Brussels Sprouts salad

So, now that I'm embarking on my 30-day "paleo/primal-ish" challenge, that means lots of new recipes and lots of cooking.

I found this recipe over at Pinch My Salt and after making a couple of changes to it, it's almost 100% paleo!  I didn't have walnuts on hand so I used chopped pecans, as well as substitute coconut oil for the brown sugar and okay, I did use a packet of Truvia just to add a little bit of sweetness to it.  This was the second time I've cooked with Brussels sprouts and I just had a bite to check it, but I have to admit, it was pretty good!

Brussels Sprouts salad (adapted from Pinch My Salt)

•  2TB apple cider vinegar
• 1 packet Truvia (optional)
• 1TB coconut oil
• 1TB EVOO
• 4 slices thick cut bacon
• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed, outer leaves peeled and shredded/sliced
• 1/2C chopped pecans
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, mix vinegar, sweetener, coconut oil and olive oil together and set aside.

In a large skillet cook the bacon, and when finished, place on a paper towel to drain the excess grease and crumble into pieces.  Reserve 1-2TB of the bacon drippings and add Brussels sprouts and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium high heat or until tender.  Remove from heat and add the bacon, pecans and dressing and stir for a minute until combined.  Season with salt and pepper.

Sweet potato hash

Thanks again, to Pinch My Salt, for another great recipe! 

Sweet Potato Hash (Adapted from Pinch My Salt):

• 1TB coconut oil
• 1TB butter
• 3-4 cups of peeled, diced sweet potatoes (1/4-1/2" is good, the larger they are, the longer they will take to cook)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2t ground cumin
• 1/2t paprika
• Dash of crushed red pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
• Fresh or dried parsley (optional)

In a large skillet, heat oil and butter until melted.  Add the onions and potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes).  Stir in the cumin, paprika and red pepper and cook for another couple of minutes (I added a little bit of water here just to make sure the spices were distributed as they stuck to the potatoes).  Remove from heat, season with salt, pepper and parsley.

Turkey tacos with a twist

Serious slacking going on here these days....but, I've been cooking, just haven't been talking about it :)

I bought an eggplant recently.  Why, I don't know, because I'm not a big fan of eggplant at all.  But there is something about it, it's just so pretty!  So, determined to come up with a use for it and not waste my dollar, I started brainstorming and came up with this:

Turkey/veggie tacos

• 1lb ground turkey breast (or your animal of choice)
• 1 eggplant, skin peeled
• 2 small yellow squash
• 1 package taco seasoning (or whatever spices you want to make your own)
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Grate the eggplant and squash on a cheese grater (or you could try it in the food processor) and wrap in a paper towel and wring out the excess water.

In a large skillet, cook the ground turkey until almost finished, then add the eggplant/squash combo and stir until combined.  Add the taco seasoning and water (per package instructions) and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed.

With the veggies added in, you can easily double the recipe serving size, and get a couple of grams of fiber in too (as well as a serving of veggies!).  Top a corn tostada with some avocado, tomatoes and cheese and you're all set.

Banana Pudding Squares

Win!

Trying to find a yummy dessert and still keep it healthy can be a challenge sometimes, but this recipe did not disappoint!  It was a big hit at a recent dinner with friends and will definitely be on the menu again.  (Plus it makes a lot so is great for a big crowd).

Banana Pudding Squares, compliments of Kraft

(I'm being lazy and just providing the link if anyone wants the recipe, but the only changes I made were using reduced fat graham crackers instead of the Nilla wafers and I used low fat cream cheese and low fat whipped topping and skim milk (just can't go fat free, a little fat never hurt anyone!)

Chicken with balsamic citrus glaze

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3-4 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 heaping tablespoon honey
• Pinch of ground allspice
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Dash of fresh grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook chicken breasts in a large skillet with 1-2 tablespoons oil.  Remove when cooked thoroughly and keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

In the pan (reserve some of the fat from the chicken/oil), heat the shallots, honey and allspice over medium heat and cook, stirring until the shallots are wilted, around 1-2 minutes.  Increase the heat to high and add the chicken stock and lemon juice.  Boil, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon until reduced to about 1/2 cup.  Add the cream and boil until the sauce is slightly thickened and add the balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, salt and pepper.  Return to a boil and spoon the sauce over the chicken.

