Crispy Sesame Brussels Sprouts with Creamy Curry Dipping Sauce

 

(Re-Posted from Pale OMG)

The only thing we did different was reduce the coconut and sesame oil to 1 Tablespoon each.  Also, the Sprouts were so good we didn’t need the dipping sauce even though it’s a good sauce.  The Sprouts were amazing.

 

Prep time:  10 min.

Cook time:  35 min.

Total time:  45 min.

 

Serves: 2-3

 

What You Need for The Brussels Sprouts:

• 2 cups of Brussels sprouts, cut in half
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil (I used toasted sesame oil)
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
•  

What You Need For the dipping sauce

• ½ cup mayo
• handful of cilantro, minced
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (add teaspoon by teaspoon and taste it to make it to preference)
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

 

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients and coat brussels sprouts on all sides.
3. Place brussels sprouts on a parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheet. Spread out so the brussels sprouts aren’t overlapping and can cook evenly.
4. Place in oven and bake for 35 minutes.
5. Once brussels sprouts are in the oven, mix together all the ingredients for the dipping sauce and place in fridge to cool.
6. Serve crispy brussels sprouts with dipping sauce.

Sweet Potato Fries

These are very easy to make and of course they are also very good for you.   Well, at least sweet potatoes are good for you and cooking them in oil makes them taste good for me so I just pretend they are good for me this way and I eat a ton of them.  I cook my sweet potatoes in the microwave for 2 ½ minutes hours or the day before so they don’t take as long to cook and I can cook them on a higher heat so they get nice and brown and sometimes black.

 

Here’s how you do it.

 

What You Will Need:

1                      Sweet Potatoes

                        Oil for frying

 

 

What You Do:

1.  Microwave your potatoes for 2 – 4 minutes.  Ours is a strong microwave and I did them for

            2 ½ minutes in the skin.  Let them cool.

2.  Heat your skillet to medium-high or on my electric stove it’s at 6.

3.  Pour in the oil and let it get hot.

4.  Peel and slice the sweet potatoes into julienne fries.

5.  Put them in the skillet and cook 2 -3 minutes on each side.

6.  Salt and gobble them up.

 

Buttery Cabbage

I found this one day before I started this blog and didn’t know where I got it but if I just look at the picture I can see that it came from Mr. Food.  So just looking one day and decided to keep this and tonight was the first time I tried it and man! was it ever good.  You will like it for sure and it’s really easy.

What You’ll Need:

¼             lb.            bacon

1           med.     head cabbage, coarsely chopped

½             c.            Chopped Onion

½             c.            Frozen peas

¼             c.             (1/2 stick) butter

1           tsp.       Salt

¼          tsp        Black pepper

 

 

What You Do:

1.  In a large pot, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp.

2.  Remove bacon from pot, let cool, then crumble and set aside.
3.  Add remaining ingredients to the pot. Reduce heat to low, cover, and

          cook 20 to 25 minutes, or until cabbage is tender, stirring frequently.
4.  Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, toss, and serve.

 

 

It’s very easy and delicious.  We’re adding it to our family cookbook.

Cauliflower Garlic Soup – From Civilized Caveman

We made this this weekend and I liked it so much I had to reblog it.  This is easy, Gluten-Free and delicious.

Here’s the link.  Do yourself a favor and make this!

Civilized Caveman’s Cauliflower Garlic Soup

Shepherd’s Pie

I never liked the Shepherd’s Pie that came from my elementary school cafeteria, it was basically mashed potatoes infused with mealy ground beef that got stuck in your teeth.  So I thought that was what Shepherd’s Pie was and never wanted to see it again in my life.

Luckily, my wife ran across this recipe, modified it and made it.  It is Dee-lish-shus!  This dish will go in your rotation I promise.   

 

 

What You’ll Need:

1½          lbs          Ground Beef

1              c.            Onion (Chopped)

4              oz.          Mushrooms (Sliced)

1              cl.           Garlic (Minced)

1              c.            Peas – thawed

1              cube      Beef Boullion

½             tsp.        Salt

½             tsp.        Thyme

¼             tsp.        Pepper

1              TB          Flour

1              can        Diced Tomatoes (14.5oz)

1                            Bay Leaf

2              T.           Red Wine Vinegar

4              c.           Mashed Potatoes ( Go here for this recipe)

 

 

What You Do:

1. Brown Beef.  Remove from skillet.  Reserver 2 T. of juice.  Reduce to Med.

2. Sautee onions, mushrooms, garlic in pan 10-11 min.

3. Stir in GB, peas, bouillion, salt, thyme and pepper

4. Sprinkle flour over mixture.  Increase to Med. High. Cook 1 min.

5. Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf and vinegar.  Red. Heat to med.  Stir 3 min. until slightly thickened

6. Remove bay leaf

7. Transfer to lightly greased baking dish.  3 qut.

8.  Spoon potatoes over meat mixture.  Smooth with back of spoon.

9.  Bake at 400 for 15 min. Cool for 5 min.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mashed Potatoes

Ok,  this is no mystery and needs to be one of your standards you make without a recipe.   I’ll put un-precise measurements in this recipe to give you a guideline but after that, add whatever you want to your potatoes.  Notice that if you add a WHOLE BUNCH more milk you basically have Potato Soup – at least a start for Potato Soup.  Remember, this is EASY and pretty quick.  I like my Mashed Potatoes lumpy so I use a potato masher but if you like them creamy, then use a hand-held mixer and get every lump outta there.

