Brussels Sprouts & Mushroom Saute with Quinoa

I had been thinking about this dish all week before I actually made it. There were some mushrooms  in the refrigerator along with some Brussels sprouts. For some reason the idea of sauteing them together sounded good and the dish evolved from there. It ended up exactly how I imagined- better actually. I love combining different textures, so this dish does not disappoint. There is a base of quinoa, the wilted greens, and some crunch from cashews and a little bacon. When I was done eating I wished I could eat it all over again. This is a very simple, yet satisfying meal. Enjoy!

Brussels Sprouts and Mushroom Saute with Quinoa
Serves 2 (the picture above was amounts for 1 serving)

3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 tbsp oil (I use grapeseed)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth/stock
~1 pound Brussels sprouts, cut into strips as above (~ 4 cups)
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 slices bacon, diced (optional)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup cashews, toasted
splash of white wine (optional or chicken stock)

1. In a pot heat oil and add quinoa and cook until lightly toasted. (This adds more depth of flavor to the quinoa). Once toasted, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
2. In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp and then remove pieces to a paper towel. Leave enough fat in the pan to cover the bottom. If not using bacon, heat 1 tbsp oil or enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
3. Add Brussels sprouts and mushrooms and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until greens are slightly wilted and mushrooms are cooked. Add splash of wine and/ or chicken broth and cook until liquid is gone, 1-2 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Fill bottom of a bowl with cooked quinoa, top with Brussels sprout mixture, garnish with bacon (if using) and cashews.

Nutrition Analysis: Per serving-Calories 390, Total Fat 12g, Saturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 10mg, Total Carbohydrate 51g, Dietary Fiber 13g, Sugar 7g, Protein 17g
Vitamin A 20%, Vitamin C 330%, Calcium 8%, Iron 20%

Meatless Monday- Vegetables en Papillote

Vegetables en Papillote ( vegetables steamed in paper or foil)
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Place several vegetables of your choice in a large bowl (I used bok choy, sugar snap peas, Thai eggplant, and Brussels sprouts). Thinly slice 3 cloves of garlic, 3 shallots and about 1/2 inch of fresh ginger. Add to vegetables. Grate zest of one orange or lemon over the vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Cut two large squares of aluminum foil or parchment paper. Spoon half of the vegetable mixture onto the foil and enclose like a package, but do not tightly close it. Do the same with the rest of the vegetables.
4. Place packages on a baking sheet into the oven and cook for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.
5. Open packages and enjoy with rice, pasta, on it's own or over a bean puree (That's what I attempted to do, but I will need to keep working on the bean puree-wasn't my favorite.  The vegetables however were soft yet still had a crunch and had a bright and fresh flavor form the garlic, ginger and orange.)
Enjoy!

Steak Salad Bowl

I don't really eat red meats very often. Growing up it was a challenge for my parents to get me to eat about 2oz of steak at one meal. I remember hiding quite a bit of steak in my napkin on a few occasions. Sorry Mom and Dad! I still don't gravitate towards it regularly, but every now and then a steak just sounds good. One of my favorite flavors actually is red meat with blue cheese. The paring is tangy, salty and savory all at once. In Mexico on our honeymoon, Aaron and I had the most delicious blue cheese sauce with steak (we had it twice in one week actually it was so good) that I still dream about. Last week I had a blue cheese Juicy Lucy which was quite tasty as well. Another of my favorites is steak on salad. Usually a salad with steak strips has tomatoes, red onion, and blue cheese with some type of vinaigrette. All of the those flavors combined is so satisfying and feels like so much more than a lettuce salad. 

This meal didn't start as a salad, and it definitely is not your traditional salad- no lettuce to be found. As I was cooking the vegetables, I decided that all of these things combined in a bowl with blue cheese and dijon vinaigrette would be amazing. It was. I loved all of the different textures and flavors together in one bite. Aaron missed out because he had everything separated on his plate and he didn't have any blue cheese- salad is a little bit of a bad word in his vocabulary. So, you can do what you like but especially do not forget the blue cheese sprinkled over your steak! Enjoy!

