Autumn Brussel Sprout Salad

Salad:

12-16 oz brussel sprouts

1/2 cup dried cranberries (reserve some)

1/3 cup slivered almonds or chopped pecans

1/2 cup apples, match sticks

1/3-1/2 cup feta cheese (reserve some)

2 green onions, finely chopped whites and greens

Honey Mustard Dressing:

2 Tbs red wine vinegar

2 Tbs dijon mustard

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder (I used regular minced garlic)

1/4 tsp onion powder

1 Tbs honey

1/3 cup oil (olive oil or avocado)

Cut off end of the brussel sprouts and remove outer leaves. Chop brussel sprouts in a food processor or just really finely with a knife. Mix up dressing, coat brussel sprouts in a large bowl and let sit while you get everything else ready. Chop dried cranberries if desired. Add in all other salad ingredients in the bowl. Top with a little reserved feta and dried cranberries for a pretty presentation! I was thinking that pomegranate seeds would be yummy in this in the winter. Also could sub goat cheese for the feta. Enjoy!

Onion Casserole

 2-3 tablespoons butter or margarine

3 large sweet onions or 4 medium white or yellow onions

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (8 oz.)

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon soy sauce

8 or so slices of French Bread

Slice onions and try not to cry. With this many onions, it’s hard. **I used ski goggles this year and it helped immensely.

Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium heat, and add onions. Sauté onions until clear, a little brown is ok. In a shallow 2 qt. casserole pan, layer onions, 2/3 of cheese and pepper to taste.

In a sauce pan, heat soup, milk, and soy sauce, stirring to blend. Pour soup mixture in the casserole and stir gently to mix. Top with bread slices. Bake at 350° uncovered for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, top of bread should be nice and toasted. Push bread slices under the sauce and top with remaining cheese. Place casserole back in oven and finish baking for 15 more minutes. 

Total baking time: 30 minutes 

Savory Sweet Potatoes

 6 servings

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (1/2 inch cubes)

2 T. coconut oil, melted

dried rosemary, coarsely chopped or ground

dried thyme

dried oregano

salt and pepper

8 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled

6 oz. blue cheese

Preheat oven to 425 and spray or line cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes with coconut oil and sprinkle herbs and salt and pepper generously, to your liking. Place in a single layer on cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Stir halfway through. When they are done, transfer to a baking dish so cubes are close together and 1-2 inches high. Sprinkle with bacon and blue cheese and return to the oven for 3-5 minutes. Serve hot.

Broccoli Salad

Easter 2019

https://downshiftology.com/recipes/broccoli-salad/

Broccoli Salad

• 1 broccoli head, approx 5 cups of florets
• 8 slices bacon
• 1/3 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled

Broccoli Salad Dressing

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
(I made mine with all mayo, and used avocado mayo, I also added a bit more broccoli than it calls for)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Add the bacon slices to a parchment lined baking tray and cook for 15 minutes or until crispy. Remove the bacon from the oven and transfer to a paper towel to dry and cool.
• While the bacon is cooking, slice off all the broccoli florets and make sure they're in bite-sized pieces. Add them to a large mixing bowl along with the red onion, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and goat cheese.
• To make the dressing, add the mayonnaise and yogurt to a small bowl and stir together. Add the dressing to the mixing bowl and stir until everything is well combined.

Red Chili Sweet Potatoes

I ate these at Flower Child and knew there would be a copycat out there somewhere. I found one and they were delicious! I at the leftovers with sausages and green beans for lunch, so good!

Red Chili Sweet Potatoes

2 1/2 cup sweet potatoes, cubed and roasted
1/2 cup sesame vinaigrette (recipe below)
4 ounces bok choy, julienned (I skipped this)
Toasted Sesame Seeds

Directions

1. Warm sesame vinaigrette in a large saute pan until it begins to simmer.

2. Add room temperature sweet potatoes, toss to coat and gently simmer until heated through (add water if needed to keep consistency of sauce to heat through sweet potatoes).

