Tuesday, March 20, 2012

A Really Good Brussels Sprouts Recipe

Only recently have I decided that I actually like Brussels sprouts.  I had them at my grandma's once as a kid and I believe they were boiled to death.  I finally tried them again this year and they are my new favorite vegetable.  I have broiled them with a little olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper in the oven and they turned out great.  This is another great recipe. Super yummy I might add.  Thanks to my MIL who sends me my Bon Appetit magazine. 

Here's their recipe:

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Raisins

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 thick slices bacon
  • 4 cups brussels sprouts (about 1 pound), trimmed, halved
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Preparation

  • Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, turning occasionally, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Let cool. Coarsely crumble. (Make sure crumbled bacon is unreachable by children, or it will disappear before you need it again.)
  • While bacon cools, add brussels sprouts to drippings in skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until well browned in spots and beginning to soften, 5–7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add raisins, shallot, and butter; cook, stirring often, until shallot is soft, about 3 minutes. Add broth to skillet; increase heat and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until broth has evaporated, 1–2 minutes. Stir in vinegar and crumbled bacon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Taco Cornbread Bake

This was super easy to make and delicious.  Another yummy ground beef recipe!  I made this for the first time tonight and it was so good.



Ingredients:

1 lb ground round
1 packet taco seasoning
1/3 cup water
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 box Jiffy corn bread mix, plus ingredients to make cornbread
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
salsa

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the water and taco seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese, Rotel tomatoes and black beans. Spoon into a greased 8x8 baking dish.

Prepare corn bread mix according to package directions for corn bread. Spread over beef mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 3-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.  Serve with sour cream and salsa.

** I didn't have a can of rotel tomatoes and green chiles.  I used a can of diced tomatoes and another can of green chiles.  I did not use sour cream or salsa on top and it was super bueno! Kid friendly recipe.  My kids liked it at least.  Ages 17, 5.5, 3.5 and 9 months.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Almost Stuffed Bell Peppers

I tried this tonight when I was looking for another way to use ground beef.  It turned out great!  Even my 9 month old loved it.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 large green pepper cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups rice 
  • 1 beef bouillon cube
  • 2-3 cloves minced garlic

Directions

  1. In a large skillet, brown beef; drain. Set beef aside and keep warm.
  2. In the same skillet saute green pepper, onion, garlic.
  3. Combine water, tomatoes, and seasonings; bring to a boil. Add rice and bouillon cube. Reduce heat.
  4. Stir in rice; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is done and vegetables are tender. Stir in beef; return to the stove and heat through.





Asparagus Risotto

On the menu tonight was $5 baked chicken from Safeway and Asparagus Risotto.  The recipe was actually attached to the asparagus and I decided to try it out.  It was really yummy!

Serves 3-4

1 pound fresh asparagus, cut on bias, 2" long.
5 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 1/2 cups aborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
 

Warm the broth in a saucepan over medium heat.  In a large saute pan, heat the oil over med-high heat.  Saute onion and garlic briefly.  Add the aborio rice and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2-3 minutes.  Add the wine and cook until the liquid is absorbed.  Add the broth, about a 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and waiting until it is absorbed before adding more.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Saute asparagus about 2 minutes until bright green.  *When the risotto only has 1/2 to 1 cup of broth left to be stirred in, add the asparagus and let finish cooking in the risotto as you stir in the last of the broth.  When the broth is completely absorbed, season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the Parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately.
 
Next time I may add shrimp as another blogger did to make this into a one dish meal.
 
*Add shrimp and cook for 1 more minute. (1 pound peeled, deveined raw large shrimp)