Showing posts with label sprouts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sprouts. Show all posts

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Vegan Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Crushed Red Chili Flakes A Perfect Thanksgiving Side DIsh

A different approach to roasting Brussels sprouts

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Last Week at Sarahs Forestville Kitchen
Last weekend Doug and I had a lovely dinner at Sarahs Forestville Kitchen. Forestville is about 6 miles down the road from Sebastopol so when a Living Social deal came out for this restaurant, we grabbed it. 
One of the things we ordered was a Sauteed Brussels Sprouts appetizer. They were spicy and crispy and even my husband loved them and hes not a fan of this particular vegetable. The only problem was that they were a bit oily. But to brown them in a skillet, its going to take more oil. I wanted to try and duplicate this wonderful flavor but with a little less oil so I decided to roast them instead.

Roast - Dont Incinerate!
Theres a popular roasted Brussels sprout recipe floating around the internet that just simply mixes the Brussels sprouts with a bunch of oil and roasts them until they are cooked. The problem is, Brussels sprouts are hard little balls and it takes a high temperature and a good bit of time to cook them. In fact, by the time the Brussels sprouts were cooked, they looked like little incinerated balls. Many people commented how much they enjoyed the "caramelization" but to me, it looked and tasted burnt. 

Less Cooking, Less Oil
By pre-steaming the Brussels sprouts, I was able to roast them for a shorter amount of time and with less oil. In fact, I steamed them until they were cooked exactly to my liking (fork tender but not falling apart). Then I mixed them in oil and seasonings, spread them out on a cookie sheet and roasted them until they were brown. Once brown, I removed them from the oven, squeezed some fresh lemon juice over them and served them.

Cut Brussels sprouts in half and steam until cooked

Heat oil and mix in crushed red pepper flakes.
After oil cools a bit, mix in Brussels sprouts and season
Spread out on a cookie sheet and roast in oven until brown.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crushed Red Chili Flakes
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings]

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon dried, granulated garlic 
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Squeeze of a fresh lemon

Clean Brussels sprouts by cutting about a quarter inch off the bottom, removing any damaged outer leaves and wash. 
Cut each Brussels sprout in half and place in a steamer. Cook until fork tender.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Stir crushed red pepper flakes into the heated oil and immediately remove pan from heat. Let cool a bit.
Stir in cooked Brussels sprouts and sprinkle with garlic and salt. Mix well.
Spread out on cookie sheet or shallow roasting pan. Roast in oven until brown - about 30 minutes, turning over half way through.
When done, remove from oven and squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the Brussels sprouts. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 87.8 calories, 5.1 g fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 145 mg omega-3 and 488 mg omega-6 fatty acid, 0 mg cholesterol, 3.6 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 4.4 g dietary fiber and 125 mg sodium.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Favorite Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes Sweet Potato Casserole Creamy Mashed Potatoes Cornbread Stuffing Brussels Sprouts Green Beans And More!

Everyone loves this simple sweet potato casserole recipe!

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Old Favorites
Theres something about Thanksgiving that makes you crave old favorites. Today Im going to take you back to some of the most popular vegan Thanksgiving recipes that Ive posted over the past 3 years. Just hit the links to get to the complete recipes. For those of you who are preparing turkeys and are having a mixed crowd of meat eaters, vegetarian and vegans, youll please the most people if all of your delicious side dishes are vegan. And I guarantee you, no one will notice the difference!


Potatoes
Ive often asked myself how Thanksgiving became the "celebration of starch" with so many forms of potato dishes in addition to a bread stuffing. That said, I would never omit a single one!
Lets start with my absolute favorite, Sweet Potato Casserole. I assure you, everyone will love this dish! It has no added sugar because baked sweet potatoes are naturally sweet!  Although the recipe calls for baking the sweet potatoes or yams, feel free to peel and steam them if that saves you time. However, I do think baking them in their skins makes them a bit sweeter.


Combine mashed sweet potatoes, crushed pineapple, Earth Balance, cinnamon and salt. Top with chopped pecans.


The next thing Im serving is this year is Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy. Soft, silken tofu replaces the heavy cream in this light, low fat, mashed potato recipe. 


This low fat version of creamy mashed potatoes only has 109 calories per serving and just a few grams of fat!


Stuffing
Ive always favored cornbread for my stuffing. Heres a simple recipe for vegan cornbread and a Cornbread Stuffing Recipe that has a secret ingredient! You can start with store bought cornbread or cornbread stuffing cubes to save time.


Make the cornbread a few days early so the cut cubes have time to dry out
Shredded sweet potatoes add a sweet touch to this stuffing!


Now for the Veggies
Brussels sprouts are my all time favorite holiday veggie but I alway make green beans too for those who dont share my enthusiasm for the petite cabbage.
For a spicy, roasted vegetable, try my recently posted Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crushed Red Chili Flakes. Another way to make them that is very simple and delicious and gives them a creamy texture is Brussels Sprouts with Garlic. For a light and festive salad, you can make Raw Vegan Brussels Sprouts with Orange Chia Seed Vinaigrette and Cranberries.


Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crushed Red Chili Flakes.
By steaming before roasting, you can use less oil.
Brussels Sprouts with Garlic.
These garlicky Brussels sprouts have a creamy texture.
Brussels Sprouts Salad with Orange Chia Seed Vinaigrette and Cranberries.
This colorful raw salad is light and festive.


Growing up in an Italian home, our green beans were always tossed in olive oil, lemon juice, fresh garlic and some seasonings. Ive been making them that way every since! Heres a simple recipe for Fresh Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon and Dill. They can be served warm or at room temperature.


Dried dill tastes just as good as fresh in this Green Bean recipe so dont worry if you cant find fresh dill at this time of year

Though not a Thanksgiving classic, this cauliflower recipe is very elegant and it slices well for individual servings. If your guests are cauliflower fans, try this Lemon Tahini Encrusted Baked Cauliflower.

This elegant cauliflower dish slices beautifully 


Hope you enjoy these classic Thanksgiving recipes!