Time to get sprout of control… with brussel sprouts that is!

For as far back as I can remember, brussel sprouts have been the punch line of many a vegetable themed joke.   Growing up, images of kids with turned up noses or making gagging sounds were the only experience I had with brussel sprouts.  As I got older, I tried different ways to make them more palatable but always felt like brussel sprouts and I were just mere acquaintances and not really friends.

Then, I was watching Diners Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network and watched as a small and quaint garage restaurant in San Jose introduced me to brussel sprouts like we were meeting for the first time.  I replicated the dish and, what can I say?  We’re in love.

High in protein, rich in vitamin C and now jam packed with flavour, I don’t just make this as a side dish, I’ve eaten this as a meal on it’s own!

Ingredients:

•     Few slices of cooked bacon, chopped in small pieces

•     1 pound of brussel sprouts (ends trimmed and wilted outer leaves removed)

•     3 garlic cloves, sliced

•     3 sage leaves

•     2 bay leaves

•     2-3 tbsps of olive oil

•     salt and pepper to taste

•     3 slices of lemon

•     1 tbsp of butter

Directions:

•     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

•     In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except bacon and butter and toss until brussel sprouts are coated in oil

•     Lay out a piece of parchment paper and lie in a slightly larger piece of aluminum foil

•     Pour the mixture in and top with butter and bacon.

•     Fold the foil into a tightly sealed package to allow for steaming (essentially cooking "en papillote")

•     Cook for 35 minutes or until checked for desired tenderness with a fork

A Few Notes:

•     On the show, the chef doesn’t add the bacon until he is ready to make an order.  At that point, he reheats the brussel sprouts in a sauté pan with some chicken stock and the bacon.  This isn’t necessary if you serve right away… And it’s flavourful enough that you wouldn’t really need the chicken stock.

•     One thing I did do was sauté the cooked brussel sprouts, garlic and bacon (everything else removed) in a non-stick pan for a few minutes just to give a little added caramelization… delicious!

•     If you are looking for a vegan option, just omit the bacon and use a butter substitute or no butter at all.

Droppin' Mad Beets

Though I continue to engage in my love affair with kale, I must admit that I harbour a modest crush on the cutest little root vegetables around... what can I say, my heart also beats for beets.

In the traditional sense, we tend to see beets eaten in a variety of ways -  pickled, boiled, steamed, raw, and famously consumed in borscht (pyszne!).

Beets are rich in potassium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and copper.  They also contain vitamins C, A, and folate, amongst others - so it's no surprise that you could easily fall in love with these little ruby gems.

As indicated in a previous post, one of my preferred methods for consuming beets would be in raw whole smoothies (preferably with kale and berries); however,  while trolling around the internet, I stumbled upon the idea of a roasted beet dip.

This roasted beet dip has such a deep flavour and can be eaten with crackers, pita and easily with crudités.  With an easy preparation, your only worry will be making sure you don't stain your hands when preparing the beets (tip: coat your hands with a teaspoon of vegetable oil before you handle the beets).

"Not so fat phat beets"


5 cups of beets peeled and cut into chunks (I used a whole bag)
5 tbsps extra virgin olive oil (separated: 1 tbsp to coat beets, 4 tbsps or more for dip consistency)
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1 tsp finely chopped chili peppers/jalapeno (optional)
1 tsp toasted cumin seeds
1 tsp toasted coriander seeds
1 tsp salt (I like to use himalayan)
1 tbsp lemon juice to taste

- Preheat oven to 400 F
- Toss beets in tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt
- Roast in the oven for approximately 1 hour (make sure not to burn)
- Place beets, cumin, coriander, lemon juice, chili peppers/jalapeno and garlic in a food processor and pulse
- Drizzle in olive oil while pulsing until the dip reaches desired consistency

You can adjust the quantity of garlic and chili peppers/jalapeno to suit your palette.

Kale Chips... Remix...

A few friends have asked me about my obsession with kale (and beets for that matter). So, I've decided to break it down.

