Brussel Sprouts Amandine

.


When my husband and I first met, we learned that we both enjoyed almost all foods, except Brussel sprouts. I guess that's not all that unusual considering the reputation that Brussel sprouts have. Bitter, mushy, pungent green vegetables.

Well, since we first met, we have learned that there are a few other foods that one or the other doesn't like eat (me -- veal, sushi and calamari; him -- some beans, and many kids of soup), but until recently, Brussel sprouts were the only thing we had in common.

This recipe has completely and totally converted me and I am now a Brussel sprout lover! He was so-so on them, but he did eat them -- a step in the right direction.

I apologize that I am sharing a picture of a picture, but my mother was over, and college boy was home the night I made these, and I was just trying to get dinner on the table. The next time I make them I promise to take a real picture. Mine actually looked just like the picture, with a little more color, and they were so tasty, my mother and I both said we could eat a whole plate of them. They were sweet and fairly meaty in texture -- in fact, I did not eat the meat I served that night (pork tenderloin) because the Brussel sprouts were completely satisfying. I did eat bread and the other vegetable -- Mashed Winter Squash.

The kids tasted them and none ate a whole half (wimps!), but I am determined to convert them. Brussel spouts will be on the menu regularly from now on.

Brussel Sprouts Amandine
serves 6

1 1/2 lbs. Brussel sprouts, rinsed, trimmed and halved
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted

Bring 2" water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Place a steamer basket in the pan and add the Brussel sprouts. Cover and steam over medium heat for 10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Transfer sprouts to a bowl and set aside, Empty pan and wipe clean.

Heat the oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the Brussel sprouts and salt and cook (cut side down, preferably) for another 2 minutes, or until heated through. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with toasted almonds.

Source: Women Heart's All Heart Family Cookbook

Printer version

.

Tollhouse Pie

.



This pie is a favorite among the chocolate lovers in my house (everyone!). It's a breeze to put together, you want to eat it warm, and so you can make it, bake it, and eat it within just a few hours. We love it served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and whenever I have served it to company, it's always been a hit! I make mine without nuts because of allergies, but I think it would be fabulous with.

Tollhouse Pie

2 eggs
½ c. flour
½ c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar
1 c. butter, melted and cooled
6 oz. chocolate chips (1 cup)
1 c. chopped walnuts, optional
9-inch unbaked pie shell
whipped cream or ice cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In large bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Add flour, sugar and brown sugar; beat until well blended. Stir in melted butter. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour into pie shell and bake for one hour, until pie is puffed in the center and center is set. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Printer version

.

Weekly Menu

.

I enjoyed our exchange yesterday. Many of you were so nice to leave comments, and I appreciated having adult "conversation" during my day. It was lovely. I think we'll probably stick with natural peanut butter. After thinking about the pros and cons, I decided that any additional saturated/trans fat in my diet is unacceptable. I enjoy a little bit of peanut butter, and as long as it's pure, it's o.k. for me. If I switch to one with added fats, it would become a limited food.

Anyway, on to the weekly menu. As of this afternoon, we are snowed in for a few days and so this morning I stopped at the store to get what we need until Monday. The boys have all made requests of Super Bowl Sunday, so most of what I grabbed was not the healthiest variety. Every thing in moderation, right? They asked for Kansas City chicken wings, Cowboy Caviar, Swiss cheese spread, and I am featuring a Muffaletta because we are rooting for New Orleans. This is a recipe that I have made before (it's great football fare) and I'm cutting back on the fat by using turkey and lean ham instead of high-fat salami and mortadella. If you've never had Muffaletta, it's a yummy treat -- a big round deli sandwich with tangy olive salad inside. It's one of my faves. I'm not sure where my recipe came from, but there's a similar one here.

