put some pretzels in the food processor and grind until you get small bits.
Mix together some whole grain mustard, dijon mustard, a little red wine vinegar and oil.
Dredge the chicken breast in the mustard sauce, then dip in the pretzels. 
Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 mins, flipping once.
Slice up the chicken and serve over a salad. Keeping with the theme you can use honey mustard dressing.

Simple Salmon
Clean and pat dry a piece of salmon.
In a bowl, mix together 1/3 cup yogurt, 2 tbsp light mayo, juice from half a lemon, lots of dill (dried or fresh), a dash of white pepper, and a clove of garlic (you could also sub garlic powder).
Spread the yogurt mixture on the salmon and cook at 375 until the fish flakes.
While your salmon cooks you can saute some baby spinach in olive oil with some salt, pepper, and a finishing squeeze of lemon. Do the lemon after you take the spinach off of the heat.
Throw in a bag of 3 minute microwavable brown rice from Trader Joes and enjoy!

Notice that these posts weren't that specific (I mean even more so than I usually am). That's because following a recipe slows you down. You have to get into that groove in the kitchen. Taste as you go along and trust yourself. 

Cooking isn't about being in your head. You can get in there, spend some time with your family and let the stress of the day melt away. The worst that can happen by taking the recipe training wheels off is that you learn. And maybe have to order chinese delivery if your meal really is that bad.