Brussels Sprouts with Maple Syrup Glaze

I love brussels sprouts. I crave them. I know, some people think that I am weird in that way. Judge after you make this recipe, and you will join me and start craving brussels sprouts too.

This is a great side dish for any meal, Thanksgiving, holiday, or weekday. ( I am making this as a side dish for our Thanksgiving meal.) If I am running to the grocery store, and the sprouts look good, I will pick them up and make these for my lunch. Don't cut out the garlic, it seems like it wouldn't go with this recipe, but it isn't as good without it. I just had them (again!) yesterday, and just typing and talking about them makes me want to have them today...

Update: There was a query about how to make a bunch of this for a holiday party without having to make several batches in a skillet. I experimented today, and the alternate cooking method is below.

Pan-Browned Brussels Sprouts with Maple Syrup and Walnuts

15 brussels spouts, washed and sliced in half
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons butter (to make dairy free, omit and use more olive oil)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon butter (omit for dairy free)
walnuts, optional to taste (I use a small handful)
salt, optional, to taste

Warm olive and and 2 tablespoons butter in skillet over low heat. Add sliced garlic cloves. Stir the garlic and remove as they are turning light brown and reserve. Lay brussels sprouts in pan, cut sides down and cover. Cook approximately 15 minutes or until tender.

Mix maple syrup and tablespoon of butter, melt on stove or in microwave. Add walnuts. Add syrup mixture and garlic to brussels sprouts in the pan and toss to create a glaze, OR remove brussels sprouts, add the cooked garlic and maple syrup mixture and toss in bowl.

Alternate cooking method for larger batches, and making ahead:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. As oven is warming up, put butter, olive oil and garlic slices (make sure to up the amount of each depending on how many brussels sprouts you are using), on a cookie sheet to melt the butter and to lightly cook the garlic. Remove the cookie sheet when the garlic just starts to turn golden brown. Put the brussels sprouts cut side down on pan on middle shelf. Cook approximately 10 minutes, checking to make sure the tops don't burn. Add the cooked garlic back in and stir. If making the night before, after you lightly rewarm, mix maple syrup and the additional butter, melted, pour over the sprouts. Add the walnuts right before serving.

Cheers!
Danielle

Artichoke Dip

If you have been a regular here, you have been noticing some changes on my blog. I have been trying to catch up on some long overdue housekeeping. Anyway, in the spirit of the gluten free blog community we have going here, I signed up to start a web ring of gluten free recipe blogs. There are gluten free web rings out there, but they mostly seem to be products that people are selling. So, if you have a gluten free blog, and you think this is a good idea, then scroll down in the sidebar, and hit the join button underneath.


Last night was one of those nights that I did not want to cook, at all. I was SO wishing I could order Chinese food and have it delivered. No such luck. So I fed my children some chicken tenders and veggies, and I ate this for supper. Not the most nutritionally balanced, but probably better than the Chinese food I would have gotten! And, with a glass of wine, I really enjoyed myself!

Artichoke Dip

3/4 cup whipped cream cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons hot salsa or hot sauce (I use Mrs. Renfro's Green Salsa)
1 can artichoke hearts, drained, coarsely chopped
1 cup shredded cheese
3 green onions, cut thinly
2 teaspoons granulated garlic, or 1 minced fresh clove

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in oven safe bowl. Bake approximately 35 minutes or until dip is bubbling. Cool and eat. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

Cheers!!

Goat cheese and Spinach Quiche with Roasted Red Pepper

I got this recipe from my friend and neighbor, Mrs. Younghome. She got it from some low carb site and the original recipe call for spinach and feta cheese. I changed it only by changing up the cheese and adding roasted red pepper. Fool around with it, it is so easy. I am now making this about 3 times a week to have with soup for lunch, or a quick breakfast. My friend uses a carton of eggbeaters instead, and that will work too!

Goat Cheese and Spinach with Roasted Red Pepper

spinach, frozen chopped
6 eggs or a carton of egg beaters ( equivalent to 8)
Goat cheese, crumbled 1 package, or to taste
roasted pepper, chopped
granulated garlic (optional)

Spray 8 inch square pan or pie plate with Pam, or coat with oil. Thaw spinach put on the bottom pan. Sprinkle chopped red pepper, garlic, if using (can use fresh if preferred), and half the cheese over the spinach and mix in. Beat eggs and pour over the defrosted spinach, and sprinkle rest of cheese on top. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cheers!!!

Greek Village Salad

This is one of my all time favorite salads, since it a bulky one and does not have lettuce. This is the 'dream' team of veggies I like in it, but I am just as happy with only red pepper and onion, cucumber, and always the feta cheese.

Greek Village Salad

red pepper, chopped
red onion, chopped
cucumber, chopped
tomato, chopped
shredded carrot
feta cheese, crumbled
Greek dressing of choice

Put all veggies in bowl. Crumble feta cheese, add dressing, and mix.

(If you have leftovers, you can put them in a quiche the next day!)

Cheers!

Roasted Cauliflower with Indian BBQ Sauce

I made this for lunch yesterday. You should make it too. It was delicious. It would also be a great side dish. It's not my recipe, so click below to get there!

