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Beautiful Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

This is the lowly underappreciated Brussels sprout.  Each one looks like a tiny head of cabbage and tastes similar as well!  As an adult I have rediscovered these little gems.  These guys have lots of vitamins including a boatload of Vitamin C.   Usually I roast them.  I trim off the ends, chop them in half, add about 2 tbsp of olive oil and some salt, and stick them in the oven at 425 for about 30 minutes.

Tonight I didn't have time for that.  I had fish in the oven that was going to be done in 35 minutes and I wanted everything else done by then too.  So first I quartered the sprouts and put them all in a square microwave safe pyrex dish.  I added about 1/2 cup water (I could have used a little less) and some salt.  I covered the whole thing with plastic wrap and microwaved for 6 minutes.  I wish I had a picture of that.

In the meantime pour between 1/2 and 1 cup of balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan.  Add 2 tsp sugar and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and let the vinegar reduce by half.  It will start to get thicker and sweeter.  Remove it from heat when it has reduced by half.

Melt 1 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan.  I like to use the cast iron skillet because things brown so beautifully in it.  Chop up about 4 mushrooms and 1 clove garlic and start that heating and browning in the pan.  When the Brussels sprouts are out of the microwave...add them to the pan. 

The finished product

Isn't that pretty?  Look how green!  If there is any water in with the veggies now, turn the heat up and let the water evaporate.  Don't go too far away.  Once the water has evaporated, turn the heat back to medium and add 1 tbsp oil.  Stir and then stop.  Now go away.  Wash a few dishes, send a quick email...what I mean is, let the veggies start to brown a bit on the bottom.  When most everyone has had a chance to get a little color to them, add the balsamic vinegar reduction and remove from the heat.



I was in a mood for fast, simple and tasty food tonight so while the Brussels sprouts were doing their thing, I chopped a few potatoes.

I wanted them to hold their shape, so I kept the pieces of potato fairly large - about 2 bites each.  I added these guys to a large pot and covered with water.  I added some salt as well and turned the heat to high.  That's right.  I'm boiling potatoes.

Check out that levitating lid!

I cooked the potatoes about 8 minutes.  Then I drained them, threw them back in the pot and added 2 tbsp real butter, salt and pepper, about 2 tbsp parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of chives.

Mmmmm...steamy potatoes...

Tonight's dinner was nothing fancy.  The fish was great but I still like the tortilla crusted tilapia the best.  The thing about dinner is, it was done in 35 minutes, it was good and it was good for me.  Hey, a little butter never hurt anyone!  One last recipe...

I've got a scratchy throat and a slight sniffle which I hope is the result of winter dust mite allergies and not a cold.  I honestly cannot remember the last time I had a cold.  It's been years.  So I pulled out all the stops tonight:

Bigelow now has an apple cider tea.  It's awesome.  Get  a packet of it.  In your tea mug, squeeze 1/2 tbsp honey and add 1 packet sweetener or some sugar.

(Excuse the sideways-ness of this photo).  Add 1 shot of Canadian Whiskey and fill with hot water.  Enjoy!

A New Year and New foods!

It's a new year and with that in mind I'm on a kick to try new foods.  First up:  Spaghetti Squash.  Maybe it doesn't look so great in the photo, but let me tell you it is really tasty and super easy to prepare.  All I did here was cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and other gross squash intestines.  Then I rubbed on a little olive oil.  I placed 1/2 of the squash cut side down in a pyrex dish with 1/4 cup water and covered it tightly with plastic wrap.  I microwaved it for 13 minutes.  In the meantime I threw my favorite quick and healthy fish (SeaCuisine Brand) in the oven and chopped up some broccoli.  While the broccoli steamed and the fish cooked I made a little marinara sauce with some oregano, garlic, olive oil and crushed tomatoes.  I let this simmer while everything else cooked.  Once the first squash half was done I took it out and then took the fork and ran it lengthwise down the squash.  The most amazing thing happened!  It really did make spaghetti strands!  It was the coolest thing. So while the second one cooked I fluffed up the strands of spaghetti squash and topped them with marinara.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.  I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up that squash at the store. 

Friends have said they also eat the spaghetti squash like they would butternut squash:  with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.

I'm definitely on a vegetables kick lately.  Not a vegetarian kick, but a vegetables kick.  Salads, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, squash, potatoes, peas...and I'm attempting to nurture a renewed interest in fruit.  I got hooked on raspberries a few weeks ago and before that it was clementines.  Next I might start adding half a grapefruit to breakfast.

On tonight's menu?  Another SeaCuisine fish - cod with lemon, herbs and something else... These are often on sale at one of the local grocery stores, they're low in calories and they are so easy to prepare.  You don't even have to thaw them!  My favorites are the mediterranean crusted salmon and the tortilla crusted tilapia.  You just preheat the oven, pop them on a sheet pan and cook them for 30 minutes.  Quick, healthy and tasty!