Brussels sprouts with Avocado and Toasted Pecans

Brussels sprouts are a favorite this time of year. I like to buy them on the whole stalk when possible, I think they stay fresher, like cut flowers. They pop right off the stalk and the ends of the sprouts are fresh, meaning you don't have to trim the ends off! 

Despite their bad reputation with children, I always liked brussels sprouts. Im sure they were mostly frozen then, I remember them coming out of a box. My sister, poor thing I keep telling stories about her, liked them also but ate them in the most memorable way. She would strip off the leaves, tasting them one at a time. In the time I had likley finished my plate, she would savor one sprout. She is the cutest.

I did want to trim off the outer leaves, they are less tender and then I know my sprouts are way clean! The diminutive leaves are easily pulled off when the sprout is sliced in half first. Which for this dish is just how we want them!

Now we have our sprouts, our mini cabbages, cut in half. 

I have made this more than twenty times. It was given to me by Andy, we used to work together, and as a habit shared the good recipes we made. I think of it as Andy's Brussles Sprouts, but he found it in Food & Wine. And now that I go look it up it is actually a recipe by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. It is so clever and delicious, I haven't changed it at all except I skip the blanching step. No! I do, its one less pot to wash. Sometimes I think of adding anchovies. And sometimes I go heavy on the avocado. But honestly It is so good as is. 

The roasted sprouts are crisp tender. The avocado is creamy and the pecans are nutty and meaty. It was designed as a side dish. But I can eat just this for lunch, hot or cold.

Toasting the pecans is really important for the flavor. I have begun buying the toasted pieces of pecans at Trader Joe's because it is so easy. They do benefit from a warm up in the pan or oven to revive the flavors, but its not imperative if you are in a rush.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Avocado 

(Adapted from Jean-Georges' recipe)

• 21/2 lb Brussels Sprouts
• 1/4 cup olive oil, or less.
• salt
• 1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces
• 1-2 avocados, cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 1 teaspoon thyme (dry or fresh, whatever!)
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• fresh ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°. 

Slice all the Brussels sprouts in half. Remove any outer leaves you dislike. Put onto a big baking pan or two, they should fit in one layer for the best browning action. Pour the olive oil onto the sprouts and salt liberally. Toss it all around so all sprouts are coated. Place sprouts cut-side down on the pan. 

Roast for 20 minutes. They should be crisp-tender. Remove pans from the oven.

Add the pecan pieces to the warm sprouts and toss around. so the flavors mingle well. 

Transfer the sprouts and nuts into a bowl. Add the avocado, balsamic vinegar, thyme and fresh ground pepper. Mix well. 

Serve hot, warm, room temperature or cold! Will keep for 4 days in the fridge.

Pumpkin spice has gone too far! And a real autumn treat, Apple and Maple Paleo Crisp

Fall has arrived in all seriousness, My fridge is currently home  to 5 varieties of apples. The mornings are chilly and chai sounds like a good idea again. I ate a cider doughnut, technically 3. Its official. 

If I was still not sure, say I had awakened from a lengthy Rip Van winkle sleep, I would know it was fall by the endless ads for "pumpkin spice" Or I may be confused about this "pumpkin spice" which has nothing to do with pumpkins. And everything to do with artificial flavored spice syrup.

I don't go in for this "pumpkin spice" flavor which the marketers seem to think can sell more of anything. ...Pumpkin spice is back! Pumpkin spice latte... pumpkin spice pringles... pumpkin spice coffee... marshmallows...vodka....I think I saw a pumpkin spice iPhone. Its gone too far. 

We all know by now that except for in the case of pumpkin beer, most of these things contain no pumpkin, which in real life tastes like squash. The flavor blend is a synthetic approximation of spices. If you dont believe me lookey here.

Nobody understands the pumpkin spice scented maxi pads. Im hoping those are a good internet photoshop joke, but it could not be confirmed one way or another. I think it makes a point.

This is all to say, I made an apple crisp last night, and  I used some spices. No way am I calling it a pumpkin spice apple crisp, its just spices! I hope next fall, the pumpkin trend blows over, they have ruined one of our comforts of fall, taking all the soul out of it.  