Roasted Cauliflower with Indian BBQ Sauce

Cheers!!

Guacamole in Red Pepper = LUNCH

This is a great easy lunch, and a good one to pack as well. Very easy. I modified the guacamole to fit in with my cleanse, but go ahead and add more spices and veggies (like tomato, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, etc.) in there. I eat this everyday on the cleanse, and on a day I need more calories. One avocado has about 279 calories, and tons of good fats.

Guacamole in Red Pepper

1 ripe avocado
1 red pepper, cut in half
4 cloves garlic
juice of 1 lime or lemon, or to taste
fresh cilantro or parsley chopped

Cut avocado in half the long way. Take the seed out and scoop out insides. Add minced or pressed garlic and the citrus juice. Mash with fork. Add chopped cilantro. Mix. Put inside pepper and eat.

Cheers!

Award Winning Broccoli Salad

I got this recipe from a friend, Carrie, about 6 years ago. It is an absolute favorite. It came from her Mom, and it was a big deal that I got it. There was a feud between my friend's Mom and another woman at her church over whose was better. This was a closely guarded secret..until now.

Broccoli Salad

1 broccoli head, cut in bite size or so pieces
10-12 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 onion chopped
1 cup raisins

Dressing
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar

Make dressing. Mix rest of ingredients. Add dressing right before serving. I have brought this to cookouts and everyone loves it. This is best the first day; although I have happily eaten leftovers the next day.

Cheers!

Greek Veggie Bake

The family and I are taking off for just over a week. We are going to Ireland, and we are really excited. I will tell all when I get back; I heard it's great for gluten intolerant people. In the meantime, I thought I would leave you with this recipe. It can be a side dish, but sometimes I eat it for supper.

Greek Veggie Bake

1 eggplant chopped in cubes
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 peppers, coarsely chopped (I used orange and yellow here)
carrots. chopped or shredded
Any other veggies you have on hand
Feta cheese
Greek dressing (the oil based kind, not the creamy, and make sure GF)

Chop veggies, add dressing, toss. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put veggies on shallow pan, roast about 35 minutes, or until veggies are cooked to your taste. Sprinkle feta cheese and..Enjoy!

(This also tastes great cooked in the grill with one of those wok things with holes in it...great for not heating your house up in the summer.)

Yummy Bacon Apple Goat Cheese Pecan Salad

Can you guess what is in this salad? :grin:

Anyway, this is a delicious salad, in the "so good I could eat it all on my own variety.". Seems to take forever to make when you have children underfoot, but not bad when they aren't. I bribed mine with some bacon, works every time!

Save for special occasion or when you have to bring a salad to a friend's house for dinner. Which is what I did. (Hey there La-dy! Thanks for having us over it was a great time!)

I am so sorry I do not have a photo. It was for a friend's house, and I put it together there, so next time I make it I will take a photo and bring it back up and you can see it.

Apple Bacon Pecan Goat Cheese Salad

1 package apple smoked bacon
goat cheese
pecans or almonds, toasted
lettuce, spring mix
chopped apple

3 tablespoons bacon fat
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/8 cup cider vinegar
1 shallots chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon, reserve fat. heat bacon fat in skillet over low heat, add shallots and cook until translucent. Turn off heat. Whisk in mustard, then vinegar, then sugar, then olive oil to taste. Add salt and pepper. Taste...add whatever you think to balance the flavors.

Put lettuce in bowl toss with dressing, top with bacon pieces, cheese, nuts, and apple. Serve and enjoy. :)

Salad w/warm bacon dressing

I got this from Gluten Free Girl's most excellent blog. I couldn't find frisee, so I used a mixed salad green, I think spinach would be great as well. I did hard boiled eggs instead of the poached. I prefer coddled eggs, I think I may do that next time.

Spring salad with warm bacon vinaigrette

Enough greens for two dinner size salads
Two slices of high-quality, smoked bacon
One tablespoon olive oil
One shallot, peeled and finely chopped
Four teaspoons red wine vinegar
One-half teaspoon mustard (brown or dijon)
salt and pepper (if desired)

Hard boil your eggs. Look here for my method.

Clean lettuce, and let dry.

Saute bacon in the tablespoon of olive oil until the bacon is crispy. Take the bacon out of the bacon fat and set them aside. Save the reserved bacon fat for later use.

In the same skillet, with a skim of bacon fat at the bottom, add the finely chopped shallot. Sauté the shallot pieces until they have absorbed the bacon fat and have turned translucent.

Add the four teaspoons of red wine vinegar into the pan with the shallots. Whisk the mixture to loosen the stuff at the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the mustard. Take the mixture off the heat, to ensure the mixture does not begin to reduce.

Pour four tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat into the skillet. After a few moments, whisk the mixture of shallots-vinegar-and-mustard into the heated bacon fat. Whisk vigorously until it is combined. Season with salt and pepper if desired, taste before and after you do.

Peel your eggs.

Arrange the lettuce on two plates. Add vinegrette and heat if it has been put aside awhile. Place a cut egg on top of both piles of lettuce. Add some bacon if you reserved any. Toast up some gf bread and rolls and dinner is served!