(PS-for my veg friends, I imagine this would taste pretty good on some salmon or tuna)

Miso soup

I love miso soup, really, it's one of my favorite things.  What I don't love, however, is having to pay like $3-$4 at a restaurant for a tiny cup!  So, after watching an episode of Good Eats, I set out to the Asian market to pick up the ingredients.

First, I have to give myself a pat on the back for successfully navigating the aisles and finding what I need, even with things not clearly printed in English (thank God for see through packaging!).  Total cost was about $13, and I can make boatloads of miso soup with this stuff (at least the miso paste, I have a feeling I'm going to be tossing some of it if I don't find more uses for it...)

What you want to do first is make your dashi (which is basically a stock used in Japanese cooking):

• 2 4-inch squares of kombu
• 2 1/2 quarts of water
• 1/2 ounce bonito flakes (about 2 cups)

Put the kombu in a 4 quart saucepan, cover with water and soak for 30 minutes.

Set the saucepan over medium heat until the water reaches 150-160 degrees and small bubbles form around the edges of the pot.  (Around 9-10 minutes).

Remove the kombu from the pan and increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and add the bonito flakes (warning, these flakes STINK so don't take a whiff, but the finished product?  Can't smell it at all).  Simmer gently, stirring frequently for 10 minutes.

Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer lined with muslin or cheesecloth.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Use within a week or freeze for up to a month (or let it cool a bit and use it to make the miso soup).

Miso Soup: 

• 12 ounce block tofu (I used medium firm)
• 2 quarts dashi
• 6 tablespoons dark or red miso
• 2 tablespoons light or white miso
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

Wrap the tofu in layers of paper towel and put on a plate with a plate on top weighted with a 28 ounce can of tomatoes or beans (this will absorb some of the water out of the tofu).  Leave for about 20 minutes then unwrap the paper towel and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Heat the dashi in a 4 quart saucepan over medium high heat.  When the dashi reaches 100 degrees on an instant read thermometer, ladle 1 cup into a small bowl.  Add the miso and whisk until smooth.

Bring the remaining dashi to a bare simmer, approximately 10 minutes.  Add the miso to the mixture and whisk to combine.  Return to a slight simmer, being careful not to boil the mixture.  Add the tofu and scallions and cook for another minute or two.  Remove from heat and serve immediately.

This soup was delicious, and tasted exactly like I've had in restaurants.  My biggest complaint is that it made such a large serving and it really doesn't keep too long, but I will definitely be making it again!

Crab Cakes

Lazy blogger back again!  I've been cooking (kind of), but I'm lacking in motivation I guess.

Anyway, I got a craving for crab cakes the other day and even though I have a 2 pack of Maryland style crab cakes from Trader Joes in my freezer, I decided to give it a go on my own.  For the first time, I think they came out okay!  I think next time I will use lump crab meat (I just didn't want to pay $6.99 for a small can of it) and maybe skip the egg as a binding agent, as it was VERY wet and as a result, I had to use more bread crumbs then I wanted, and maybe make them a bit thicker, these were thin, but it made 7 and I had 3 along with some roasted potatoes, and I am stuffed!

Baked feta crab cakes:

• 12 ounces crab meat (whatever you like to use, I just bought two 6-ounce cans of regular crab meat, so it was more shredded)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (I hate mayo with a passion, all I can taste is the fat coating my tongue, yuck.  But I got a coupon for a free bottle of Kraft Mayo made with olive oil, and it's not that bad, and has WAY less fat and calories than regular mayo)
• 1/2-1 cup breadcrumbs (I used italian bread crumbs to mix in and panko to coat)
• 1 egg (again, in the future, I would maybe eliminate the egg so I could cut back on the breadcrumbs)
• 1 ounce feta cheese
• Dash of black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh (or dried) parsley

Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

In a bowl combine the crab (drained), mayo, egg (if you decide to use it), feta, pepper, parsley and lemon juice.  Stir to combine and add in the breadcrumbs 1/4 cup at a time until the desired consistency is reached (I think I had to add close to 3/4 of a cup before I was able to start forming them).

In a separate bowl, pour some panko breadcrumbs and form crab mix into a patty (about 2-3 ounces) and roll to coat.

Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet with a couple of tablespoons of canola oil (or whatever you have on hand).  Gently place patties and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Transfer the crab cakes to the foil lined baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway, until crispy. 

Place on a cooling rack lined with paper towel to absorb any excess oil.  Let cool for a few minutes before serving and top with zesty remoulade sauce.

Remoulade Sauce:

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Refrigerate for an hour or until chilled.

Serves 2-3