Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts with Thyme & Pistachio Nuts

I think brussels sprouts are just about the cutest things ever. They are mini little cabbages wrapped up in a cute little package. But rumor has it that brussels sprouts aren't exactly winning over the hearts or taste buds of children or adults. I would venture to say that how you are cooking your brussels sprouts has a lot to do with that, not to mention whether you are using fresh or frozen brussels sprouts. They have so much potential and can be stir fried, sautéed, roasted or steamed. They work with just about any flavor palates  and are a great source of vitamins and anticancer agents. All in all they are a killer veggie, and by killer I mean awesome!

Normally I like to sauté my brussels sprouts with some bacon or onions but this time I decided to switch it up a bit. I tossed them in some browned butter and fresh thyme and sprinkled them with some salty pistachio nuts. Lets be real, put brown butter on most anything and you will have me licking my plate clean! It is so aromatic and sweet...who knew butter could taste so good! The pistachio nuts add a great unexpected taste and texture to the brussels sprouts and pair deliciously with the butter and thyme. Go ahead, give brussels sprouts another try, they might just become your new favorite vegetable!

Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts with Thyme and Pistachio Nuts

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half

1/4 cup butter
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tablespoon fresh thyme

1/4 cup pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Grill your brussels sprout on your BBQ for about 10 minutes or until just tender. If you do not have a BBQ or prefer to steam them, do so for about 10 minutes as well. Meanwhile melt your butter in a large skillet over medium high heat watching carefully until your butter begins to bubble up, brown slightly and give off a nutty aroma. Add the lemon juice and thyme and turn heat down to low. Add your brussels sprouts and stir until everything is warmed through. Salt to taste. Plate your brussels sprouts and sprinkle with chopped pistachio nuts.

Avocado Mango Salad

Have you ever had a salsa and wished you could just eat it alone as a meal. No chips or crackers or bruschetta to scoop or spread onto, but just a spoon...straight to your mouth. Anyone with me? That is the inspiration of this salad. And to keep it from looking like Im eating a bowl of salsa, I kept the ingredients larger instead of dicing or cubing them into manageable scooping pieces. :)

Nothing beats rip fruit and with a sweet and perfumy mango mixed with a buttery, smooth avocado you could almost stop there! But adding some acid and salt really helps to bring out the flavor of each.Top it all off with some cilantro and it adds a nice and fresh compliment.

This salad is so satisfying. I eat it almost every day for lunch and my husband asks for it almost nightly as a side with dinner.

Avocado Mango Salad

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado

1 ripe mango

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 lime or lemon

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

salt

Directions:

Slice your avocado in half lengthwise and remove the seed. Scoop out the flesh with a large spoon and slice it into thin strips. Arrange onto a platter. Cut your mango away from its pit and remove the skin. Slice into long thin strips and arrange on the same platter with your avocado. Squeeze 1/2 of a lemon or lime over the avocado and mango. Sprinkle chopped tomato over mango and avocado. Sprinkle with desired salt and with cilantro. Serve, and enjoy!

Quinoa, Strawberry & Grilled Bread Salad

Ok, it's officially summer in California and it's officially hot!!! I'm pregnant and Im roasting here people! And because it is so hot Ben prefers that we do as much cooking as possible outside on the grill. Some nights that makes things a bit tricky since BBQ-ing casseroles or desserts on a grill might prove a bit unconventional, not to mention unsafe :) But I do what I can to make most of our meals grill-able and functional enough to use the side burner attached to the BBQ.

And the best kind of summer meal in my opinion aside from grilled meats/fish is a fresh summer salad! This salad ranks number one in our house. In fact, it basically trumps all other salads for my husband. And one of the greatest flavor additions is the grilled marinated bread. Nothing, let me repeat, nothing, beats the addition of the grilled bread cubes that have been lightly marinated in olive oil and lemon juice. In fact a few skewers of bread have been known to disappear from the BBQ to the house, so I always make a couple extra.

All of the ingredients meld perfectly and are cool and refreshing. From the ripe farm fresh strawberries to the creamy avocados and basil this salad is easy, crazy delicious and can be made without heating up your house on a hot summer day!

Quinoa, Strawberry & Grilled Bread Salad

Ingredients:

Dressing-

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons honey

salt and pepper to taste

Salad-

2 1/2 cups bread, cubed and grilled

juice of 2 large lemons 

olive oil for drizzling

1 1/2 cups quinoa, prepared according to package instructions

1 1/4 cups fresh strawberries, cut in half

1/2 cup onions, very thinly sliced

1-2 avocados, diced

1/2 cup loosely packed basil, chopped

Directions:

To make dressing, combine balsamic vinegar, honey, crushed garlic cloves, olive oil, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Set aside to let garlic permeate the ingredients. Prepare the bread by cutting it into 1-inch cubes . Skewer the bread cubes onto wooden skewers and drizzle with olive oil, then lemon juice, on both sides. 

