Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Cauliflower

I never had brussel sprouts as a child.  And due to everything you hear about them as a child, I determined to never try them if I was given the opportunity.  The opportunity never really presented itself until about two years ago, where I tried them at a lovely restaurant called J. Alexander’s.  I had never had anything at J’s that I did not like, so I recklessly thought, why not!  Well, I don’t know about all brussel sprout preparations, but these are good!  I was determined to always make brussel sprouts this way and make vegetable converts of those around me!

My husband liked them the first time I made them, and convinced his father – who claimed to not like brussel sprouts either – try them.  Dad liked them. Yes!  My veggie revolution had begun!  The secret is in the panko breadcrumbs.  They’re bigger than usual breadcrumbs and give a crunch to the dish that could otherwise be another pile of limp vegetables.  I carefully studied the simple looking recipe and came up with this copy cat version.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Cauliflower

a lovely side dish serving 4-6

1 head cauliflower

1 bag of brussel sprouts, I prefer smaller ones

Panko breadbrumbs

Olive oil

Rosemary

Salt & pepper to taste

Parmesan, shaved, shredded, or powdered, optional

I used two types of breadcrumbs this go around, but usually I only use one, the one that makes J. Alexander’s so wonderful.  The lovely panko breadcrumbs.  You can even get them in whole wheat, so no guilt required!

Preheat the oven to 400 then wash and cut the veggies into bite size chunks.

I sliced the brussel sprouts in half, lengthwise, so they’re bite-size, but don’t fall apart completely.  I also chopped any dark end pieces and peeled off any wilty leaves.

Then I threw the vegetables into a bowl that had a lid like so…

added a tablespoon of olive oil, some salt & pepper, and some Italian breadcrumbs.  I used these breadcrumbs for the spices it had, but if you’re using plain panko, you could also add italian seasonings, garlic powder, or anything else that you’d like.

Then I put on the lid tightly and shook all the stuff around to evenly coat the vegetables.  And dumped them onto a baking sheet with sides.

Shake the rosemary over the whole pan, and add more salt & pepper if you wish.

At this point, liberally shake the panko breadcrumbs onto the veggies, and drizzle with more olive oil to coat the breadcrumbs.

I make this recipe a lot and have to switch it up now and then.  Though J. Alexander’s does not do this, sometimes I’ll add some freshly grated Parmesan before popping them in the oven.

Place on the top rack in the oven and roast for about 15-18 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Then, broil for 3-5 minutes.  You’ll need to watch the broiling process carefully as seconds too long could scorch the entire pan.  You want some outer leaves of the brussel sprouts to be crispy, and some cauliflower pieces to have browned, but what you don’t want is vegetables that taste like coal.  Bleck!

Serve immediately!

You, too, can prove that brussel sprouts are good!  Enjoy!

Crispy Oven Fries & Bistro Sauce

This is the sequel to last week’s post!  The delicious, crispy, herb drenched fries and the sauce that cannot be described, only consumed.  This sauce is inspired by Nordstrom’s Cafe Bistro, who serves it with their own crispy, herb drenched fries.  My husband and I were introduced to Cafe Bistro years ago and have fallen in love with it.  They have great salads, sandwiches, pizzas, and desserts!  We seriously refer to this pink dip as “Heaven Sauce” in our household, and it has caught on with friends who love the Cafe as much as we do.

I loved this sauce so much I once asked for the recipe and though they sell cookbooks with their recipes, they so generously jotted it down for me.  Now, that was quite a while ago, so I’ve long forgotten where that little receipt has ended up.  Thankfully, my somewhat functional memory and my culinary instincts could reproduce it!  It’s amazing!  Also, I’ve learned a lot about baking fries since my last fry post.  From soaking the potatoes in water to cooking them on a rack with air circulation, it’s all good things I’ve learned.  I’m excited to share this recipe with you!

Crispy Oven Fries & Heaven Bistro Sauce

Serves 2-3, Fries inspired by thetalkingkitchen.com

3 small/medium potatoes

1/2 t garlic powder

1/4 t onion powder

1 small bunch of parsley, I used Italian flat leaf

4-6T mayonnaise, I used Vegenaise

2-3T Greek yogurt (optional)

2-3 cloves fresh garlic

8-12 Kalamata olives

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

4T olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

First, I washed and cut the potatoes to desired fry size.  I wanted skinny fries in the attempt to make them nice and crispy.  I also left the skin on and was not disappointed.

Then soaked them in ice water for about 5 minutes to let some starch out.  At this point, I pre-heated the oven to 400 degrees.

I then rinsed and drained the potatoes, and dried them out on a towel.  I rubbed the towel back & forth over them to ensure they were fully dry.

I then mixed the powders, salt, & pepper together.

