Roasted Broccoli & Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad

I went up to San Francisco over New Year’s to visit a few of my best friends. It was grand. One of the days, Nancy and I wandered down to the Ferry Building, which is one of my favorite places in SF. We grabbed a delicious lunch at Il Cane Rosso. We both had an amazing butternut squash soup. I also had an amazing caesar salad. Everything about the salad was perfect and to top it off there was roasted broccoli! I love caesar salad and I love roasted broccoli, so it was basically a match made in heaven. I was a little disappointed I hadn’t thought of the combination myself! This is my attempt to recreate that delicious dish. As I was grabbing the broccoli out of the fridge, I happened to spot some b. sprouts in there as well. It seemed rude not to use them, so I added them in as well. The flavors of the roasted vegetables go surprisingly well with the tangy dressing. I think the combination really brings out the best of both flavors.

Roasted Broccoli & Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad

For the Roasted Vegetables

• 2 medium heads broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• olive oil
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, garlic powder, to taste

For the Salad

• 1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 5 green onions, sliced
• Roasted vegetables
• Your favorite Caesar dressing (I recommend this one.)
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Parmesan Cheese, grated

For the Roasted Vegetables:

1. Heat oven to 400. In a medium bowl or large plastic bag, toss broccoli and brussels sprouts with the olive oil and Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, garlic powder, to taste.
2. Put vegetables on rimmed baking dish and roast for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, stir vegetables and return to over for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
3. Remove from baking sheet and place on a towel lined plate to drain the excess oil (you don’t want it in the salad).

For the Salad:

1. In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, green onions, and dressing. Divide between four bowls. Top with roasted vegetables. Sprinkle each bowl with parmesan cheese and serve.

Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Capers

Brussels sprouts and capers! I can’t think of anything finer. I love both brussels sprouts and capers. This dish is the stuff my dreams are made of. Roasting the sprouts is essential. Roasting gives them a nuttiness and subtle caramelized flavor that is amazing when combined with the salty, crispy capers. The red pepper flakes are a nice background note. You can adjust your red pepper usage to your own taste. I like spice, so I went a little heavy with it. With so many other wonderful flavors it remained a nice accompaniment to the dish, not overpowering and hot.

Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Capers
Adapted from this recipe.

• 2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 1/2 cup drained brined capers
• 4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2-6 garlic cloves, minced (more is better)
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon red chile flakes (adjust to your own heat preference)
• 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat oven to 425F/220C. Toss brussels sprouts with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Place sprouts on rimmed baking sheet. Roast 15-20 minutes until crispy and golden.
2. While the sprouts are roasting, blot capers on a paper towel. Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add capers and cook, stirring carefully (mixture will splatter), until capers start to open and are brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chile flakes to pan and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, transfer capers and garlic to a paper towel to drain.
3. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with capers and a squeeze of lemon.

Crispy Brussel Sprouts with Garlic Aioli

I often say that there are certain things that I could eat for every meal and I would never get sick of them. Brussels sprouts are one of those things. I love them. I am actually pretty close to finding a way to incorporate them into every meal as well. Dessert is the only holdout.

Another great thing about these b. sprouts is how easy they are. With all the parties and events that occur this time of year, it is a good idea to have some easy,  fail proof appetizers in mind if you have any last-minute guests or parties. There are probably a million different ways you could adapt this recipe as well. I was super tempted to add in some Sriracha with the aioli, but I decided to keep it simple.

Crispy Brussel Sprouts with Garlic Aioli
From Circle of Moms.

For the Brussels Sprouts:

• 20 small Brussel Sprouts, quartered
• Canola Oil
• Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

For the Garlic Aioli:

• 3 Tablespoons high quality or homemade mayonnaise
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1. Pre-heat oven to 4oo F.
2. Place brussel sprouts in a plastic bag or bowl and drizzle a small amount of canola oil over top. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste on top and then toss the brussel sprouts to ensure they are evenly coated. Pour on to rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a golden brown on at least one side.
3. While the brussel sprouts are cooking, whisk together the mayonnaise, garlic, and lemon juice.
4. You can either serve the aioli in a ramekin or drizzle over the top of the brussel sprouts.