3. Add bok choy and sesame seeds.

4. Toss to incorporate and remove from heat.

*4 servings


Sesame Vinaigrette

1/2 cup Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
3 tablespoons Sriracha (only do 1 if you don't like it too spicy)
1/3 cup Tamari (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons Evaporated Cane Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/2 cup Grapeseed Oil

Directions for Vinaigrette: Combine everything in immersion blender and puree until smooth. Slowly incorporate the oils until smooth and emulsified.

Green Beans with Warm Bacon Dressing

(from food network)

Made these for Christmas Eve and they were delicious. Bennett even said they were good!

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed

1/4 pound smoked bacon, chopped (about 3 slices...I used more) 

1/4 cup chopped shallots (about 2 shallots) 

1 garlic clove, chopped 

2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar 

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

1 tablespoon brown sugar (I added this because the dressing was too acidic)

Kosher salt 

1/2 cup crumbled soft fresh goat cheese 

1/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries 

Directions

1. Steam the beans in a large pot of boiling water until tender-crisp. Place the beans in a large bowl.
2. Cook the bacon in a skillet, and transfer to drain, reserving the drippings in the skillet. (I just used about 2 tablespoons of drippings). Add the shallots and garlic to the drippings. Saute over medium, 1 minute or just until soft. Add the vinegar, Dijon and dry mustard. Whisk, stirring to loosen the browned bits in the bottom of the skillet. Add brown sugar. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the olive oil.
3. Toss the beans with the warm dressing. Season with salt. Arrange on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the reserved bacon, goat cheese and dried cranberries. Serve immediately.

Harvest Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

I made this for dinner last night and even Kenny went back for seconds. And it is pretty!

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 large head romain lettuce
• 1/2 - 1 (depending on the size) green apple, chopped (you could also use pear)
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• cinnamon candied pecans (I made my own but you can buy these or easily find a recipe)
• 4 ounces feta cheese or gorgonzola 
• 1 avocado chopped

Dressing (raspberry vinaigrette)

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard (I didn't have this so I just used 1/2 teaspoon of dried)
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries (if using frozen completely thaw first)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I like avocado)
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds

For the dressing: Add all ingredients except oil and poppy seeds, blend well. Then while blending slowly add oil until emulsified. Then stir in poppy seeds. 

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

1 Large head of Cauliflower
1 TBS Olive Oil
1 TBS (or more) Fresh Garlic - minced or grated for more intense flavor
1/2 C Grated Parmesan (I used the powdered kind so it coated more evenly)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Wash and cut cauliflower into bite size pieces. Dry as thoroughly as you can. Place all ingredients into a bag to mix and coat evenly or toss with your hands on a baking sheet. Roast at 400 for 20-25 min until desired texture. This was SO good and super easy. I like to grate my garlic on the smallest side of my cheese grater which intensifies the flavor I learned! I also added more garlic because I like a lot. Enjoy! and then lick the pan :-)

Thai Cashew Coconut Rice with Ginger Peanut Sauce

This was so delicious!!!

Thai Cashew Coconut Rice with Ginger Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:
For the Coconut Rice:
   1 1/2 cups dry jasmine rice
   1 (15 oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk
   1 clove garlic, minced
   1 teaspoon salt
   1 cup water

For the Salad:
   2 red bell peppers, finely chopped
   1 red cabbage, shredded
   1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded
   1 small red onion, finely diced
   1 cup cilantro, chopped
   3/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
   1 cup cashews, finely chopped

For the Peanut Ginger Sauce:
   1/3 cup peanut butter
   2 tablespoons honey
   3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
   2 tablespoons rice vinegar
   2 teaspoons sesame oil
   water to thin
   lime wedges

Directions:
1. Rinse the dry rice well until the water runs clear
2. In a medium size pot, mix together the rice, coconut milk, garlic, salt, and water. Cover and bring      to a boil. 
3. Once the pot reaches a rolling boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. (mine only took    about 20 minutes and it was ready)
4. After 30 minutes, turn off heat and let sit (with lid on) for an additional 10 minutes.
5. As you wait for the rice, make the peanut sauce.
6. In a small, microwave safe bowl, combine the peanut butter and honey. Microwave for 15 seconds,     or until the peanut butter thins. Stir well. Add the ginger, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir again.        Thin as desired with water.
7. Fluff the rice and combine it with the chopped vegetables and cashews. Drizzle with a bit of the          Ginger Peanut Sauce and taste- you most likely will not need all of it. Serve with lime wedges.