Steak Salad Bowl

Serves 2-3

Steak

1 lb flank steak

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 sm shallot, shopped

1/8 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

salt & pepper

Place steak in a shallow dish. Season steak with salt and pepper. Add garlic, shallot and sauces. Marinate for several hours or overnight. 

Bring to room temperature for about 1 hour before grilling. Heat grill and cook on each side for about 3-5 minutes or until medium rare. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. 

Brussels Sprouts

Use this recipe

Green Beans

1 lb fresh green beans, ends trimmed

salt & pepper

grill seasoning

Cover beans with water and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for about 1-2 minutes until beans are cooked but still slightly crunchy. Drain water and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and grill seasoning. 

Roasted Potatoes

3 small, red potatoes, diced

olive oil

salt & pepper

grill seasoning (I use Mrs. Dash)

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spread potatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and grill seasoning. Roast for about 15 minutes and then redistribute potatoes on baking sheet. Roast for another 10-15 minutes until potatoes are browned and crispy on the outside. 

Dijon Vinaigrette

2-3 tbsp Dijon mustard

1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp honey

1/4 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients and whisk together. Season with course salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add more mustard and/or vinegar to taste. 

Salad Bowl

3-4oz steak

1/2 cup green beans

1/2 cup Brussels sprouts

1/4-1/3 cup roasted potatoes

1/2 large tomato or 1 small, diced

Dijon vinaigrette

blue cheese crumbles

Combine vegetables, potatoes and steak in your bowl. Top with blue cheese and drizzle with vinaigrette. 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I have to admit that my first exposure to Brussels sprouts was only this year. I am overall a pretty adventurous eater,  and I am always trying to find new vegetables to try. It is unfortunate that I have been missing Brussels sprouts the past 27 years of life. I feel like Brussels sprouts have a very bad reputation and therefore I never have had any desire to try them, I wasn't sure how to cook them, and I never really see them on the menu at a restaurant. They are always depicted on TV as the food every kid hates and is forced to eat. I think I have seen them at a buffet- mushy, brown and smelling like cabbage.  A few months ago though,  Aaron gave me a recipe for roasted Brussels sprouts that he found in Men's Heath, which in itself was amazing, so I decided to try them. The result was so delicious that we have been having them at least once per week over the past several months! This recipe makes the sprouts crispy and caramelized and the bacon adds a smoky saltiness that can't be beat. Aaron likes them so much that he requested I make them for my family this Thanksgiving. Hopefully they will be as much of a hit with all of them as they have been for us.
Last night I was watching The Pioneer Woman on Thanksgiving Throwdown with Bobby Flay (which had some great Thanksgiving recipes). Bobby Flay made a fabulous sounding Brussels sprouts recipe (Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate and Vanilla-Pecan Butter) that looked worth trying if you can find pomegranate molasses.  Also, if you have not heard of The Pioneer Woman- Ree Drummond, then go to her website and read her story. It is good enough to be a movie I think. She is a home cook who now has a best selling cook book and a great blog.
Another Brussels sprouts recipe I want to try is from Shauna at Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef if you are interested! It is a Brussels sprouts salad with a tangy dressing- sounds delicious!
Enjoy!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Adapted from Men's Health
Serves 2-4 depending on how much you love these!

1 pound fresh  Brussels sprouts
2 slices uncured bacon
1 tbsp butter (optional)

1. Preheat to 425 degrees
2. Trim off the woody ends of the sprouts and then slice in half lengthwise.
3. Cut the bacon into small pieces and cook in a cast-iron skillet (or other ovenproof skillet) over medium heat until crispy. With a spoon transfer bacon pieces to a paper-towel-lined plate.
4. Drain most of the fat from the pan. Add the sprouts, cut side down and sear until the sprouts begin to sizzle- about 3-5 minutes.
5. Put the skillet into the oven and roast for about 10-12 minutes or until browned.Pull the pan from the oven and flip over the sprouts. Return to oven and roast for another 8-10 minutes.
6. Return pan to stove, add bacon and butter (if desired). Place in bowl and serve with your favorite meat, poultry, or fish.