Brussels Sprouts & Gorgonzola Salad with Cranberries

So my Brussels sprout obsession is back in full swing again. They are everywhere and it is glorious. I have been doing a lot of roasting with Brussels sprouts and that’s all well and good, but sometimes I don’t have the patience to roast things. I have my favorite B. sprout salad that I make quite frequently, but I was in the mood to switch things up. This salad seemed like the perfect alternative.

I thought that the blue cheese and cranberries were the perfect combination of tangy and tart. They really worked well together. The only thing I wish I had added to this salad were some toasted walnuts. This is probably just because I’m so used to my favorite Brussels sprouts salad having toasted walnuts in it, but I really think the earthy, toasted flavor would have complemented and really balance out the rest of the salad.

Brussels Sprouts & Gorgonzola Salad with Cranberries
Slightly adapted from Coconut & Lime.

For the Salad

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed, cleaned and shredded (should yield about 5 shredded cups)
• 4 ounces finely crumbled Gorgonzola
• 1 small red onion, halved and finely diced
• 1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries

For the Dressing

• 1 1/2 Tablespoons grainy dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise or greek yogurt (I used a combination)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Set aside. In a large bowl, toss together the Brussels sprouts, Gorgonzola, onion and cranberries. Drizzle with dressing. Toss to evenly distribute. Serve immediately or refrigerate 1 hour.

Gluten Free Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Pizza

I wanted to make this pizza the second I saw it. I finally got around to it this past week. My brussels sprout obsession has been well documented. Put brussels sprouts and pizza together and I was easily sold. If you are a brussels sprout skeptic, I swear this recipe could make you a convert! If you have already seen the light and love b. sprouts as much as I do, I know this will quickly become a new favorite. I’m currently debating with myself if making it again already is too soon? I don’t think it is.

I will definitely make this again. I thought that the garlic and onion in the dough made the crust extra tasty and really added to the overall flavor of the pizza. You could easily just mix garlic and onion powder into any pizza dough recipe. I also liked how the brussels sprouts and onions got coated with a bit of a caramelized balsamic glaze. Definitely make sure you toss them in balsamic and olive oil! It makes all the difference. I would also probably leave the bacon off. Bacon just does nothing for me. I don’t understand the obsession at all. Plus, the addition of blue cheese definitely gave the pizza a flavorful, slightly salty bite that could easily replace the need for bacon on it at all.

Gluten Free Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Pizza (adapted from Shutterbean)

• homemade or store-bought pizza dough (I used Chebe’s Garlic-Onion Breadstick Mix)
• 3 pieces bacon, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1 cup of shredded Brussels sprouts
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced.
• 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided, plus more for baking sheet
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, divided
• red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with a cooling rack placed inside, cook bacon in oven for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven, set aside on a paper towel to drain.
3. Oil a 13×18 inch rimmed baking sheet liberally with good extra virgin olive oil. Place  the dough on the pan and stretch and press it out to the edges. If it springs back wait a few minutes and then proceed. The dough is very thin. If it tears, piece it back together.
4. In a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar. Mix together with salt and pepper and brush on pizza dough. In the same bowl add the remaining tablespoons of olive oil and balsamic and toss brussels sprouts and onions in it to coat.
5. Evenly top the pizza dough with mozzarella, bacon, garlic, red onion, and Brussels sprouts. Add a heavy pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired. Put the pizza in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes. To serve, top with crumbled blue cheese and serve!