 

What you will need:

4          Lg.       Russet Potatoes

½         stick    Butter (or more if you want)

1/2 +    c.        Milk (Whole or whatever) (Almond if you like)

                        Salt to taste (maybe a teaspoon)

                        Black Pepper to taste ( maybe ½ teaspoon)

 

What you do:

1.  Peel and cut the potatoes in 1-inch cubes (dice-sized)

2.  Boil the potatoes in a big pan of water for about 15-20 minutes. (until soft)

3.  Drain the potatoes then put back in hot pot to let steam come off.

4.  Add the butter and mash or beat while adding the milk

5.  Keep doing this until you have the consistency you want.

6.  Add the Salt and Pepper to taste.

 

That’s all there is to it and even if you mess them up they are still pretty darn good.  So keep trying until you get them the way you want them.

 

 

 

Ranch Seasoning Mix

This is easy to make. My wife uses it to make a seasoned pretzel that I’ll put up later. You can mix this with sour cream, mayonnaise and buttermilk to make ranch dressing, put it on steaks, put it on popcorn…you get the picture.

¼          c.         Dried Parsley leaf

1          TB        Dill leaf

1          TB        Garlic Powder

1          TB        Onion Powder

½         tsp.      Basil leaf (optional)

½         tsp.      Black Pepper

                        Salt (whatever makes you happy)

Salmon Cakes

 

This is a gotta-have recipe.  If you make this for your family or friends they will think you are the bomb.com.  Provided they like fish of course.  We just had this tonight and I’m glad she made a lot because I kept going back for more.  The fresh salmon is great but you could use 2 cans of big canned salmon if that’s easier and quicker.  The Rice Chex breading really made this crunchy and added a nice alternative flavor.  The Flax Meal is definitely optional but we always have some on had so she threw it in.  The cakes were very clean tasting and the recipe is simple enough that anyone could make this without a fear of failure.  My wife doesn’t use a recipe because she’s made them so much but this is the approximate values.  After you make it twice, you’ll be able to improvise and add stuff you want like maybe some Dill, minced onion, lime juice, parsley or whatever!  Have fun with this and go make it right now for someone.

 

16        oz         Fresh, Cooked Salmon

1          c.         Crushed up Rice Chex

1                      Egg

2          TB        Lemon Juice (1/2 a lemon)

2          TB        Mayonnaise

2          TB        Flax Meal (optional)

1          tsp.      Dijon (or other mustard)

                        Salt and Pepper

 

You’ll also need 1 cup of Crushed up Rice Chex for the “breading”

 

1.  Heat a large skillet on the stove with some oil over med. heat

2.  Take ¼ cup fish and make into a cake

3.  Cover in Rice Chex “breading”

4.  Cook in skillet 4 – 5 minutes on each side

 

We served it with lemon and some of Beth’s homemade Remoulade Sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homemade French Fries

 

Ok, so I know this is going to sound too simple, but, a lot of people don’t know that they can make great tasting French fries at home.  You can make them super healthy or do ‘em up in some oil, whichever way you do it, they are going to be great.

1.  First, get some potatoes (usually one per person) and wash  them.  If you don’t like the skin you can peel them but I prefer the skin on.

2.  Boil these cut potatoes for about 10 minutes or a little less

3.  Now cut the potatoes in whatever shape you want.

4.  Heat a deep-sided frying pan to medium-high heat.

5.  Add about 1/4 inch of oil and let get hot.

6.  Put your potatoes in and let them brown on each side

7.  Drain, Salt, Repeat.

Easy Chicken Pasta

 

 

 

My wife is a fantastic cook and she proved it with this dish the other

night.  She looked in the fridge and saw the pasta, the rotisserie chicken,

the pepper and wondered what she could do.  Inspiration hit and this

recipe is what came out.  The dish is delicious and easy.  I was able to take it to work for lunch a couple of times. 

 

Don’t pay so much attention to the amounts in the recipe, you can put

in anything you want but this basic method will turn out a really good

dish.

 

What You Will Need:

                        Cooked Pasta – as much as you want

2          TB       Butter or Oil

1                      Onion (chopped)

1                      Pepper (chopped) (green or red)

1          tsp.      Garlic (minced – I use jarred garlic)

2          TB       Flour or Cornstarch

1          c.         Chicken Broth

1          c.         Milk

1          c.         Green Peas

2-3      c.         Cooked Chicken

                        Salt and Pepper

1 ½      c.         Cheese – shredded

 

What You Do:

1.  Sauté the Onion and Pepper in Butter or Oil about 10 min.

2.  Add the garlic and sauté about 2 more minutes

3.  Add The flour and mix around – about 3 min.

4.  Add the Broth slowly while stirring

5.  Add the Milk slowly while stirring

6.  Add the Peas and Chicken and mix a bit

7.  Mix all of that with ½ the cheese and put in casserole dish

8.  Put the rest of the cheese on top

9.  Bake for 30 -40 min. at 350°