Apr 11 2012

Zesty Brussels Sprouts

Posted by georgiapellegrini in Step-by-Step Recipes

These Zesty Brussels Sprouts from Spontaneous Hausfrau were divine. They were crispy on the outside and the dressing gave them a special sort of tang.

To make them, you will need: olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, agave, mustard, parsley, and my friend the Brussels sprout.

Start by trimming the bottoms of the Brussels sprouts and peeling off any spotty-looking outer leaves.

Then cut them in half. You could leave them whole if you desire, but they’d take a bit longer to cook.

Lay out a sheet tray and line it with foil or parchment. Place the B-sprouts in a single layer and drizzle them with olive oil.

Give them a sprinkle of salt to help them crisp up in the oven.

And add a dash of pepper for good measure.

Toss them around so that they are evenly coated, then spread them out again into a single layer. Pop them into a 400ºF oven.

While they cook, make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil …

Mustard (you can use Dijon or your favorite kind here) …

Balsamic vinegar …

A touch of agave (or honey or a pinch of sugar) …

And the Worcestershire sauce.

Whisk it all together until it is uniform and emulsified and set aside.

Check on the Brussels sprouts and give them a toss every so often while they’re in the oven to make sure they cook evenly.

While they finish, coarsely chop some parsley. You can add some other herbs here too if you’d like. I added sage because I was in the mood and I happen to have a lot of it growing right now.

Gather the cooked, crispy Brussels sprouts in a serving bowl.

Pour the dressing over the top.

Sprinkle on the herbs.

And give it all a nice toss!

These were really special. They were warm and crispy, the dressing was sweet, and I wished I had made a triple batch because they were gone in a flash. They are the perfect healthy afternoon snack. Thanks so much to Spontaneous Hausfrau for this wonderful recipe. Check out her website for other great finds!

Printable Recipe

Zesty Brussels Sprouts

by Spontaneous Hausfrau on March 1, 2012 in Sides, Vegetables

See post on Spontaneous Hausfrau’s site!

4.80 Mitt(s) 10 Rating(s) 10 votes, average: 4.80 out of 5

Description

Brussels sprouts are roasted until crisp and soft, then tossed in a tangy and slightly smoky vinaigrette.

Ingredients

5 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Divided
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
½ teaspoons Agave Syrup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 pound Brussels Sprouts
2 Tablespoons Parsley, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, agave, and Worcestershire sauce until thickened and creamy. Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss the halved Brussels sprouts with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Arrange the sprouts in a single layer on a sheet pan and roast 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy. Toss with the reserved vinaigrette and fold in the parsley before serving.

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There’s so much to say about Georgia, we don’t know where to start. Leaving Wall Street for the French Culinary Institute, followed by a stint at the Gramercy Tavern and La Chassagnette in France, her passion for food and food traditions are evident and inspiring. Visit her site at Georgia Pellegrini, where you’ll find more recipes, photos, learn all about her wonderful books Girl Hunter and Food Heroes, and enjoy her latest adventures.

Mar 26 2012

Spicy Black Bean Burger

Posted by georgiapellegrini in Step-by-Step Recipes

Now, I’m a girl who likes her protein. If you know anything about me, you know that I eat all kinds of exotic meats, so it is rare that you’ll see me making a bean burger. But there was something about this Spicy Black Bean Burger from Keep It Simple Foods that caught my eye. I loved that it was packed with veggies and it used my favorite ingredient in the universe: Sriracha. So I thought I’d branch out, and the results were thrilling.

You will need: red bell pepper, Sriracha my love, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, bread crumbs, parsley, onion, garlic, one egg, and black beans.

You don’t need mustard. I’m not sure why I put it in the picture. Maybe I was anticipating what I was going to put on my burger. But the truth is that you could add it to the mixture along with any other spices that you like. There is room to be creative here.

Remove the seeds from the pepper, peel and cut off half an onion, and peel some garlic cloves.

Throw it all in a food processor and pulse until chunky.

Next, mash the black beans with a fork or, put them in the food processor as well and pulse them a few times. You’ll need to make sure the are well-drained first. You’ll also need to try not to get overzealous like I did and over-puree. It will be harder to form the burgers this way. But I like a challenge.

Next, coarsely chop some parsley.

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

If the mixture seems too wet, feel free to strain it through a fine mesh strainer. Then add the bread crumbs.

Mix well until uniform and with a consistency that will allow you to form a patty. You may need to add more bread crumbs to get it to where you want.

Heat a skillet with a bit of oil and form a patty. Sprinkle it with bread crumbs on one side …

Then place it bread crumb side down into the hot oil and sprinkle the other side with bread crumbs. Do this with all four patties. You can finish these on the stove top, or if your patties seem fragile, heat the oven to 350ºF and just transfer the skillet to the oven so that they cook uniformly.

Remove them from the oven and doctor them with all of your favorite toppings. I used a thin bun so that the bean burger could be the star. Then I added sliced avocado, ripe tomatoes and my favorite condiments. It was truly delicious.

Thanks to Jennifer for expanding my repertoire! Check out her website, Keep It Simple Foods, for some other delightful recipes.

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