Salt and pepper the bread and place onto the grill until they are browned on all sides. We like ours nice and crispy on the outside, but feel free to pull your bread off of the grill when it is perfect for you and your family.

Meanwhile cook your quinoa according to package directions. Once bread is grilled and quinoa is cooked you can arrange your salad. Place, quinoa, cubed bread, strawberries, onions, basil and avocados into a large salad bowl and stir to combine. Only when you are ready to serve should you add your dressing so the bread doesn't sit to long and become soggy.

Orzo with Zuchini, Feta & Dill

Oh how I love this salad. I can taste all of the flavors just looking at the pictures, and I am actually starting to salivate! I really do love orzo pasta so much and don't cook with it nearly as much as I would like to. Its just kind of one of those things that I forget about...that is until I make a few of my favorite recipes that include it and then I wonder why I don't use it more often! Orzo is such a meaty little grain that is shaped like a really big piece of rice and can be very hearty and satisfying as a main dish even without meat. This salad has a lot of loaded flavors with the marinade, feta and dill but they all work so cohesively together. Whats even better is that it makes great leftovers. Something about having all of the flavors sit and get to know each other for a bit longer makes it taste even better in the days to come :) 

Orzo Salad with Zucchini and Feta

Ingredients:

Salad-

1 box orzo

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 1/4 pounds small zucchini, cut into thin half moons

8 ounces feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Dressing-

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

salt and pepper

Directions:

In a large zip lock baggie combine the oil, vinegar, red pepper flakes, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add your sliced zucchini and let marinate, tossing occasionally, for a minimum of two hours or longer. To make dressing, combine all of the ingredients and set aside. Once the zucchini has marinated, sauté over medium heat with marinating liquid, briefly, making sure not to over cook your zucchini into mush. While the zucchini is cooking prepare your orzo according to package directions. To assemble salad, combine the orzo, zucchini, crumbled feta cheese and dill and taste for needed salt and pepper.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

I have really great memories of picking pomegranates with my family when I was just a little girl. We lived in the country and were surrounded by dairies, corn fields and fruit orchards. One wintery tradition we had was to set off over the creek in our back yard into a pomegranate orchard and load our pockets and maybe even a bucket with these little rubies. And now that I think of it, we may or may not have been stealing pomegranates. But I was just a little girl...I cant be blamed...right?!! For the sake of my fond childhood memory I am going to assume that my parents probably had an agreement with the neighbors to barter fruit or something of that nature :)

Moving on...my sister works at a garden now where there are a couple of pomegranate trees and I was lucky enough to be a recipient of some of her pomegranates. Ben and I could not eat them fast enough, so in order to use them up before they went bad I decided to make a pomegranate dressing which turns out to be a lovely change from my usual balsamic or orange based dressings!

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons pomegranate juice

4 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:

You are more than welcome to use pomegranate juice if you have any, but I opted to put my surplus of fresh pomegranates to use and juice them myself.

I started by cutting my pomegranate into small chunks and placing into a food processor. 

I blended until  I had a thick pulpy substance.

Then I strained my pulp and reserved the liquid for my dressing.

Once I had my pomegranate juice I combined it with my olive oil, honey, vinegar and salt and pepper. Be sure to mix well until the honey and salt are dissolved. Shake well before dressing your salad.

Broccoli & Brussel Sprout Salad with Mandarines, Raisins, Avocado and Sun Flower Seeds

You could say that growing up my family was vegetarian...almost.  We did eat meat and fish but very very sparingly. Consequently, in a wonderful way, I was exposed to a lot of different and incredible fruit and vegetables. I can remember my mother serving amazing salads and vegetable casseroles. In fact when asked what my favorite meal was as a young girl, I always said "My mothers eggplant casserole". You can imagine this taking more than a few people by surprise to hear that a preteens favorite meal to eat was eggplant. But it was true.

I used to marvel at how many different salad recipes my mother could come up with and how each one tasted so unique and delicious. So this is an homage to my mothers salads. I have taken a few of her combos and combined them with a few of mine.

