Brussels sprouts with herbed pecans

I haven't tried this yet but I am going to!  I used this in my newsletter as a "real food" Thanksgiving idea. The idea on Thanksgiving is not to deprive yourself but to try and keep your foods and ingredients real.  

Brussels Sprouts with herbed pecans

Ingredients:

For herbed pecans:

6 T butter

4 t dried rosemary

1/8 t dried basil

2 t salt

1/2 t cayenne pepper

4 c pecan halves

For brussels sprouts:

2 lbs brussels sprouts

4 T extra virgin olive oil

pinch sea salt

6 oz bacon or pancetta-preservative free makes this a much better choice-whole foods and natural grocer    have some choices

1 T brown sugar

1 T maple syrup

Preparation

For Herbed pecans:

-In a  large saucepan, melt the butter over med. heat.  Add  rosemary, basil, salt, and cayenne-stir

-Remove from heat and then add the pecan halves.  Toss gently to coat all the pecans well without breaking  them

-Arrange nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Scrape any remaining herb mixture over nuts.  Bake in a  pre-heated 325 degree oven.  Stir gently two or three times during baking.  Bake for 10-12 min or until well  browned.  Serve warm or at room temp. (Can be made ahead.  Store in a ziplock baggie in Fridge, bring to  room temp before serving)

For Brussels sprouts:

-Cut off the brown ends and discard any leaves that may be damaged.  Cut into halves or thirds

-Place in large metal bowl and season with sea salt, black pepper and olive oil

-Place brussels sprouts on a cookie sheet and roast in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes-they will  caramelize.

-Dice bacon/pancetta into small strips or cubes

-In a shallow sautee pan, cook bacon until crispy 

-Remove bacon from the pan and discard the fat. Drizzle with maple syrup and brown sugar

-Put bacon back in the pan and stir over med. heat until candied for about 5 min

-Put brussels sprouts in a large dish and fold in bacon

-Serve immediately topped with pecans

Thai Spicy Beef Salad

This is my favorite answer for what to do with left over steak.  Saturday night we had guests over for games and grilled flank steak.  I did an asian bbq marinade for the steak and grilled it rare to med. rare.  Sunday night we had left over steak so I made this super simple and easy steak salad…..mmmmmm!!

I served this with avocado slices, not very thai but, lovely with the spicy flavors and some left over mango salsa on the side.  Did I say mmmmmm?

Thai Spicy Beef Salad

serves 2

Lettuce-I like a mix of baby greens and hearts of romaine-washed, dried and torn or cut into bite size pieces

8-10 mint leaves torn or chopped

2 T chopped cilantro

lemon grass-2 T slices from jar(Thai Kitchen) or  1 stalk minced(only the tender bottom 2/3)

1 sm. red onion finely sliced into rings

lean beef, grilled or roasted rare, sliced into thin bite size pieces-about 1-11/2' long by 1/2" wide

Dressing

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 t. red chili sauce  or finely chopped serrano chilies, seeded

1 T fish sauce

2 T fresh squeezed lime juice

2 t agave nectar, raw sugar or stevia

-mix together, set aside

Arrange salad on plates or in bowls and drizzle dressing over.

Cauliflower Puree

This Thanksgiving why not try a smooth, creamy and delicious Cauliflower puree instead of the traditional mashed potatoes?  This fabulous recipe is simple and amazingly delicious.  I have served it to some serious doubters, some particular eaters and some unwitting guests–everyone last one loved it!  It is around 89 cal per 1 cup/serving compared to traditional mashed potatoes that weigh in around 238 cal per 1 cup/serving.  For me, the answer is an easy one…we are doing it!  mmmmm

Cauliflower Purée

Total time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 1 quart half-and-half (please use organic if possible)
• 1 head cauliflower (2 pounds), cut into 1/2-1-inch-wide florets
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• Special equipment: parchment paper

Preparation

Bring half-and-half with cauliflower, covered directly with a round of parchment paper, just to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, then reduce heat and simmer until cauliflower is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.  I measure the parchment paper by drawing around the top of the pan or lid and then cutting it about 1/4″ smaller.  The parchment paper helps to keep it from boiling over and making a big mess on your stove-very wise to keep a close watch!

Transfer cauliflower with a slotted spoon to a blender and blend with 1/4 cup cooking liquid until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), then add salt and pepper.   If you have one of those hand blenders, it works great for this!  

This can be made ahead and reheated over low heat, stirring occasionally, before serving.  I save some of the left over half and half to use for reheating.

Thai barbequed pork

I made this last night and served it with whole grain rice with green onions and baby bok choy(recipe to follow).  We also had some fresh sliced avocado and steaned broccoli.  It was simple and amazing!  mmm!!

 Thai barbecued pork
Serves 4

1 stalk fresh lemon grass stem and coarse leaves trimmed, cut into chunks or 2 TBL prepared lemon grass from jar or tube*
1 T sugar
2 T soy sauce
1 T fish sauce
1 quarter size slice fresh ginger or 1 T prepared ginger from a jar
1/4 t pepper
a few cilantro sprigs
1 T Thai red curry paste*
1 garlic clove
2 T grape-seed or olive oil
1 lb. pork tenderloin cut into 1/2”-1” slices
*Thai Kitchen makes red curry paste which can be found in most grocery stores on the asian aisle.  Thai Taste makes sliced lemon grass in a jar which is much easier to deal with than fresh lemon grass and is a staple in my kitchen.

Combine all ingredients, except pork, and pulse into a paste using a food processor or blender.  Spread over pork and let sit 15 minutes. Preheat Grill on high.  Grill pork on low, turing once until browned-6-10 minutes.

PER SERVING: 210 Cal, 10gm Fat, 5.9gm Carb., 23gm Protein

Whole grain rice with green onions and baby bok choy

Serves 2

2 small heads baby bok choy-cleaned, trimmed and cut into 1” size pieces
1 bunch green onions-cleaned and cut into 1/2” pieces
1 t extra virgin olive oil
1/8 c chicken bouillon*  I like Better Than Bouillon- this comes in a jar and keeps easily in the fridge.  You can mix 1/8t with 1/8 cup of water=1/8 c bouillon
3/4-1 c whole grain rice

Prepare rice according to directions.  In a med size skillet combine oil, onions and bok choy.  Stir on high for 2 min.  Add bouillon and stir for another 2 minutes until liquid is absorbed.  Combine with cooked rice and salt to taste. 

PER SERVING: 129.5 Cal, 5.5gm Fat, 20.3gm Carb., 2.5gm Protein


Taco Salad

This is from the Flat Belly Diet Plan.  The flat belly plan is a low carb, high fiber plan, sounds like everything I am always talking about...hmmm.  This is an awesome choice for dinner or lunch.  If you go to Chipotle or Qdoba you should try to model this salad for a healthy and convenient choice.  Mmmmmm

Taco Salad

-4 oz lean ground turkey cooked with taco seasoning, you can also use grilled chicken or fish with taco seasoning

-1/4 c black beans

-2 T salsa

-1/12 c chopped romaine lettuce*

-1/4 c chopped yellow peppers

-1/4 c chopped tomatoes

-2 T guacamole or diced avocado

total-344 calories

*Romaine is rich in nutrients--and water