side dish

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Planning your Thanksgiving menu yet? I know it might be early for some, but I am actually cooking Thanksgiving dinner in Ireland, so I have to plan ahead, keeping in mind ingredients I know I will be able to find there. Brussels sprouts are one ingredient I LOVE cooking when in Ireland, and since I absolutely adore these little green globes of goodness, I am always dreaming up new Brussels sprouts recipes (How ‘bout Bacon Brussels Sprouts Mac and Cheese? Or Sriracha Maple Brussels Sprouts?) For lunches this week, I whipped up a giant batch of a recipe I am calling a salad because it is really delicious at room temperature. Call it what you like, but be sure to make it soon because it is delicious and healthy. Brussels sprouts

I started with about four cups of sprouts, all cut in half except for the mini ones at the bottom of the stalk. I also chopped four apples and half a sweet onion.

apples

Before I got cooking, I rehydrated about a cup of golden raisins in some hot water so they would be sweet and plump in the final dish.

golden raisins

A good glug of olive oil got the whole thing started. The onions went in first so that they could caramelize.

olive oil

Shortly after, I added the Brussels sprouts so that they would get nice and brown. Nom nom nom.

Brussels sprouts

Once the sprouts and onions were getting browned, I tossed in the apples and raisins, gave it a stir, and let it all simmer together for a few minutes.

Brussels sprouts

Served alongside some spicy chicken sausage, this salad made a perfect veggie side dish, but I think it’s hearty enough for a light meal as well.  I’ll be eating it for lunch topped with crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese. And I will definitely be adding it to my repertoire of fall recipes. Bring on those Brussels!

What’s your favorite fall/winter food or ingredient?

Tags: brussels sprouts, recipe, salad, side dish, vegetables, Vegetarian

Happy weekend! We have all sorts of fun plans that include a trip to Newport, visiting family, and hopefully, if all goes well, lots of time on the boat. If you are grilling and looking for a healthy side dish or perhaps even a dinner for your vegetarian guests, I have the perfect thing. Inspired by some beautiful, local zucchini and zucchini squash, this dish is super simple and utilizes some store-bought ingredients to make it something you can toss together very quickly.

zucchini

You will need 3 medium sized zucchinis, summer squashes, or a mix of the two.

salad dressing

You will also need a half cup of a good bottled vinaigrette, unless you want to make your own, which is fine. I was purposely looking to cut corners here to get dinner on the table fast. I put my vinaigrette into the food processer with four cloves of raw garlic, crushed red pepper, and a squeeze of my Gourmet Garden basil to make it my own.

harvest grains blend

Once the dressing was all set, I heated up about a cup and a half of chickpeas I had already soaked and cooked the day before. I also cooked, according to package directions, half a package of Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend, one of my favorite products ever. I love the texture!

The last step was simply grilling the veggies and assembling the dish. Right before serving, I poured in the dressing and tossed the grains and chickpeas to blend them together with it. A little sprinkle of salt and ground black pepper, and we were good to go!

grilled vegetable salad

grilled vegetable salad

I adore the flavors of grilled vegetables so much that I had a giant pile of them for dinner a few nights ago. May as well embrace summer as much as possible!

I love how healthy and easy this grilled vegetable salad is, and as I said earlier, it really is a complete vegetarian meal.

What are you cookin up this weekend?

Tags: dinner, Food, recipe, side dish, summer meals, vegan, Vegetarian

What are you doing for Mother’s Day? Do you have any special plans? I am not sure yet; since I was home in NJ this past weekend for my nephew’s christening, I won’t be able to spend the day with my own mom. There’s a slight chance the boat that we are getting will be in the water by the weekend; if it is, I will be on it!

If I was making a Mother’s Day brunch, I would definitely include one of my favorite potato dishes, this cheesy and garlicky baked potato casserole. I made this dish on a chilly evening recently, and everything about it, the smells, tastes, and comforting texture, make it a winning dish.

red potato

I started with five large potatoes, skin on. I almost didn’t want to cut up this heart-shaped potato! Smile But I sliced the potatoes into thin rounds and added them to a pot of salted, boiling water. or this dish, you don’t want the potatoes to get mushy, so boil just until fork-tender, then drain and set aside.

While the potatoes boiled, I finely chopped five large cloves of garlic and added the garlic to about a cup each of shredded skim mozzarella and grated Kerrygold Dubliner cheese.

cheese and garlic

To the garlic and cheese, I added about two cups of whole milk, swapped in where cream would be. It’s all about the moderation.

mozzarella and garlic

To the milk/garlic/cheese mix, I added fresh ground black pepper and a bit of grated nutmeg. I have said it before, but I absolutely love the addition of nutmeg to creamy sauces.

Once the sauce was ready and the potatoes drained, I layered slices of potato in a casserole dish, covering each layer with a mix of cheese, milk, and garlic

 

image

Once all of my layers were in place, I popped the dish into the oven at 400 for 25 minutes. Every so often, I turned on the oven light to check out the bubbly, browning cheese.

image

Caution. . . this dish is not only REALLY hot at first, it is also completely addictive! If I was serving these cheesy potatoes with brunch, I would balance it with an egg white frittata, fruit salad, and mimosas made with various types of juice, orange, mango, pomegranate.

If you are cooking for Mother’s Day, what are you making? If you aren’t cooking, do you have other fun plans?

Tags: breakfast, brunch, cheese, Food, potatoes, recipe, side dish

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