Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash & Cranberries
Are you a person who cringes when your foods touch? Don't answer that. I don't want to ruin my impression of you because I happen to really like when my foods touch. I like seeing what certain things taste like together because you never know when you'll find a random winning combination. When I was 8 years old I had an epiphany when part of my dinner salad casually slid into my french fry ketchup mound. That day I discovered that ketchup on salad tasted just like 1000 island dressing without the mayo. I spent a good year putting ketchup on my salad while enduring the looks of disgust from my family. Have I lost you?
The other day I decided to eat comfort food in the form of Thanksgiving dinner (for lunch) from Whole Foods. I got home, opened the cardboard to-go box and saw that all of the contents had shifted. Delightful! The Brussels sprouts and roasted butternut squash were saturated with gravy and cranberry sauce and I thought, "We're really onto something here." I decided to give you a recipe that I like to call a happy accident, even though I did it on purpose. I just want your taste buds to thank me for something new and different. In this dish, sweet roasted cubes of butternut squash mix with savory browned Brussels sprouts, bits of apples, onions, smoked curry powder and the surprising tang of cranberries. It's like stuffing but without the bread, a roasted medley that's perfect for all the vegans, vegetarians & gluten-free diners at your Thanksgiving table. You could eat it on a random fall afternoon because you're ridiculously excited about Thanksgiving dinner. It's really up to you.
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Scalloped Corn
You know how homemade macaroni & cheese has a bread crumb topping that's buttery and crunchy with edges that make you wanna scream Hallelujah? Take a look at this skillet. Now imagine that Hallelujah crust but substitute the mac & cheese for CORN. Out of all of the things I made for dinner on Sunday night, this corn is still lingering in my head. I thought I had found the best corn dish this summer with Thomas Keller's Creamed Summer Corn. Psshaw. This Scalloped Corn just knocked the creamed corn into the #2 slot. I didn't think that was even possible.
Make it. Rejoice. Hallelujah! You found a dish that reminds you of macaroni & cheese, corn pudding and creamed corn! Let me just remind you that we only have a few weeks left of corn season. You'd better get on this.
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Creamed Summer Corn
Just when I thought fresh summer corn on the cob couldn't get any better, I made this Creamed Summer Corn! It's light, buttery, creamy and has something so absolutely wonderful in it- LIME. Casey swore there had to be some magical spice in the creamed corn. He sat at the dinner table devouring bite after bite, trying to figure it out. There's a bit of cayenne in the mix, but that's it! The lime is really what turns this creamed corn into something absolutely unreal. You'll see.
I made this recipe with 9 ears of corn for the 6 of us, and paired it with a few slabs of ribs while we were on vacation in Tahoe. Guess what? There was no creamed corn left. Good sign? Most def!
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Chickpea & Raisin Salad
I have a problem reading recipes. When I look at a recipe, I pay close attention to the ingredients and instructions. If there's a total execution time, well that's cool too, but I never really pay close attention to the serving size, unless I need to make enough for a crowd. For some reason my brain assumes that most recipes serve enough for 4 which means Casey and I might have leftovers. I know, it's stupid.
So when I made this Chickpea & Raisin Salad and went to rinse 3 cans of chickpeas, I got a little nervous. Let me spell this out for you- this recipe serves not just two, but EIGHT people.
Throughout the week, I ate this salad and mixed it up in several different ways and am happy to report that it didn't bore me one bit. It's perfect on its own, but tastes wonderful with feta, spinach, cucumbers, and Italian parsley. Throw it in a wrap! Add some to your salad! It would be great with couscous and grilled chicken and I'd even try throwing some carrot shreds in. Basically, it's extremely versatile, so incredibly simple and can be eaten at any temperature! I think you'll love the subtle hint of cumin mixed with the sweet juicy raisins. Just remember that this recipe makes a lot and if you want to brighten it up, add more vinegar.