Kale, much like other leafy greens, are absolutely excellent for you. The end.

Ok ok... let's get serious.

Kale is basically a type of cabbage, keeping close ties to siblings broccoli, collard greens and brussel sprouts, among others. This leafy guy is super high in beta carotene, vitamins A, C, and K, and rich in calcium. Kale is a great antioxidant, excellent source of fibre (hooray for your digestive tract), and boasts a host of anti-cancer properties.

My three favourite ways to have kale are raw in smoothies, sautéed with garlic, and as kale chips.

Which brings us back to the post... remix..

So, if you read the previous post, you saw that I have made kale chips in the past. This time, I decided to try a "cheesy" kale chip. I use the word cheesy with quotation marks as there is no cheese or dairy found in this recipe whatsoever. What you DO find is an abundant amount of cheese flavour like no other. No joke people.

Enjoy and I hope you decide to incorporate more kale into your diet ... next time... Beets still my heart...

"No cheese kale chips? You cheddar believe it!"

1 bunch kale (rinsed, stems removed, leaves torn/cut into bite sized pieces)
1 cup cashews (soaked for 1-2 hours)
1 red pepper diced
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup nutritional yeast (Found in the specialty/organic section of your grocery store, or bulk barn... I got it at bulk barn)
1-2 tsps salt (I had himalayan sea salt on hand so used it... very nice)

- Place all ingredients (except kale) in a food processor or blender (I used my Vita-Mix... d'uh!) and mix until it becomes a creamy consistency
- Smoosh (or massage) the mixture over the kale leaves, making sure there aren't large clumps or clusters of the "cheese"
- Bake in the oven at the lowest setting for at least 2 hours.

* If you have a drying function on your oven, you can use that for about 4-5 hours.... I may need to invest in a dehydrator!

Cheers!

Kale Chips

All I have to say is... Kale Chips...

Light, crispy, healthy and addictive... Mmm...Mmm...

1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon of seasoned salt (or your own concoction of favourite spices... garlic salt, curry powder, bbq spice...whatever your heart desires!)

1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees C, or the lowest possible temperature (if your oven has a drying option, even better!)
2) With knife, remove the center stems of each leaf by slicing on either side of it. Cut leaves into bite size pieces.
3) Wash kale and thoroughly dry (use a salad spinner or dry overnight on a tea towel)
4) Drizzle olive oil onto kale leaves and toss to evenly coat. Lay on a parchment lined baking sheet.
5) Sprinkle with seasoning salts.
6) Bake on low for an hour or two making sure to monitor for crispiness.. and to ensure it's not burning

There are so many variations but this is the most basic... and also the first one that I tried. I am fortunate enough to have a drying function on my oven so after an hour and a half, it worked out perfectly! Beginner's luck, I guess!

Smooooooth Operator

Since my last post, I've met another love of my life... he's a smooth operator... the Vita-Mix Blender.. Oh yes.

I'm convinced that I should actually work for Vita-Mix given the praises that I talk about this machine and how... ahem.. I've basically convinced three different people to buy one in the short time that I have owned mine.

What can I say about this machine? It makes the smoothest smoothies EVER and just pulverizes everything you put in it! I've made a plethora of varying smoothies consisting of fruits, leafy greens and even root vegetables, and it all comes out as a smooth and delicious bevvy! I've made cashew milk and even almond milk (without any soaking process whatsoever)... this thing even makes soup - heating it right in the blender! I have yet to make a heated concoction but friends have already raved it's heating abilities!

I can literally say that it has changed my daily intake of vegetables. I make batches of fruit and veggie smoothies at least twice a day, with the Mr. and the offspring asking for leafy greens in their smoothies everyday!

I can go on and on about this smooth operator but I can only say that you have to try it to really experience it in all it's glory.

Here's a smoothie I like to call Ruby Red Slippers:

1 carrot (peeled)
1 apple (cored - skin on)
1 beet (peeled)
2 handfuls of kale
1 handful of bluberries
water (to whatever consistency you want the smoothie to be)

Put all ingredients in the Vita-Mix, turn on at variable function starting at speed 1 and turning up to 10... Blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute and enjoy!!