**If you'd like to add meat, toss in some shredded rotisserie chicken 

Spring Asparagus Salad

Oh my goodness this is SO good and refreshing! I think I found it on pinterest.

Spring Asparagus Salad

1-2 bunches asparagus (I would recommend 2)
2 c. Israeli cous cous (uncooked)
1/2 c. kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/2 c. feta cheese
1/2 c. toasted pine nuts (optional, but do it!)
1 handful fresh mint, tarragon or italian parsley
Zest from 1 lemon

Dressing:
1/3 c. olive oil
3 T. whole grain mustard
2 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Trim the tough ends of the asparagus off. Lay the asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1-2 T. olive oil, sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and half of the lemon zest. Roast in the oven just until tender, about 20-25 minutes. **(In my opinion this was too long, I like asparagus better after about 12 minutes)** Cut into bite size pieces. (Alternatively, for faster preparation, blanch bite size pieces of asparagus, along with the cous cous, during the last 2 minutes of the cous cous cooking time)
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 2 cups Israeli cous cous, and cook until al dente.
4. While cous cous is cooking make the dressing. In a small bowl, stir all ingredients together.
5. Drain cous cous, and place in a large bowl. Toss it with the dressing, olives, asparagus, feta, pine nuts, fresh herbs and lemon zest. Serve warm or chill and serve as a salad.

Enjoy!!

**If you don't want to use cous cous you can use orzo. I found the Israeli cous cous at the grocery store near the rice**

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

12 oz. broccoli

1 1/2 T. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c. grated parmesan

juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place broccoli, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper on a baking sheet and toss together.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and parmesan and serve immediately.

Bacon & Mustard Asparagus

Bacon & Mustard Asparagus

2 slices bacon

1 bunch asparagus

2 t. olive oil

1 t. red wine vinegar

1 t. whole grain mustard

1/8 t. salt

dash garlic powder

dash pepper

Cook and crumble the bacon.  Steam or sauté your asparagus, or cook it anyway you like it.  While it's cooking, combine all the remaining ingredients, then toss together and serve.

Kale Chips

1 bunch kale 
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
Seasoned salt

 Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt (they should be crispy), 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with Season salt. (Mom has also used a little lemon juice and I've done Parmesan cheese and it's good. Both my kids will eat these!)

Weight Watchers Cauliflower Poppers

	1 head(s) (medium) uncooked cauliflower
	1/2 tsp ground cumin
	1/2 tsp chili powder, or more to taste
	1/2 tsp table salt
	1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  
• Cut cauliflower florets into bite-sized pieces (there should be about 4 cups). Place cauliflower in a medium bowl and add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper; toss well to coat.
  
• Spread cauliflower on prepared baking sheet and bake until cauliflower is tender, but not mushy, stirring halfway through, about 10 minutes. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving. 

These were really good, I tossed with olive oil too.

Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce

This asparagus is amazing!! 1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed cooking spray salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the asparagus on a baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray, and season with salt and pepper. Bake asparagus 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, and stir in soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Pour over the baked asparagus to serve.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I happen to love most any brussels sprout, but if you don't like them then you should try this recipe. I could have eaten a whole pan...ok, actually I did eat the whole pan.

Find the recipe here!

Asparagus Bundles with Prosciutto & Goat Cheese

1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed
2 thin slices prosciutto, cut in 1-inch wide strips
2 T. chopped roasted red peppers
1/4 c. crumbled goat or feta cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Set aside.  Wrap asparagus spears in bundles of 3-4 with a strip of prosciutto around middle.  Place bundles in a single layer in foil-lined pan.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper; top with roasted red peppers.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until asparagus is crisp tender.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Continue baking 5 minutes or until cheese is softened and heated through.  Makes 6 servings.