Healthy Roasted Veggie and Egg Breakfast, by Diane

 

While at the beach visiting a friend, I made breakfast using a few leftovers from the fridge. This turned out to be a serious hit, and I've been having it for lunches all week- Yum!

Ingredients (makes 3 servings):

2 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 rounds

1 yellow and 1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 small container portobello mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bellas and removed the stem)

10 or so brussels sprouts, halved and stem removed

6 eggs, cooked over medium

1 cup fresh tomato sauce, or eggplant pepper spread from TJ's

12 fresh baby mozzarella balls

Directions:

1. Roast the veggies with salt and EVOO until browned. Set aside in a bowl with the mozzarella balls, letting them melt into the veggies.

2. Cook eggs until yolks are just set, sprinkling with salt and pepper.

3. Combine eggs, veggies and cheese with sauce and enjoy.

The Best Fall Salad, by Diane

This is my latest lunch obsession, so quick and easy to meal prep and packed with autumn flavors! I've decided the formula for this to work best is two roasted veggies, one protein, something crunchy (usually nuts or seeds), something sweet (usually apples, dates or dried cranberries), a leafy green, and my dressing creation which seems to remain the same because it goes with everything!! This version is the best so far, so I'm posting it to remember in the future! 

This can make about 3 salads for the week if you use one whole squash, 2 apples, 1 bag of pre-grilled chicken, and about 1 lb of sprouts (dressing amounts remain the same). If meal prepping- combine the veggies and the chicken and cheese, then on the day of eating chop the apples so they stay fresh and add the arugula (so it won't wilt) and pecans (so they stay crunchy!). 

PS- delicata squash is my most favorite veggie of fall, you can eat them with the skin on and when roasted and browned they get almost caramelized. My favorite way to eat them is here, roasted in coconut oil until both sides are fully browned, then tossed with sea salt and rosemary powder (not dried rosemary)- it tastes like thanksgiving and I can eat a whole squash in one sitting!

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced grilled chicken (I use pre-grilled strips for ease)

Coconut oil

Roasted delicata squash

Powdered rosemary

Salt

Brussels sprouts, halved and trimmed

Gala apple, chopped

Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Chopped pecans

2 cups arugula or a large handful

Dressing: 2 roasted shallots, 4 tbsp EVOO, 1 tbsp maple syrup, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tbsp or more ume plum vinegar, 1 tsp dried thyme, water as needed

Drizzle blackberry balsamic vinaigrette on top

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 and place coconut oil (about 2 tbsp each) on two trays while the oven warms.

2. When the oil is melted, toss the sprouts and shallots with salt and oil on one tray, and the squash with salt and rosemary powder and oil on the other. Coat well and roast until charred, flipping halfway.

3. For the dressing, combine all the ingredients and whiz until creamy. This will stay creamy in the fridge for days. Add the water or more oil if the consistency needs to change, and feel free to adjust the vinegar too.

3. When the roasted veggies are room temp, toss with chicken, apples, cheese, pecans, arugula and dressing. Mix well then drizzle balsamic on top and enjoy!

Crispy Smashed Brussels Sprouts with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, by Diane

 

I saw this recipe by Plant You on ig, and thought I'd give them a try since we all know I love my air fryer. These were super easy, but my biggest complaint was the cooking instructions. You are supposed to cook them at 450 for 15 minutes and then flip and cook for another 10. My air fryer only goes to 400 and I did 10 minutes before I noticed one side was burning so I flipped them, and 5 minutes later they were almost all char. So I would definitely make them again but with a new cooking time, which I'll write below. I served them with her roasted red pepper sauce, which was also a good pairing- I added nutritional yeast to this and that made it way better!

Ingredients:

2 lbs brussels sprouts, ends cut off

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Steam the brussels sprouts for 8 min.

2. Flatten the sprouts with the bottom of a cup to smash, and lay in an even layer in a greased air fryer. 

3. Drizzle each side with oil, and sprinkle tops with seasonings. Cook at 400 for 5 minutes.

4. Flip the sprouts, season the other side, and cook at 400 for another 5-10 minutes until crispy. 

For the sauce: Blend 3/4 cup soaked cashews (soak for 30 min), 1 clove garlic, 1/2 roasted red pepper, 1/4 cup almond milk, 2 tsp salt, and 2 tsp nutritional yeast until smooth.

Harvest Casserole, by Cheryl

Another great recipe Whole30 recipe from Paleo Running Momma! This is a delicious side dish that tastes like Thanksgiving with each bite! And you get your healthy dose of veggies as well! I made this for my mom who is doing a Whole 30 round and she loved it too. Yum!

