Brussels Sprouts - You'll Want More!

After trying these last week, Matt and I looked at each other and commented that we never imagined that we'd be wishing for more brussels sprouts at the end of a meal. I think the key is using fresh sprouts, not frozen. Many of the recipes that I consulted for brussels sprouts paired them with butter, and while it probably would taste fantastic, globbing on butter to make veggies palatable isn't really in our heart-healthy regimen. But healthy doesn't mean resigning yourself to bland steamed veggies for the rest of your life. In the following recipe, I changed the butter to olive oil, and the results sacrificed absolutely nothing in the taste department. Give these a try and see if your family asks for more!

A dozen or so fresh brussels sprouts, rinsed, patted dry and cut in half
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
sea salt
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Rinse, pat dry and cut the brussels sprouts in half. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over med-low heat. Sauté the garlic just until it begins to brown. Remove the garlic from the oil and place all of the sprouts in the skillet, cut side down. Turn the heat down to low and cover the skillet with a lid. Let them cook, covered for about 15-20 minutes until the cut side has browned and the sprouts are cooked through. Place in a serving dish and season with sea salt and the fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Roasted Purple Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

This week in our produce delivery from Timber Creek Farms we received a purple cauliflower. I had never seen one before and was excited at the challenge that something new presented. Turns out, it was beautiful and the soup was delicious. Plus, the girls got a huge kick out of eating purple soup!

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ head garlic
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut the tips off of the head of garlic and place on a baking sheet with the cauliflower. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and season with the salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until soft and tender about 40 minutes.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
½ medium onion, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. flour
1 can (14oz.) chicken broth (preferably organic free range, but at least make sure it contains no MSG)
1 cup milk

Sauté onion until soft. Add flour and cook slowly while stirring for about 2 minutes over low heat. Add chicken broth and milk and stir until bubbly and thickened. Next, add the cauliflower and garlic (removed from their skins). Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Puree with a hand immersion blender until desired consistency is reached. Serve with a crusty bread and a leafy salad. To enhance the purple color of the soup, garnish with blue corn tortilla chips crumbled on top. Enjoy!

Fun with Food

I always said in high school that I liked Chemistry because it was like cooking. Well, these guys have taken both to a whole new level. Not too sure how healthy some of these dishes are, but the whole presentation is fascinating.

High tech Dining with Homaro Cantu

Wheat & Honey Bran Waffles

I haven't made waffles since we started eating for lower cholesterol, mostly because they are traditionally loaded with butter. But tonight when Abigail requested waffles, I decided I was up to the challenge. I took inspiration from a couple of different recipes, and this is what I came up with: a waffle that won't send you into cardiac arrest that is wholesome, crunchy, and sweet all on its own, but perfectly delicious topped with warmed blueberries.

Preheat your waffle iron.

Whisk together in a large bowl:
¾ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup coarse bran
¼ cup wheat germ
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. salt

Whisk together in another bowl:
1 ½ cup buttermilk
⅓ cup honey
4 tbsp. canola or sunflower oil
3 egg whites
½ tsp. vanilla

Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and gently whisk them together, mixing just until everything is combined. The batter will be thick and bubbly. Spoon the amount of better recommended by your waffle iron's manufacturer onto the waffle iron. Close lid and bake until golden brown. Serve with honey, maple syryp, or warmed blueberries.

Veggie Lasagna

Lasagna on Valentine's Day for Matt was a tradition growing up. Every Valentine's Day, his Mom would transform her kitchen into Swaininis just for the occasion. The first year we were married, Matt surprised me with a homemade lasagna dinner for two that he made. Only being married several months, I wasn't aware of the extent of his culinary skills, so I went digging through the trash to make sure he hadn't popped a frozen lasagna in the oven! (He hadn't.) Anyway, this year I couldn't forego the long-standing Swain tradition just because we are now eating for long-term health, so I tinkered around and came up with this fantastic version which we'll probably repeat more often than just on Valentine's Day.

1 recipe Veggie Packed Pasta Sauce
1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and chopped
½ cup fat free ricotta cheese
2 egg whites
¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 large red pepper, sliced thin
1 large green pepper, sliced thin
1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles (the kind that you don't have to boil ahead of time are great!)
6 oz. low-fat mozzarella cheese

Prepare the Veggie Packed Pasta Sauce. Combine spinach through parmesan cheese in a small bowl. Sauté the zucchini and peppers in the olive oil until veggies are soft. You favorite combination of veggies can be substituted here. Make sure to prepare enough to form two layers of the lasagna.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).

To assemble the lasagna:
First coat the bottom of a 9x13 in. casserole dish with sauce. Then place a layer of noodles. Now layer with half of the zucchini and peppers, 2 oz. mozzarella cheese, and cover with more sauce. Next, place another layer of noodles followed by all of the spinach mixture and another layer of sauce. Follow this with the third layer of noodles, the remaining zucchini and peppers, 2 more ounces of mozzarella cheese and another thin layer of sauce. The last layer consists of one more layer of noodles, a generous layer of sauce and the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until heated through 30-35 minutes. Serve with a garden salad, crusty bread and fresh strawberries for dessert. Enjoy!

Veggie Packed Pasta Sauce

I started making my own spaghetti sauce way back in 2001 when we first moved to Spain. In fact, I started making a lot of thing back then. . . Anyway, over time, my sauce has improved from a rather watery concoction flecked with bits of Italian seasoning to a robust, flavorful, and nutritious sauce with lots of body. Whenever I feel like the girls are lacking in veggies, I make this and know with confidence that they are getting the vitamins and minerals they need.

One medium onion, chopped
3-4 medium carrots , chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
One red bell pepper, cut into chunks

Sauté all of the above in ¼ cup olive oil. Once the onions and peppers are soft, add 2 tsp. parsley, 2 tsp. Italian seasoning (or when available ¼ cup fresh chopped basil). In the summer when I have fresh basil growing, I always choose the basil - it makes a fantastic sauce.

Then add one large can of tomato sauce, and one large can chopped tomatoes (drained) and ½ tsp. salt. Let all this simmer for at least 20-30 minutes, then blend it all up to your desired consistency with a hand immersion blender. Since my girls are not fond of chunks, I blend up everything till it's pretty smooth.

Enjoy!!

Banana-Orange Smoothie

I got the munchies today at the café, so I dug around and started throwing things in the blender. I know it's January, and icy drinks aren't the usual fare, but this really hit the spot.

Juice of 2 oranges (the fresh squeezed juice is what makes it so good)
12 ice cubes
½ cup plain non-fat yogurt
2 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. skim milk
1 small banana

Dump all these in a blender and BLEND. Add more milk until you achieve your desired consistency. Yummy.