Side note: I used a chimichurri sea salt that I picked up at a farmer’s market recently.  Bless the Lord, it’s good!  Recipes like this are a fun time to experiment with new seasonings or different flavored salt & peppers.  Also, if you’ve never had chimichurri sauce…get on that.  It will change your world.

Then added the olive oil.

And added the fries.  At first I tried to toss them with a spatula, but they weren’t getting sufficiently coated, so prepare to get your hands a little dirty.

I lined a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, just to make clean up a little easier.  And since I don’t own a cooking rack, I used an all metal cookie cooling rack to put the fries on.  Apparently, air circulation makes the fries crispier, and you don’t need to flip them half way through the cook time.  I’m not sure how I feel about that since I got some crispy fries, and some softer ones.  Good thing I like both kinds.

I made so many I had to cook them in two batches because they didn’t all fit on the pan!

I baked them for 30-35 minutes, or until nicely browned.  Meanwhile, time to roll up your sleeves, bust out the food processor and make the sauce of Heaven!!!

I first tossed in 4T mayo.  I subbed out some mayo for Greek yogurt to cut down the fat and up the protein in this dip.  This is optional of course.  You could go mayo all the way if you’re not as vain as I am.  I use Greek yogurt as a sub for mayo and sour cream often in recipes.  The kind I buy by Fage has 0 fat and 20ish grams of protein per serving.  This is fantastic news to my heart!

Then added the garlic.

Oh, yes, I used my mini food processor since I’m not making but 1.5 cups of this goodness.

Then added the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and some salt & pepper.

Add the olives.

And blend it!  This would be the time to adjust seasonings to taste.  You’ll know when it’s right for your taste buds.  The consistency you’re looking for will be slightly more runny than mayonnaise.  Place in the fridge until the fries are ready.

While the fries are finishing in the oven, chop the parsley finely.

When the fries are ready, pull them out of the oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes.

Toss with parsley, and serve with Heaven sauce immediately.  So delicious!!!  Enjoy!

I used the sauce throughout the week as a sandwich spread and dip for pita chips.  It’s just that good.

Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ok.  April is National Grilled Cheese Month?!  This is why I was born in this month.  Thanks, Mom!  To celebrate, I made a killer lunch yesterday for me & my husband.  I love simple grilled cheese, I even like wheat toast, vegan butter, and veggie cheese grilled cheese – it’s salty and delicious.  But I wanted to make a fancy grilled cheese, you know.  Cuz it’s National Grilled Cheese Month.  It was so good I can’t even describe.  The picture is nice, but you can’t see all the gooey goodness that’s inside.  You’ll just have to make it.  Today.  Or at least before May 1st.

Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich

For 2

1/2 French loaf

4 oz. fresh Mozzarella

1 tomato

Pesto sauce

Olive oil for brushing

2T freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional

So simple and quick!  Slice and shred the ingredients.

Assemble the sandwiches, using the pesto as the spread.  I put pesto on both sides of the bread because it’s that good.  This is also a good time to turn on your heating element.  You could use a panini press, George Foreman grill, or the stove top with a steak weight.

Close the sandwiches and brush the tops with oil.

Then press the Parmesan onto the oiled bread.  So yummy!

Repeat on the bottom sides, then they’re ready to cook!  I used my monster of a George Foreman.  I did spray it with a little olive oil just to make sure the sandwiches didn’t stick.

Keep an eye on them, though on a George Foreman it’s hard to burn a sandwich.  I like mine nice and smashed with the gooey cheese running out the sides.  Enjoy!

It’s even better with Herb Fries & Bistro Dip!  I’ll post that next week!

Pesto

This diverse little spread is wonderful!  I love making it myself so I know exactly what’s in it.  You can also alter the flavor profile depending upon which herbs are highlighted, and what seasonings are added in.  It can be used as a sandwich spread, pasta sauce, or pizza sauce and I’m sure all you creative types out there can think of more culinary ways to use pesto.

Pesto 

makes 1 Cup

1 C fresh basil leaves

1/2 C fresh Italian parsley leaves

1/4 C pine nuts, toasted if you’d like

1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 C olive oil

Juice from 1/4 lemon (about 1t)

1T water

1/4 t xanthan gum optional

Salt & Pepper to taste

I really like basil to be the predominant flavor in pesto, so I did a 2:1 ratio of basil to parsley.  Also, shredded or shaved Parmesan from the store is fine, there’s just something in me that tries to go as fresh as possible.  Finally, the xanthan gum isn’t necessary if you don’t have it.  Though it’s about $14 a bag right now it will last forever because you use so little in each recipe that calls for it.  I still don’t totally understand the mysteries of all that xanthan gum can do because it acts as a binder in gluten free foods, but as a food separator in things like blended coffee drinks and pesto.  The things you learn from the internet and reading labels in the aisles of Wholefoods.