Saturday
Lunch: Skyline Chili
Dinner: Hot Chicken Salad ( I'm making a lower-fat version of this high-fat treat), Spinach and Chickpea Salad

Sunday
Lunch: Broccoli and Cheddar Frittata, Blueberry Coffee Cake
Dinner: New Orlean's Muffaletta, Kansas City Hot Wings, Cowboy Caviar and chips, Swiss Cheese Spread and Crackers, Lemon Cheesecake Cheese Ball

Monday
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: Pork Chop Suey, Spring Rolls

Tuesday
Lunch: Turkey and Spinach Quesadillas
Dinner: Yankee Pot Roast, mashed potatoes, Colonial Brown Bread

Wednesday
Lunch: Bagels and cream cheese
Dinner: Spaghetti and Marinara, salad

Thursday -- Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes
Lunch: Tuna salad
Dinner: Roast chicken, Greek pasta, Butter Brickle cake

Friday
Lunch: Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
Dinner: Southwestern Hash and poached eggs, fruit

* Tried and true
* New to me

Q & A: natural peanut butter

.
I occasionally have a question I'd like to discuss with other foodies. And even though my kids think they are foodies, I'd rather talk to real people. Like you.

So, how 'bout I ask and you answer. You're awfully quiet, you people who visit here. And maybe you'll talk if I ask.

I ask.

You answer.



So, today's question is, what do you think about natural peanut butter?

I buy natural peanut butter, Krema brand to be exact (a local company). And it is good, but then almost all peanut butter is good. The problem I have with natural peanut butter is the maintenance. It's made with only peanuts, no oils or salt, and so it separates. When I first open a jar I have to stir it to death, and then I have to refrigerate it if I don't want to do that every time I use it. And if I refrigerate it, it's not very spreadable -- it rather rips the bread apart.

I realize I am sucked in by the "natural" label and the "purity" of the product, so I think maybe I'd like to switch.

So, do you eat natural peanut butter? Do you think that other brands of peanut butter (they are not unnatural, so I'm not sure what to call them) -- the kinds that are processed with oils to keep them smooth -- are just as good? I'd love to know your thoughts.




.

Swope Bread

.



If you enjoy fresh-baked bread, but have anxiety about making yeast breads (let me convert you, please!), today's recipe is for you. This recipe is printed on the side of the Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour bag. I noticed it one day when I was making bread and tucked the idea away for another day. Last Friday, when I was out of yeast but in need of bread for dinner, I pulled the bag out and made a loaf. What a wonderful bread it is! It tastes like a sweet whole wheat yeast bread, but no yeast is involved. Even the texture is like a yeast bread -- remarkable. And besides making a yummy dinner bread, it makes a fabulous toast. It takes a little longer than store-bought bread to toast to a crunchy texture, but worth the time it takes for the extra cycle in the toaster. Yum!

Swope Bread

4 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. unbleached white flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. salt
1 quart buttermilk (4 c.)
4 t. baking soda

Grease two bread pans. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl mix flours with sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, mix buttermilk and baking soda. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture. Stir until thoroughly combined. Spoon batter into bread pans and smooth tops. Place in center of oven. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F. and bake for 50 minutes. Turn out and cool completely on wire racks.

Bag up leftovers in a thick zipper bag and place in the freezer.

(I challenge you to leave it untouched until dinner!)

Printer version

If you like this recipe, you might also like Irish Soda Bread, and Beer Bread.

.

Low-fat Cheese Sauce

.


A lovely reader asked for the recipe for the low-fat cheese sauce on my menu and I just happened to have made it last week for lunch to serve over a veggie baked potato. When I first read the recipe it was sort of an "ah-ha" moment because I had never thought to make white sauce without first making a butter roux. Skipping the roux cuts the fat by omitting the butter. The recipe also calls for using reduced-fat cheese.

I would like to play with the recipe a little. The sauce made with reduced-fat cheddar was o.k., but lacking a little zip. A combination of cheese, maybe including a little Parmesan might be better. The original recipe, found in Women Heart's All Heart Family Cookbook, called for soy milk which I don't use, so I subbed 1% milk.

Reduced-Fat Cheese Sauce

olive oil
2 c. low fat milk
2 T. cornstarch
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz. reduced-fat cheese
salt

In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together milk and cornstarch. Set aside.



Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour a small amount of oil on a paper towel and wipe the bottom of the pan (or use cooking spray). Add shallot and garlic and cook for a few minutes, until tender. Stir in milk/cornstarch mixture and whisk constantly for about 5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Add cheese and cook until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Salt as needed.

Printer version

Peppered Couscous and Cumin Roasted Cauliflower

.



These two dishes are good low-fat sides. I won't bore you with the science of why these are good dishes, but if you want to you can read about red peppers, here, and cauliflower here. They also taste good, which is the criteria for them showing up here. The couscous is kid friendly too. If your kids don't like veggies, cut the pieces of pepper and onion so they are large enough to pick out. My kids ate it all, and I think the peppers are mild enough for most children. The cauliflower they only tolerated, but Doug and I both really liked it.

Peppered Couscous
serves 4-6

1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 yellow pepper, finely diced
6 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 c. fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1 c. whole wheat couscous

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add the red and yellow peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes or until slightly tender. Add scallions and garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous. Cover and remove from heat. Let sit 10 minutes until broth is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.

Printer version

Cumin Roasted Cauliflower
serves 4-6

1 medium head cauliflower, washed and cut into florets
2 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 t. cumin
salt to taste

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Using a paper towel, or your clean hands, coat a baking sheet with 1 T. olive oil. Toss cauliflower florets with 1 T. olive oil in a bowl. Toss with cumin. Place florets on baking sheet and bake in heated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, stir and cook 5 - 10 minutes longer until browned and tender. Taste and salt as needed.

Printer version

Shown served with Turkey Cutlets with Avocado Salsa

Turkey Cutlets with Avocado Salsa

This dish was really as good as it looks. Doesn't it look good -- all those gorgeous colors together? I told you I was only going to share the heart healthy dishes that I would eat even if I was not watching my fats and cholesterol. This dish would be a keeper even if I could eat anything I wanted. The turkey breast is really just the canvas for the bright, yummy flavors of the salsa. It's tender, cooked quickly in a pan, and kids like it because it has no strong flavors. All my kids liked this which was kind of surprising to me. My high school boy ate three servings because there was plenty.

The recipe called for using turkey cutlets, but they are sort of impractical with a largish family. Instead I bought a package of two turkey tenderloins (the white breast meat, no bones) and sliced it crosswise into smallish cutlets. There was plenty and it was much less expensive than buying several packages of cutlets. I made the salsa as directed, except I used a whole avocado instead of a half. Since I was splitting it among five, I felt justified. Besides, Peach eats enough avocado for two people.

The recipe came from Women Heart's All Heart Family Cookbook. The nutritional information given with the recipe is no longer accurate with the use of the tenderloins and the extra half an avocado, but I will tell you that it had 5 g monounsaturated fat and 1 g. polyunsaturated fat, with a total of 8 g all together -- good numbers for a meat dish. The avocado, tomatoes, scallions and olive oil are all really good for you, too.

Turkey Cutlets and Avocado Salsa
serves 5-6

1 c. grape tomatoes, quartered
1 avocado, halved, pitted, and chopped
4 scallions, chopped
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
juice of half a lime
½ t. ground cumin
2 turkey tenderloins (about 1.5 pounds), cut crosswise
salt and black pepper

In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, avocado, scallions, 1 T. olive oil, lime juice, and cumin. Salt to taste. Set aside.

The easiest way to chop an avocado: cut avocado in half; pull out the pit. With a knife, make a grid in the avocado by cutting into the flesh perpendicular to the skin, cutting all the way to the skin, but not through.

Then take a spoon and scoop out the flesh, running the spoon between the skin and the flesh.

Season the turkey pieces with the salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet with 1 T. oil and spread oil with a paper towel to coat the pan. Add half of the cutlets and cook, turning once, for 3 minutes, or until browned and no longer pink.


Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining cutlets. Top with the reserved avocado mixture.

Served with Peppered Couscous and Cumin Roasted Cauliflower.

Printer Version


Original recipe can be seen here. Source: Women Heart's All Heart Family Cookbook