Creamed Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Lemon

Does anyone else love brussels sprouts as much as I do? I can eat them everyday in the fall in all the different preparations: roasted, braised, sautéed... This is one of my favorite ways to prepare brussels sprouts, and it works equally well with fish (especially wild salmon), pork, chicken, or over even on its own over brown rice or pasta. I made this as a side dish to broiled wild salmon for dinner, and used the leftovers to top spaghetti for lunch, adding extra lemon zest and grated parmesan cheese. 

Ingredients 

• 2 oz pancetta, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or diced
• 2 lbs brussels sprouts, stems removed, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• zest of 1 lemon
• lemon wedges, to serve

Steps

1. Sauté the pancetta until nicely browned and the fat is rendered, about 5-7 minutes. 
2. Pour out some of the fat (not all of it!) if desired, then add the garlic and sauté another minute.
3. Add the brussels sprouts and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the cream and lemon zest, season with salt and pepper. and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the brussels sprouts are tender. Add lemon juice to taste (I typically use 3/4 of the lemon) and adjust seasoning as desired. 

Serves 4 as a side dish

* I inadvertently put the salmon a little too close to the broiler coils, accidentally making a burn victim of my salmon and setting off the smoke alarm. Oops!

Spicy Sausage, Bean, Kale and Pasta Soup

November means soup weather, and this soup is my go-to recipe when I want a quick, warming meal after a long day of work. Most ingredients can easily be kept on hand at home, which is great when you would rather cozy up with a warm bowl of soup and a book rather than venture out to go grocery shopping. The kale can be replaced with spinach or omitted altogether, and I find that whole wheat pasta works surprisingly well with the heartiness of the soup.

Ingredients 

• 2 (15-ounce) cans garbanzo beans
• olive oil
• 4 fully-cooked chicken or turkey sausages, sliced diagonally
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 1/2 T chopped fresh rosemary
• pinch of dried thyme
• pinch of dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper, or to taste
• 1 bunch lacinato kale, center ribs removed, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 (14-ounce) cans crushed tomato
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 pound short pasta (such as penne, farfalle, or rigatoni)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus a small piece of the rind 
• chopped parsley

Steps

1.    Puree 1 can of garbanzo beans with their liquid in a blender.  Strain and rinse the remaining can of beans.

2.    Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the sausage until browned, about 5 minutes.  Add onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme, basil, salt, pepper and chili flakes.  Sauté about 8 minutes, until the onions are soft and golden brown, then add kale and sauté an additional 2 minutes.

3.    Add white wine and simmer until liquid is reduced, about 5 minutes.  Add bean puree, remaining beans, crushed tomato, broth, parmesan rind and pasta.

4.    Simmer until pasta is tender and mixture is thick, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes (add more broth if necessary).  Mix in ¼ cup cheese and adjust seasoning to taste.

5.    Ladle into soup bowls and top with remaining cheese and parsley.  Serve with toasted bread rubbed with garlic. 

Serves 4

Baked Oatmeal with Fruit and Nuts

Adapted from a recipe in Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen by Heidi Swanson

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup walnut pieces, chopped
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk (I used coconut milk)
• 1 large egg
• 1 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ripe banana, sliced
• 1 peach or nectarine, sliced
• 1 cup blueberries

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F with a rack in the top third of the oven. Generously butter the inside of an 8-inch square baking dish.
2. In a bowl, mix together the oats, half the walnuts, the sugar, the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter, and vanilla.
4. Arrange the banana and nectarine slices in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle two-thirds of the berries over the top. Cover the fruit with the oat mixture. Drizzle the milk mixture over the oats, making sure the milk moves through the oats. Scatter the remaining berries, remaining walnuts, and slivered almonds across the top.
5. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. 
6. Serve warm, drizzled with maple syrup or dusted with powdered sugar. 

Serves 4-6

Coconut Flour Waffles with Walnuts

Adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

• 1 overripe banana 
• 2 T melted butter, cooled
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 5 large eggs
• 1/8 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 T cinnamon
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Steps:

1. In a medium bowl, mash the banana, then whisk in the butter, coconut milk, eggs, honey or maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well incorporated.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the shredded coconut and walnuts and whisk to incorporate. Allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes while you plug in and preheat the waffle iron.
4. Bake in a waffle iron until golden brown. Serve with maple syrup and fruit, such as bananas, raspberries or strawberries. These waffles are also great the next day toasted and topped with peanut butter, sliced banana, and honey.

Serves 3

Thomas Keller's Roast Chicken with Roasted Potatoes

 

Ingredients:

• 1 (2½ - 3 lb) chicken
• 1 lb fingerling or marble potatoes
• olive oil
• fresh thyme
• 2 cloves garlic
• whole grain mustard

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 450˚F
2. Bring the chicken to room temperature before roasting and dry THOROUGHLY with paper towels, inside and out
3. Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper, and stuff it with the garlic and thyme sprigs
4. Truss the chicken
5. Season liberally with 1 T of salt, and black pepper
6. Roast in the oven for 50-60 minutes
7. Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before serving
8. Serve sprinkled with thyme and with mustard on the side

While the chicken is resting:

1. Increase the oven temperature to 500˚F
2. Toss the potatoes with chicken drippings from the roasting pan, olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme
3. Roast 20 - 30 minutes (depending on size of potatoes)

Puffed Apple Pancake

Ingredients:

• 2 medium or 3 small tart apples, sliced thinly
• 1 T butter
• 1 cup milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 1/2 T brown sugar
• 2/3 cup flour
• powdered sugar

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F
2. Rub the sides of a 10-inch baking pan or castiron skillet with butter, and put 1 T of butter in the bottom of the pan
3. Put the pan in the oven until the butter melts, then add the apples with a sprinkle of cinnamon and mix with the butter
4. Bake the apples for 10 minutes, until soft
5. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining ingredients (except the flour and powdered sugar) in a bowl until blended
6. Whisk in the flour, then pour the batter over the apples and bake an additional 18-20 minutes, until the pancake is puffy and golden
7. Remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle the pancake with powdered sugar, and serve

Serves 2

Salad with Steak, Blue Cheese, Walnuts, Dried Cranberries, and Raspberry Dressing

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb flank steak, seasoned and marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 5 oz salad mix
• Raspberry dressing, to taste

Steps:

1. Grill the steak until medium rare and let rest 5-10 minutes
2. Mix remaining ingredients together and toss salad with dressing to taste
3. Thinly slice the steak and place on salad
4. Sprinkle with additional blue cheese if desired

Serves 2