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Brussels Sprout-Potato Hash
You know a dish is a winner when you find yourself making it twice in one week. Say hello to my new addiction, Brussels Sprout-Potato Hash! Breakfast potatoes just got a WHOLE lot better with the addition of Brussels Sprouts! They add lots of depth to the dish, rounding out all the carbs. Yes. I can never get enough carbs, but sometimes my guilt takes over! I don't feel as bad binging on breakfast potatoes now when there's a huge heaping pile of caramelized Brussels Sprouts in the mix. I must also note that the addition of lemon zest & thyme make this hash stellar. Casey immediately asked me "Ooh! what's this spice?" Thyme, baby. Thyme. Other things to note: vegan, low fat, low calorie, gluten-free & fantastic!
Kale with Golden Raisins & Pine nuts
I've been sitting on this recipe for awhile because I failed the first time I made it. It was totally my fault too! I dumped a heaping 1/4 cup of pine nuts in the pan and didn't bother tasting them for freshness. Turns out they weren't and my family & I had to suffer through it. Everyone kept reassuring me it was fine. IT WAS NOT. I sat at the dinner table beating myself up. How could I have put something out that didn't taste good?!? Why am I letting people suffer and eat this crap?
Why am I telling you this?
Because we all make mistakes in the kitchen!! I've made a lot in the past and continue to make them! If I threw in the towel, I wouldn't be able to keep posting on this here site. I don't give up because I love the feeling of accomplishing something tasty & wonderful. I keep trying and as a result I get better!
My mistake was NOT tasting my ingredients beforehand. I could have substituted slivered almonds or toasted walnuts in the recipe to replace the bunk pine nuts. God knows I have enough in my pantry! The next time I made this dish, I used fresh pine nuts with the suggested amount and LOVED it. All those feelings of disappointment were abolished. Crappy pine nuts? What crappy pine nuts? Nuts go bad! I gotta remember that. Apparently pistachios have a really short shelf life too. Watch out for that.
I love the balance between the bitterness of the kale & the juicy plump sweet golden raisins with the subtle crunch of the toasted pine nuts. I daydream of adding a poached egg up top or mixing it with some couscous & throwing a bunch of feta on top. How about taking some leftovers and sprinkling it on top of your pizza with fresh mozzarella and sharp Pecorino before you toss it in the oven?
Let's make that happen.
Summer Squash with Goat Cheese
Another bucket of summer squash was set outside our front door a few days ago!! My neighbor is going crazy with this summer squash business! After making the risotto the other night, I needed to make something simple and uncomplicated (aka-I just got home from work and don't feel like cooking!) So here's what happened: I sauteed zucchini & summer squash in a pan with onions & thyme. I browned them a bit and added garlic at the very end (so it wouldn't burn). It all went on a lovely plate and was topped with crumbles of goat cheese. We made a main course out of it with some yummy toasted french bread. The goat cheese crumbles melted on top of the squash; adding a scrumptious creamy/tangy element to the dish!
Feel free to substitute the goat cheese for feta or Parmesan. I've been on a great goat cheese binge lately, haven't I? Sorry! If you aren't into cheese, the squash is fine without it!! It would make any vegan happy. Thank you Ann for the best summer squash I've tasted! I'll will let you know when we've had enough! At this rate, it could be soon!
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Garlic Butter Rolls
For those of you who swoon over garlic twisty bread but can't bring yourself to order whole pizza to make the delivery worthwhile, this one's for you! They are scrumptious! Dip some in marinara or serve them with a salad and pasta! You could also eat them alone, directly from your kitchen counter. No one will know. Promise.
To push them over the edge of deliciousness, I am going to tuck a little bit of Parmesan cheese in the middle of each roll before I form them into little dough balls next time! This was a request from my husband who is a certified twisty bread lover. He wanted them cheesy with more of a garlic presence; so I will appease him next round! I suggest using a little cooking spray in the muffin tin because I had 3 of them stick! You'd better believe I chiseled them out with a knife and ate them! Wouldn't want to let any dough go to waste now would we?
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