Honey and Sriracha Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I ate at BJ’s for the first time, while I was visiting Daytona Beach recently. I shared some Roasted Brussels Sprouts with a fellow student and they were so good, I wanted to try to make them,  the first chance I got. Here’s my variation of this side dish.

Ingredients:

1 lb Brussels Sprouts, rinsed and sliced in half
1 tbsp Olive Oil
salt and fresh ground pepper to season

Dressing:

2 tbsp sriracha
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp lime juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees,

Rinse and slice the Brussels Sprouts. Drizzle some olive oil, season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Roast the Brussels Sprouts for 45 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile mix the dressing ingredients in a bowl.

Drizzle the dressing before serving. I think BJ’s also deep fries the roasted Brussels Sprouts briefly before serving, which I didn’t do.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Pecans

This recipe is right up there with my other favorite Brussels Sprouts recipe.

Ingredients:

1 lb Brussels sprouts
1/4 cup cranberries
1 oz pecans
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
dash of vanilla essence
salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse and trim the edge of Brussels sprouts. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay out on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Rinse and add cranberries to the baked Brussels sprouts. Continue baking for another 5-8 minutes.

Remove from oven and transfer to a bowl. Add toasted pecans to the bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk together maple syrup, balsamic vinegar and vanilla extract. Drizzle over the Brussels sprouts and serve warm.

Old Recipe, New Ingredients

Brussels Sprouts Casserole

 When I was making the Curried Cauliflower Casserole, I had thought that the recipe would do well with Brussels Sprouts as well. And  I was right. Same recipe, new ingredients. Equally Delicious!

Brussels Sprouts are always a challenge. Most times, I tend to use them as substitute to cabbage. The one Brussels Sprouts recipe that is one of my favorite so far is the Caramelized Brussels Sprouts.  That or this particular recipe can  be a perfect side for Turkey Day.Ingredients:

1 lb Brussels Sprouts, sliced or quartered
1 shallot chopped
3-4 garlic cloves chopped
1-2 tsp curry powder
1-2tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Lightly toss the sliced Brussels sprouts with some oil, salt, pepper and curry powder. Lay out on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a pan. Add onion and garlic and fry till lightly golden. Transfer to a baking pan. Add the roasted Brussels Sprouts, cheese and cream.

Return to oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with some bread.

Brown Rice Brussels Sprouts Uttapam

Brussels Sprouts? You say. Yes I say. When I can make cabbage uttapam, why not brussels sprouts uttapam?

Brussels sprouts belongs to the cabbage family, and look like miniature cabbages. Quite often, I substitute them for cabbage. They are rich in Vitamin A & C and dietary fiber. This one is an old recipe…

Ingredients:

Batter:
1 cup brown rice
1 cup urad dal
salt to taste (approx 1 tsp)

Uttapam:
2-3 tbsp batter
2-3 brussels sprouts

Prep time: up to 24 hrs.
Cooking time: 10 min
Makes 3-4 medium uttapams. Refrigerate any left over batter. Will keep for at least a week.

Soak rice and dal in separate bowls with water up to at least 8 hours. I usually soak mine over night. Rinse and blend the dal in a blender with some water to make thick, smooth batter. Rinse and add the rice, continue blending until the rice is blended to very fine particles. You can blend the rice separately and add to the urad dal batter or blend together. Add salt and mix well. Set aside for at least 10-12 hours to allow the batter to ferment. Fermenting, especially is necessary to make fluffy idlis. But you can still make uttapam without the fermentation.

To make the uttapam, take 2-3 tbsp of batter, shred 2-3 brussels sprouts and add to the batter. Heat a wide pan and grease with some oil. Add some water to the batter, to thin it. Pour onto the greased pan and spread out evenly. Add more oil to prevent sticking. Cover and cook until golden. Flip over, add oil as needed and cook the other side till golden.

Serve warm with chutney. You can use any such as the Peanut chutney or coconut chutney. Although I like mine with sweet ginger pickle.

Note: Brown rice is heavier than if you use white rice or even idli rava.

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad

I woke up Friday morning with the intent to start another 3-day Body Clock Reset Diet. I did this earlier this year with some good results. Each year one of my resolutions is always related to health and fitness. This year, I wanted to get head start before the New Year.

