Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato Spice Bread Experiment 1.0

You don't need amounts for this recipe...just the ingredients and the method. Try this recipe if you were ever fed mushy, over-boiled Brussels sprouts as a kid only to have your gag reflex kick in! Roasting them this way is the only way we eat 'em. :-)
Try to buy sprouts that are approximately the same size, so that they cook at the same rate. They'll be crispy nut brown on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. Nom! A great pairing with pork tenderloin because they cook at the same oven temp.


Roasted Brussels Sprouts:
(from the Barefoot Contessa)

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil (I don't measure this)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (don't measure this neither!)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (...or this :-)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves.


Line a sheet pan with foil and put your sprouts on. Sprinkle them with olive oil and rub the oil on with your paws. Salt and pepper them then roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time (about every 5-10 min) to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt if desired and serve immediately.



Sweet Potato Spice Bread version 1.0:

Has cooking become an obsession if I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea for the next stage of my sweet potato bread experiment? If so, then I'm there.
I'm posting about the first go just so I remember where I started. The idea was to make a semi-savory quick bread using roasted mashed sweet potato. Not being a baker, I really don't have a clue what I'm doing, or why in a recipe like this, but I'm always game to try.
I want this to be a loaf rather than muffins, but in the interest of being able to change half the batter and cooking time involved I made muffins for the experimentation stage. I wanted to see just how much sweetness the potatoes would provide without adding too much in the way of extra sweetener. 3 Tbs. between the molasses and agave nectar is all I added this time, but next time I think I'll try for using some orange juice for the liquid, and more than 3 Tbs of maple syrup or agave. For the next batch I think I'll nix the molasses and wheat germ, add more cinnamon and salt, and use a combo of white whole wheat flour and oat flour.
In other words almost a totally different recipe! :-)

3/4 whole wheat flour
1 1/8 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups mashed roasted sweet potato
1 Tbs molasses
2 Tbs agave
2 Tbs canola oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
optional: chopped walnuts pushed into the tops of the muffins after dividing batter into cups.

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix all wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.
Add wet to dry and mix until just combined.
Divide evenly between 11 oiled muffin cups and bake for ~18 minutes.
Let rest in tin for ~5 min then remove to a cooling rack until cool.

Banana-Cranberry Muffinks

I seem to be muffin crazed these days...3 batches in the last month or so? I got bold this time and kind of made up my own recipe after looking at a mass of them online. For the last couple days my pal James and I have IM-ed back and forth about these...how much of this, what could sub for that, etc. Well, my bananas were sufficiently ripened today and I finally went for it.
This recipe created a good healthy muffin. No added oil or butter, lightly sweetened with agave nectar and the fruit, whole wheat flour and whole grain millet.
I'm undecided as to whether I like the millet in there. The Monster had asked me to make him some millet muffins the next time I fired up the pan, so that's how it made it's way into the recipe. They stay crunchy, which he loves, but I'm perfectly happy with just the crunch the walnuts provide. It's up to you, put it in or leave it out. If I use it the next time, I might go with only 1/4 cup. These muffinks are nice and moist from all the nanners and applesauce, with a nice tartness from the whole crans. I'd definitely make 'em again!


Banana Cranberry Muffins:
(makes 12 regular sized muffins at about 200 calories per muffin w/millet, 180 w/out)

3 ripe bananas
a rounded 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce...probably close to 1/2 cup, but just use the 1/3 rounded since I know that worked. :-)
1 cup of whole frozen cranberries
1 large egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup whole millet (I used 1/3 cup the first time I made these, but used a little less than a 1/4 the second time)
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
canola non-stick spray

Preheat the oven to 325° F.
Peel all three bananas and mash them in a large bowl with a fork.
Add rounded 1/3 cup applesauce, egg, and agave and mix well with a fork.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, millet, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Add dry ingredients to wet, stirring until just incorporated.
Fold in walnuts and cranberries
Distribute the batter evenly in an oiled 12-muffin pan for ~25 min. Cool in pan for 5, then turn out onto cooling rack.

Spinach-Zucchini Soup with Savory Oatmeal Muffins

I made this on Tuesday for dinner tonight. We had just finished cleaning out all of my premade meals over the last week and I tend to get a little anxious with nothing stocked in the freezer! After eating a healthy portion of this we'll still have enough in the freezer for a second meal.
Whew! The muffins freeze well too.


Spinach and Zucchini Soup: (adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
big pinch of salt
~2 large potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (~3 1/2 cups)
~3-4 zucchini , quartered and chopped (~3 1/2 cups)
6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
4 cups fresh chopped spinach leaves, packed
1 cup cilantro, loosely chopped
lemon juice to taste (I think I used about 1 1/2 lemons?...try less first then just add to taste)

In a large, thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot (but not smoking) add the garlic and onions and saute for a few minutes along with pinch of salt - just until they soften up a bit. Stir in the potatoes and zucchini. Add the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft throughout, roughly 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the spinach, and wait for it to wilt, just ten seconds or so. Now stir in the cilantro. Puree with a hand blender until smooth. This may take a little time with the stick blender since the spinach tends to get bound up in ours. Chop the spinach pretty small or just use a regular blender. Whisk in a big squeeze of lemon juice. Now taste, and add more salt if needed. Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt on top, or a drizzle of olive oil and muffins, or toast. We had a nice ripe avocado tonight so I chopped it up and topped the soup with it.



Savory Oatmeal Muffins: (Adapted from Real Food via Culinary in the Desert)

If you want to make a veggie muffin, just use cheese instead of the bacon.

1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda (I think I added an 1/8th of a tsp more because of the Sucanat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried sage (I used 1 1/2 tsp fresh minced sage)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats, divided
2 tablespoons grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup packed brown sugar ( used 1/4 cup Sucanat)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled (I subbed 6 Tbs flaxseed meal for 2 of the Tbs. of butter)
3 ounces Canadian bacon, diced (buy a good quality bacon in the deli and have it sliced thicker...just say no to corn syrup. Ick!)

Preheat oven to 375

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sage.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the oats with cheese.

In a large bowl, stir together buttermilk and remaining oats - let stand for 5 to 10 minutes to let the oats soften. Stir in brown sugar, egg, and butter until combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened - fold in diced bacon.

Evenly divide the batter between the wells of a 12 cup muffin tin lightly coated with nonstick spray. Sprinkle tops with oat-cheese mixture. Bake until lightly browned and a toothpick placed in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove and let stand for 5 minutes before transferring the muffins to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Makes 12 muffins.