Broccoli & Brussels Spout Salad with Mandarines, Raisins, Avocado and Sunflower Seeds

Ingredients:

1-1 1/2 large broccoli heads, cut into very small pieces

1 pound brussels sprouts

1 small can mandarine oranges

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raisins

1 avocado, chopped

Directions:

Start by cutting your broccoli and brussels sprouts into very small pieces. At this point feel free to use a mandolin to slice your brussels sprouts. Combine in a bowl.

Slice your avocado into pieces and add to bowl, along with sunflower seeds, raisins and drained mandarines.

Dress with salad dressing and enjoy!

BLT Salad with Salmon

BLT, who doesn't love one! Classic, simple, and tasty. I hadn't had a BLT in years until recently on Christmas Day, my husband, son, mother and father decided we would eat Christmas lunch out, and pulled up to the only restaurant open, a cute little diner. And what better diner food than a BLT! And that's exactly what I got. I haven't stopped thinking about it since! So much so that I decided to make a BLT salad...with a twist that is. 

Instead of using bacon I pan fried pieces of  prosciutto, instead of using lettuce I used sliced brussels sprouts, I kept the T of the BLT and for the final twist I topped my salad with a piece of pan seared salmon. This is a great variation on the classic BLT sandwich and the presentation and taste will be sure to impress!

BLT Salad with Salmon

Ingredients:

Salad-

5-6 cups brussels sprouts, shredded or sliced very thinly

2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Prosciutto, one whole slice per person

Salmon steak, one per person

Dressing-

1/4 cup balsamic dressing

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon sugar

1 crushed garlic clove

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Dressing-

Combine all dressing ingredients and set aside to let the crushed garlic clove permeate the dressing.

Salad-

Start by heating a pan on medium heat and spray with a light coating of non-stick cooking spray. Place pieces of prosciutto into pan and cook until crispy; set aside. Cook your salmon steaks and set aside to rest while you assemble your salad. Place shredded brussels sprouts and sliced tomatoes in salad bowl. Pour desired amount of dressing over salad and toss to combine. Plate a helping of the brussels sprout mixture on each plate and top with one piece of salmon along with a piece of crispy prosciutto. Enjoy!

Kale Cesar Salad with Roasted Red Peppers

3 years ago I ate a dinner at my mothers house in which she served me a cesar salad with her out of this world cesar salad dressing; and ever since the day I tasted THAT dressing I have been dying to use it for every salad I ever make. It is THAT good! I am use to making all of my own vinaigrettes but I have never attempted a cesar salad dressing nor ever really thought of making one...that is until I tasted moms. So this recipe is in homage to my mother and her stellar cooking skills!

I decided to go a little unconventional for my lettuce choice and paired this ever so divine dressing with fresh chopped kale, homemade roasted red and green peppers and homemade croutons.

Kale Cesar Salad Dressing with Roasted Red Peppers and Homemade Croutons

Ingredients:

Salad-

2 bunches of Kale

3-4 bell peppers

Stale or fresh loaf of bread

Parmesan for garnish

Dressing-

2 anchovies

2 cloves garlic

1/2 lemon juiced

1/4 cup parmesan cheese 

2 egg yolks

2 Tablespoons water

1 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place whole bell peppers onto a baking sheet and bake for 17 minutes, turn bell peppers onto opposite side and bake for an additional 17 minutes or until charring occurs on skins. Remove peppers from the oven and place in a bowl and cover tightly with tin foil or saran wrap and let sweat for 20 minutes. 

Once cooled remove bell peppers, peel off the skin, remove the stem and seeds. After having had their steam bath in the bowl the skin of the peppers should slide off with little or no effort on your part. Don't worry if you don't get it all off. Slice peppers into thin strips and reserve for salad.

While you are waiting for your peppers to sweat you can prepare and bake your croutons. Keep your oven set at 350 degrees. I slice my stale or fresh bread, depending on what I have on hand, into 1-1 1/2 inch slices then cut each slice into large cubes. I like to play around with different flavored breads like garlic or rosemary, to add some extra flavor to the dish that I am using them for. I place the cubed bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. I salt the bread fairly well at this point. Place your bread in the oven and bake for 15 minutes then remove the pan and turn every bread cube over onto another side to brown for an additional 15 minutes. Set croutons aside to cool.

Dressing-

Place anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, egg yolks, parmesan cheese and water into a food processor or blender and blend until everything is incorporated. While your blender in running drizzle in your olive oil and blend until smooth, creamy and thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.

Wash your kale leaves and pat dry. Remove leafy parts from the ribs and chop into manageable pieces. Place in salad bowl and add your roasted bell peppers and croutons. Drizzle salad dressing over salad and toss to combine. Shave off slivers of Parmesan cheese to garnish and enjoy!