It may be a homely looking apple crisp, perhaps because it is paleo. It is certainly delicious. With allspice and nutmeg, omitting the ubiquitous cinnamon makes the dessert less than predictable. 

I left it on the counter to cool. When I had returned from dinner with a girlfriend, my husband looked at me, and said "I ate a little bit of that apple thing, its so good, too bad its not paleo." I reassured him that it was indeed. And I went to have a bite myself,  finding he had eaten about half of it. Ha, a little bit. Thankfully I took photos before. 

The sliced almonds approximate the texture of oatmeal in a typical crisp. Which is why he was fooled. 

Apple and Maple Paleo Crisp

Apples to fill a pie pan. (Mackintosh is good) peeled and chopped off the core.

Juice from 1/4 of a lemon

2.5 ounces sliced almonds

3 ounces sunflower seeds (unsalted)

pinch salt

3 Tablespoons (1 ounce) coconut oil

3 Tablespoons (3 3/4 ounces) maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Peel and slice apples, place directly into the pan. Sprinkle lemon juice on top of the apples.

Mix together the sunflower seeds, almonds, salt. Work the coconut oil into the mixture so all combined. Add the maple syrup, allspice and nutmeg.

(This is what real nutmeg looks like, you can grate it on a microplane directly into your baking, its the best!) 

Give the crisp topping a good mix up. Dump it on top of the apples without any fanfare. There is no way this will ever look chic, so don't waste your time. This is a homely and delicious crisp, loved for what is on the inside, thats what counts.

Bake for 20 - 30 minutes. Spin midway to promote even toasting of the topping. The apples should have softened, with some bubbling at the edges, the topping will be toasty golden brown. Try not to burn this one, burnt nuts taste icky.

Smokey Spiced Nut Mix for Thunderstorms and Company

The past few days here had the feel of Indian Summer, broiling days and cool nights. I had been feeling dehydrated and craving salt for days. Where are all the tortilla chips when I want them!?

Finally we got an epic thunderstorm to break the heat, watching the smoky clouds roll in like...clouds in my coffee...yup thats what they looked like. Then waves of lightning and thunder which rolled overhead while we sat on the porch. It was like memories of the summers past we remembered, this summer in the Northeast was terribly mild. When we were little my mother used to make popcorn and we all sat there like we were at a movie theatre.

I made spicy nuts instead! Satisfyingly salty, smoky and savory. They only take 20 minutes in the coven, longer than popcorn sure, but you can make a big batch and keep some around for when friends drop by.

Trader Joe's is my favorite place to get nuts, they are affordable, sold in large bags, and there is a wide variety of unsalted versions. This recipe toasts the nuts, but I did use dry roasted almonds instead of raw and they were still delicious, not overdone. You will want to use unsalted varieties.

I am obsessed with Penzeys spices, and am so lucky to work around the corner from one. However, it takes lots of willpower not to shop there too often. My spice cabinet is overflowing, I love the color and the potential of spices. There is nothing I really need, but it still tugs at me as I drive by! I do think using fresh spices really matters, I had some old cumin for the longest time, and when I bought new cumin, I was blown out of the water, thinking, what have I been missing for the past year?! So here I used sweet paprika, smoky spanish paprika, cumin and allspice. It is earthy and exotic.


Smokey Spiced Nut Mix

3 1/2 cups unsalted nuts (peanuts, almonds, cashews)
1 egg white
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspooon smoked paprika (Spanish)
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika (Hungarian style)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon coconut sugar

Measure out the nuts. Absorb the beauty of your spices. Separate an egg, put the white into a mixing bowl, keep the yolk for something else if you wish. Whip the egg white with a whisk, after about 60 seconds it will be frothy with quite stable bubbles.
Measure in the salt, spices, and sweetener. Mix well.

Stir nuts into the spice mixture.  Stir very well all coated. Spread nuts out on a parchment lined pan.


Roast in a preheated oven at 300° for 20 minutes. Spin the tray around midway in cooking. No need to stir them.