Ingredients:

3 cups butternut squash cut into 1in. pieces

1 lb brussel sprouts cut in half or quarters

Olive oil

sea salt and pepper

1 small yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 links chicken apple sausage, cut into coin shapes

2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced

2 tsp fresh sage, minced

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

2 tsp fresh parsley, minced

2 cups cauliflower rice

1 apple, finely diced

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup dried cranberries (I cut up dates)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

fresh herbs for garnish, if desired

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425. Place squash on one baking sheet and brussel sprouts on another. Drizzle with olive oil to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in oven for 25 minutes, stirring the brussel sprouts halfway through. 

2) Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Cook until onions are translucent, then add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken sausage and fresh herbs and cook until sausage has slightly browned. 

3) Add in the cauliflower rice, pecans, apples, and cinnamon, and stir and cook until apples have softened. 

4) Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and combine the two mixtures together. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Serve with fresh herbs as a garnish if desired. 

Balsamic Bacon Brussels Sprouts, by Diane

I have been saving this recipe for a while from @littlebitsof_realfood IG account. It was decent, although I like the other brussels sprouts recipes I have created on here before. Once you shred the sprouts and cook the bacon, this recipe comes together in under 5 min!

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh brussels sprouts, shredded or thinly sliced
4 slices bacon
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. compliant Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon and remove, keeping the grease in the pan (I kept some but also added healthier coconut oil).

2. Add the sprouts and cook about 5 min until just tender.

3. While the sprouts cook, whisk remaining ingredients together. Pour the mixture along with crumbled bacon into the pan and mix well.

Crispy Smashed Brussels Sprouts, by Diane

This recipe came from @platingsandpairings and it looked like a fresh new way to create a veggie side dish for my week. I really liked these, and they had a sauce to go with them (see original recipe here) that I ran out of time in making but I think it would have made them even better! Mine didn't get as crispy as hers, but it's because I have a really sensitive smoke alarm and I was scared they would burn- next time I'd go for it!!

Ingredients:

2 lb fresh brussels sprouts
EVOO
Flaky sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. While the oven preheats, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and parboil the sprouts for 10-15 min until *just* fork tender.

3. Drain the sprouts and place them in an ice bath to stop the cooking.

4. Smash each sprout in between a dish towel to flatten and absorb all the moisture- this will help them crisp up in the oven.

5. Place the sprouts on a parchment paper lined baking sheet evenly spaced apart, and drizzle with EVOO. Sprinkle flaky salt on top.

5. Bake for 30 min, flipping sides halfway through. I drizzled more EVOO and sprinkled more salt when I flipped them over. They should be crispy and browned on the edges when done, so watch closely so they don't burn!

Roasted Vegetable and White Bean Salad, by Cheryl

As I was plating it... I wanted to show you the pretty veggies!

The finished version. Should have put more herbs on it!

Jon and I recently watched Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat on Netflix. Have you seen it? The chef, Samin Nosrat, travels the world to explore the four basic keys to wonderful cooking and says if you can master these four things then you can master cooking! It was really interesting and I learned a lot from it. I'm really interested in getting her cookbook now since the recipes that she showcased on the series looked really good. One of them being this roasted vegetable and bean salad. The vinaigrette definitely makes the vegetables pop and the beans went wonderfully with it. The only thing I didn't include was the feta cheese since I felt like I didn't really need it. I heated some up the next day with a couple of poached eggs and it was delish! A great way to get some delicious fresh veggies in. Yum!

Ingredients (modified from here):

1 bunch carrots
1 small head cauliflower
1 pound brussel sprouts, halved
2 cups cooked white beans
4 oz French feta cheese
Cilantro leaves, dill, mint leaves
red wine vinaigrette
     - 1/8 cup diced shallot
     - 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
     - 1/4 cup olive oil
     - salt, pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425.

2) Toss Brussel sprouts with salt and olive oil. Place on baking sheet with flat sides down. Do the same with the other vegetables keeping enough space between the veggies so they have enough air to cook. Cook for about 25-30 minutes, checking after about 12 minutes.

3) Reserving the cooking liquid, drain beans and place in large bowl. Dress with 3 tablespoons vinaigrette and season with salt and spices.

4) Layer the salad: cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, carrots on the bottom. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with zatar spices, the spoon beans over vegetables. Sprinkle with large spoonfuls of feta.

5) In another bowl dress the herbs with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette. Place atop the salad and serve immediately.