Anyway, I first tore off the leaves and tossed them into my food processor.

Then, I freshly pressed some garlic.  I love fresh garlic!  And I love my garlic press!  I discovered a garlic press a couple years ago and absolutely adore it.  You don’t even have to peel the skin off the garlic!  It makes cooking that much easier.  Look at it!  It’s stunning!

This one is by Calphalon and you can get one here.  Use it to press some garlic into the food processor.

Shred the Parmesan cheese.  Feel free to shred liberally.

Toss it in!

Then add the pine nuts.  If you’ve never toasted nuts before for a recipe, I highly recommend it.  It brings out a lovely flavor!  Go here for a good tutorial on how to toast nuts.

Then add the remaining ingredients.

And blend away.  You may want to add more oil or water to thin it out, depending on what you will be using the pesto for.  I was using it as a sandwich spread, so this came out as the perfect consistency.

And that’s it.  Perfect pesto!  This will last covered and refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.  Enjoy!

To make these lovely sandwiches, see my post here.

Fruit Pizza

I love fruit.  I dig pizza.  Combine the two and it’s magic!  We’re headed to an Easter party this weekend and I decided this would be a winner.  When my husband found out, he said I should make it look like an Easter egg.  This man is a genius.

Most fruit pizza recipes call for a sugar cookie crust, but between that and the sugary sauce, it’s a sugar overload.  So I made mine how my mom made it when I was little – with a crescent “roll” crust.  I also reduced the amount of sugar that is typically called for in the sauce.

You’ll need:

1 8oz package of cream cheese, room temperature

1 can of crescent rolls

3/4 C powdered sugar

Any variety of fruit you want (I used strawberries, kiwis, grapes, mandarin oranges, blueberries, and cherries)

1/2 C white chocolate chips optional

1t vegetable oil optional

I preheat the oven to 375, per the crescent roll instructions.  You could use either type of crescent rolls, I just chose the jumbo kind so I’d have fewer seams to worry about.  Roll the dough onto a sprayed cookie sheet.

Pinch all the seams together.  You’ll want to pay extra attention to the outer seams.

Then flatten the pinched seams to make a smooth surface.

To make my easter egg shape, I cut the corners off.

Then I rolled all the corners together into a ball, divided the ball in two, then stretched them out and added them to the side of the former rectangle to give it some width – like an egg.  Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, eggs aren’t either.

Be sure to pinch the seams of these new additions, too.

The crescent instructions will say something like bake 14-16 minutes.  Since we’re using it in flat formation, rather than rolled up like a crossaint, we actually need less time.  I baked it about 11 minutes.

While your crust is baking, cut all the fruit.  You can make the fruit as big or small, thick or thin as you’d like.  I chose just to cut the strawberries in half, slice the kiwi, halve the grapes, and I left the blueberries and cherries the size they were.  I found it easy to get the skin off the kiwi with a potato peeler.

Normally, I’d use only fresh fruit, but I didn’t have any cherries or clementine oranges.  Thankfully, I found mandarine oranges that were packed in juice, rather than syrup.  I also rinsed and drained the cherries and let them dry while wrapped in a paper towel so the red juice doesn’t run all over the white sauce.

After the crust is finish baking, allow it to cool completely.  You don’t want the sauce to run off the crust.  Notice some seams came apart.  Don’t fear!  Cream cheese covers a multitude of mistakes!

While the crust is cooling, time to make the icing.  You could use a hand-mixer, but I got to use my baby…the KitchenAid.

I love my KitchenAid.  I registered for one in three different stores for our wedding but we didn’t get one.  Much to my surprise, my husband gave this to me last Christmas.  I actually cried when I tore off the wrapping paper.  He’s so thoughtful.

Isn’t it beautiful?

On the lowest setting, begin to mix the cream cheese,

add the powdered sugar,

and mix on high to ensure everything is thoroughly combined.  Don’t over-mix.

Yummmm.

Once the crust and the cookie sheet are cool to the touch, spread the sauce on top and smooth it out.

Add the fruit in whatever pattern or random order you’d like.  For the Easter egg, I did a stripey chevron-ish pattern.

The last step, which is really more for looks and only a little for taste is the white chocolate topping.  In a small glass ramekin microwave the white chocolate chips for 30 seconds.  Mix well.

Add the oil which will make it thin enough to use for decorating the pizza.  Stir well so the oil is incorporated.

I didn’t have a pastry bag, so I used a sandwich size ziploc bag and barely snipped the corner.

The hole was tiny and could have been made larger, but I liked how thin the lines turned out.  Drizzle to your heart’s content.  Or until you run out of chocolate.  Chill until ready to serve.  Enjoy!