As is normal I checked Eat, Live, Run website in the morning and saw a recipe for a Kale and Brussels Sprouts salad. And my lunch menu changed. Kale and Brussels Sprouts? Yes I dig them. But I wasn’t sure about the dressing. Searching around I found a galore of salad recipes with that combination. So here’s how I made mine.

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped kale
0.5 cups sliced Brussels sprouts
Some shredded parmesan cheese
some sliced almond

Dressing:
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic minced
1 small shallot minced
salt and fresh ground pepper

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients.

In a large bowl mix salad ingredients. Drizzle dressing. Add fresh ground pepper as needed.

Remember this tries to mimic a meal following the prevention diet plan for a 3-day body clock reset diet of fixed calories and fixed portion size. I totally forgot to add the cheese. But still it was crunchy, delicious and filling!

Farro with Fennel, Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash

My friend recently emailed a picture of lunch she was having at a cafe in NY of farro with fennel, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, frisee, and potatoes. It looked delectable and my friend said it was delicious. I was intrigued by the ingredients. I have never used either fennel or frisee in my cooking. Since discovering farro a little while ago I have only cooked it once before (see Mediterranean Spinach Farro salad).

I forget to buy some frisee but instead I substituted with radicchio which is another vegetable I have never used directly in my cooking. I made this with strict portion control in mind and low caloric value, so feel free to adapt to personal preference. It turned out pretty good for a one pot meal.  Here’s how I made it:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup farro
2-3 Brussels sprouts sliced thin
1/8 radicchio sliced thin
1/8 fennel sliced thin
1/8 butternut squash cut into cubes
1 garlic clove minced
1 shallot sliced
1 small potato cut into cubes
1 tsp butter
salt and fresh ground pepper

Bring 1 cup water to boil. Rinse and add the farro and cook on medium low until the farro is cooked and all the water evaporates. About 20 minutes.

In a separate pan heat the butter. Add the vegetables and light fry for a few minutes. Add salt and fresh ground pepper. Add the farro and some water and continue cooking for another 10 minutes until the vegetables soften and the water evaporates. Serve warm. Makes 2 servings.

Green Green Soup

Fall and winter are perfect times to roll out new soups. With the weather chilly outside, sipping warm soup with a piece of rustic bread for lunch or dinner is soothing. This one evolves on the Curried Cauliflower Soup which I have enjoyed many times. This time I wanted to use fresh green vegetables. The obvious choice was broccoli  And Brussels sprouts. And kale. It doesn’t get any greener than that!

Ingredients:
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup Brussels sprouts sliced
1 cup chopped kale
8-10 cherry tomatoes sliced
1 small onion chopped
2-3 garlic cloves minced
1-2 tbsp sour cream
4-5 cups water or broth
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp curry powder
salt and fresh ground pepper
dash of lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse broccoli florets and Brussels sprouts (slice into halves) and toss in a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the edges start to brown lightly.

Meanwhile heat the butter in a large pan. Add garlic and onion and fry for 5 minutes. Add the roasted broccoli, Brussels sprouts and kale and broth or water. Add salt, curry powder and fresh ground black pepper. Bring to boil and turn down to medium low and cook for 30 minutes until the vegetables soften. Turn off stove and cool before processing with a hand blender. I normally like to keep some chunks instead of blending into a puree. Return to the stove. Add sour cream and sliced cherry tomatoes and dash of lemon juice and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve warm with a piece of bread.

Oven Roasted Garlicy Brussels Sprouts

These are a perfect side for that Thanksgiving meal or any meal for that matter. Like cabbage, brussels sprouts seem so tasteless that I am always on the lookout for a good recipe. So far my best find has been Caramelized Brussels Sprouts. This one is neck to neck with that one. I have cooked oven roasted brussels sprouts before although without adding water. This one is adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 lb brussels sprouts
3-4 garlic cloves (or more… I love roasted garlic!)
1 tbsp oil
1/4 cup water
few red pepper flakes
fresh ground black pepper
salt to taste
dash of lemon juice (optional)

Rinse, trim and slice brussels sprouts into halves or quarters (if they are big). Toss them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and minced garlic in a baking dish.

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees and bake them for 30-40 minutes.

Remove and drizzle lightly with some lemon juice and serve hot.