Best Brussels Sprout Salad Ever

I love brussels sprouts. LOVE them. I have said it before and I will say it again. I am not even remotely embarrassed by my love of b. sprouts. This recipe is so simple and so fast and has such amazing ingredients, it’s hard to go wrong

I happen to really like vinegar and mustard, so this salad was right up my alley. I upped the amount of both the vinegar and mustard, so if you aren’t into that, you might want to tone it down a notch, but I think it came out perfectly. You could also add in other shredded or chopped veggies to this salad. I think granny smith apples would be awesome in this salad. Feel free to substitute the walnuts for almonds or pecans if that’s what you have on hand.

This makes a lot of salad! So unless you have a crowd or are eating multiple servings, you will have leftovers. I would suggest scaling the recipe down a bit. I ate some of the leftover salad the next day and while not quite as good as it was freshly made, it was still very tasty. I squeezed some fresh lemon juice on it to revitalize it a bit and luckily the walnuts hadn’t gone soggy! I was pretty happy about that.

Best Brussels Sprout Salad Ever (adapted from Shutterbean)

• 1 pound Brussels Sprouts, shredded (I used a food processor)
• 3 ounces, Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 4 ounces toasted walnuts, in pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons apple cinder vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• dried minced garlic (optional)
• salt & pepper

Shred the brussels sprouts in a food processor, mandolin or chop with a knife!  Toss the sprouts in a bowl, top with toasted walnuts & grated cheese.  In a small bowl, add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar and mustard with a sprinkle of salt & pepper. And mix, mix, mix. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir thoroughly!  Best served immediately, but the salad will keep for 1 day.

Hashed Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnuts and Fried Capers

I love brussels sprouts. Love them. They are a very misunderstood vegetable. Most people have some sort of traumatic childhood experience of being forced to eat brussels sprouts in order to not offend some distant great aunt or something. When brussels sprouts are prepared well, they are simply delicious. This recipe is so simple and so fast and has such amazing ingredients, it’s hard to go wrong. I mean, capers, hazelnuts, and brussels sprouts together, what’s not to love?

If you have a food processor, definitely use it to shred the sprouts, there is no need to fool around with a knife or a mandoline if you don’t have to. If you don’t have a food processor, slice carefully, no one wants to lose a finger on Thanksgiving.

Hashed Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnuts and Fried Capers (From The Kitchn)
Serves 4

• 1 pound small Brussels sprouts, washed and trimmed
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup capers, well-drained
• 1 lemon, squeezed for juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black peppe

1. Remove any loose or yellow leaves from the Brussels sprouts, and slice each sprout in half from top to bottom. Then chop them roughly into shreds, or hash them in a food processor.
2. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the chopped hazelnuts. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan frequently. When the nuts are turning golden brown and smelling toasty, remove them from the pan and toss with the hashed Brussels sprouts.
3. Add the olive oil to the pan and set it over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the capers. (Stand back and be careful; the oil will spit and splutter up!) Fry the capers for about 60 seconds, or until they start opening like little flowerbuds.
4. Add the Brussels sprouts and hazelnuts back in to the pan. Stir thoroughly to coat the sprouts with the oil and to mix in the capers. Pour in the lemon juice and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until the sprouts are tender but still snappy. Remove from the heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

So, we already talked about Thanksgiving appetizers. It’s now time to talk about one of my favorite parts of the meal, the side dishes.

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite days for many reasons, even during the 9 or 10 years of vegetarianism I threw in there. It may seem strage that a vegetarian love a day focused around turkey, but honestly, the side dishes are the best part.

Here are some sides we might be trying this year:

• Creamed Onion Gratin
• Balsamic Roasted Asparagus
• Hashed Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnuts & Fried Capers

Some other side dishes that might be great:

• Green Beans with Blue Cheese & Hazelnuts
• Green Beans with Onions
• Jamie Oliver’s Best Ever Green Beans
• Parmesan-Rosted Broccoli
• Crispy Potatoes
• Boursin Mashed Potatoes
• Garlicky Carrots
• Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage-Brown Butter Sauce