For the vinaigrette:

1) Let the shallots sit in a bowl or jar for 15 minutes with the red wine vinegar. Then add olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir or shake to combine then taste and adjust as needed.

Sweet and Smoky Brussels Sprouts Slaw, by Diane

I made this as a side dish to go with my sausage patties for lunches this week. I have been getting so much inspiration from Instagram for healthy Whole30 recipes lately! I added the first step to get more flavor, but you can always cook the shallots separately. I also added sunflower seeds and currants for extra crunch and sweetness. This came out really good, the different flavors worked well and it was quite addictive and crunchy! The only complaint is with the title, there is nothing smoky in the salad so I'm not sure why it was called that but it's a very good side dish to have on hand.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 brussels sprouts, shredded
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
5-6 strips bacon, chopped (I subbed in prosciutto here)
1/3 chopped dates
1/3 cup toasted almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 tbsp currants
1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
1 small orange, juiced
1 date
1 garlic clove
2/3 avocado oil or evoo
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon and shallot together, placed on a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

2. Combine brussels sprouts through currants in a large bowl.

3. Blend the remaining ingredients until combined well, pour over the brussels sprouts mixture.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Turkey Bacon, by Diane

This pan of brussels sprouts came out like an episode on the food network! Everyone ate them up not only because they tasted amazing but they looked so delicious! We had these as a side at our Passover seder, and this couldn't have been easier to throw together alongside all the other cooking and prep. We even had two brussels sprouts haters ask for seconds! We will definitely be making these again! I just threw this together because I knew that brussels sprouts taste better when they a) have some carmelization to them and b) have some savory flavor added in.

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs fresh brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise and end removed
6 slices turkey bacon (or regular bacon, we just didn't feel we could serve that on Passover!), diced
EVOO
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Spread EVOO on a baking tray, then line brussels sprouts rounded side up. Brush the tops with EVOO, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the bacon over top.

3. Roast for about 30 minutes or until they brown nicely.

Fall Roasted Brussels Sprouts, by Diane

This was the final side dish that I made for our fall-themed bookclub. I basically combined all the fall flavors I thought would go together and roasted them in the oven. This was so delicious and will definitely be on my regular rotation. You can add or sub any fall ingredient here, like butternut squash, as well. This would be an excellent Thanksgiving side dish too!


Ingredients:

1 lb fresh brussels sprouts, halved
1 cup dried cranberries (fresh would work too)
1 small apple, diced
1/4 cup pecans
2 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
2 tbsp maple syrup
Salt and pepper 
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except the cheese and spread evenly on a baking tray.
3. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until the sprouts are fork tender.
4. Serve warm, sprinkled with blue cheese.

Sausage and Winter Vegetable Supper, by Diane

First post of 2015!!! Here's to another year of fun, new recipes amongst friends :)

This dish was inspired by a Racheal Ray recipe, but I added in more winter root veggies and greens (of course). The original recipe called for cooking the sausage in EVOO, which I am usually opposed to because there is already grease in the sausage that cooks out and coats the pan. I tried it her way and wish I had stuck to just the sausage because it was really oily. The other complaint I have on this recipe is that it calls for 1/2 cup chicken broth at the end, and then cooking it covered. By the time the dish was finished cooking, it had about 2 cups of liquid in the bottom from the broth, as well as from the steam and water from the veggies that cooked out from it being covered. It resembled more of a soup, and I couldn't dump the liquid out because it had all the flavor (I made a pan sauce instead which is why it's so shiny in the photo!). I changed this for the recipe below to just a splash of broth and cooking the last few minutes with the lid off.

Overall, I really liked this dish and it was really hearty and filling yet healthy at the same time. I loved the combo of spices that I never would have thought to use! By making it with the following changes, I think it would be a total hit!

Ingredients:

2 pounds good-quality fresh Italian sweet sausage, casings removed
A fat handful sage--2 tbsp. finely chopped, 2 tbsp. coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or ground allspice
Coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds butternut, cheese or red kuri squash--peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 large turnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 cups brussels sprouts
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small fresh Fresno or red jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped, or 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Salt

1/2 large bunch swiss chard, chopped coarsely
3 tbsp chicken stock

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix the sausage, finely chopped sage, fennel seed, cloves and lots of coarsely ground black pepper.
2. Heat a large skillet with a lid over medium-high. Add the sausage mixture and cook, breaking into large pieces with the back of a spoon, until browned, about 6 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients through stock. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, 18 to 20 minutes. For the last 5 minutes of cooking remove the lid until the liquid has evaporated.