Crazy (Crack) Bread

As I mentioned in the previous post on fudge, Pinterest has become an obsession. One great thing that has come out of it has been the overwhelming and never-ending amount of food porn...and complete with links to recipes!

One thing that I kept seeing over and over again was something called "Crack Bread". As you see in the title, I also a.k.a'd it as "Crazy Bread" as I wasn't quite ready to explain to my 7-year old what crack was and why I would name something I wanted him to eat after it. That and I feared he would tell his teachers that I make and give him crack to consume.

It seemed interesting enough and anything that involved filling gaps in bread with cheese and bacon was rock solid in my mind.

It was indeed tasty but definitely sinful. There can't be anything good about something called "Crack Bread" with ingredients like bread, cheese, bacon, butter and ranch dressing mix. Still, with Super Bowl Sunday coming up, it's something easy to whip up for a party and definitely coma inducing if you want to drown out the sounds of football.

Crazy/Crack Bread (Pull-Apart Yumminess)

1 unsliced loaf of (round is preferable) sourdough bread
8-12 oz cheddar cheese, thinly sliced (I grated mine but will slice next time to have them fit into the spaces for better melting)
3 oz bag Oscar Mayer Real Bacon bits (I just cooked up some bacon I had on hand)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp Ranch dressing mix

Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions. Do not cut through the bottom crust.
Place slices of cheese in between cuts. Sprinkle bacon bits on bread, making sure to get in between cuts.
Mix together butter and Ranch dressing mix. Pour over bread.
Wrap the entire loaf in foil and place on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Unwrap. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Fudge brought me back...

It has been a while since my last post. Between work, the holidays, winter blahs and everything else, the Thought Factory has suffered.

As the title of this post suggests... fudge brought me back. That and some nudging by some peeps that it had been a while since my last post ; )

Let's dial back a little and do a little confessing as to what has also eaten up a lot of my time. Hmm.. could it be Pinterest, and the copious amounts of time I spend clicking the "Repin" button on images and ideas that I easily become enamoured with? If it wasn't for my eyes burning and my body telling me to shut itself down because it's past midnight, I'd keep on clicking the "See More Pins" at the bottom of the browser that winks at me, trying to reel me in. If I'm being honest right now, there's another window open on the browser... and you got it right, Pinterest is open right now.

Anyways, as I feverishly pinned as much as I could onto my "Food Porn" board, I came across a multitude of recipes for fudge, and I soon craved that sweet creamy and granular morsel. But where would I get fudge at this time? Oh wait! And I suddenly remembered a microwave fudge recipe someone had emailed to me years ago. Digging through my pantry, I found everything I needed and prepared all the ingredients since I needed to move fast when assembling. And no joke, from start to finish, I had fudge ready in a pan.. cooling.. in 20 minutes. Defying all my will power to just wait until the next day, I threw the pan in the fridge to quickly set it and cut a chunk out the minute I could release it. It was like we were meeting for the first time... fudge and I. It held me like I held it. I added the recipe at the bottom... and yeah, it's a lot of sugar .. but you know what, if you're going to judge, get the heck out of here and don't come back! Fudge and I don't need you.

So, there you go...fudge brought me back. And the thought factory and I have some catching up to do. So many pictures of food on my camera with no where to go but the intraweeb.

Microwave Fudge

* You need to be really quick as things set fast once they are out of the microwave

2 cups packed brown sugar
1 can condensed milk
3/4 cup butter
1 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 caramilk bars (you can use 4.. but who are you kidding? 2 more, really?)

Microwave 1st 3 ingredients 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes
Add vanilla & icing sugar; mix with mixer for 2-4 minutes, or until smooth
Place 1/2 mixture into well greased (use butter) 8x8 pan
Lay caramilk bars on the mixture
Put the rest of mixture on top and smooth with spatula

Chill and cut into squares to serve... or dig right in there if that's what you want.