Don't burn your mouth when they come out of the oven! If you crack them off the paper and transfer them into smaller bowls, they will cool in no time. Enjoy with your next delicious beverage. They would also be super good on a salad I think!

French Rhubarb Cake for teatime

French Rhubarb Cake

A dear friend of mine had me over for tea and cake the other day. I arrived as she was testing the cake with a toothpick, her toddlers trying to get a  look at the goings on in the oven. It was tricky to tell when this cake is cooked because the rhubarb inside makes the toothpick never come out right, I'll tell you to judge by the firmness of the top of the cake and the toothpick will look like it has jam on it, not cake batter. In the debate no one was burnt. All smelled divine, patiently we waited for the cake to cool enough to turn out of its pan.

Ten, fifteen, forty minutes go by we forgot about cake and then when we thought about cake again it was ready. I fear we didn't leave her with many leftovers. We all had seconds. Before dinner!

I'll direct you to the recipe which she found here at MyKitchenInTheRockes. Its a good cake, I'll be making this sometime soon. If you have a chance to put some rhubarb in the freezer you could make this any time of year, and remember the taste oh the suns rays in June. 

French Rhubarb Cake

Sweet Potato Dessert Waffles

It was late evening and I really wanted a waffle. So I pulled down the waffle maker, it was worth it.

The sweet potato waffles are good, and I will make them again. Sometimes I have roasted sweet potatoes in my fridge, but this time I used this frozen-mashed-sweet potato that you can sometimes find at Trader Joe's. And when they do have it, i buy a lot. Because its just cooked mashed sweet potato with nothing else in it, and you can use it in baking! And waffles!

I put super dark Taza chocolate chunks on top of my waffle. Covered it with another waffle. Put in in the microwave for 30 seconds...to melt it...Yes I did, this is a dessert waffle!

 

Topped it off with fresh organic strawberries. And maple syrup, obviously! It was decadent and hit the spot. 

Sweet Potato Waffles

2 cups almond flour

4 Tbs coconut flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potato

4 eggs

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 Tbs coconut oil, melted

2/3 cup almond milk

Extras:

Dark chocolate chunks

Strawberries 

Maple syrup

Turn on the waffle maker so it heats up.

 

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together in a second bowl so they are very smooth.  Then combine them, mixing thoroughly.

Make your waffles, per specifics to your waffle iron. Easy as pie.

Zucchini Paleo Waffles

Sweet, not savory -these waffles were tender and fluffy with prominent baking spice flavor - which was cozy, perfect for a slow Sunday morning. I found the recipe at The Saffron Girl and it worked so well, i didn't change anything, except to add in some cloves. Well done, they were gobbled up by two of us Next time, I will make at least a double batch, so I can put some away in the freezer for mid-week breakfasts and snacks!

I suppose you could leave out the sweetener and make a lunch-worthy savory sandwich sort of waffle... next time!

Ingredients, makes 6

• 1 cup grated zucchini (about one medium zucchini)
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1/2 cup ground almonds (almond flour)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (canned)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 tablespoon agave nectar (optional)

Process

1. Preheat the waffle iron.
2. In a food processor or blender, pulse the zucchini, eggs, coconut oil, milk and agave until smooth.
3. Add the baking soda, spices, coconut flour and almond flour and pulse until well blended.
4. Pour a spoonful into each waffle iron, and bake according to waffle maker instructions. NOTE: for waffles with a more crispy outside, use coconut oil spray on the waffle irons.
5. Serve with fresh fruit, maple syrup, and i found a drizzle of coconut milk was delicious! Like peaches and cream!

Banana Breakfast Cookies

Cookies for breakfast?!

That is what I wanted on this sunny saturday spring morning. Cookies. COOOOkie. ;D
Cruzin' quickly around the web I found this banana cookie recipe at The Preppy Paleo, which fit my laid back aspirations for cooking. Simple ingredients, quick (in the oven for only 12 min), and paleo.

I changed hers a little bit because I was out of almond butter (quelle horreur!) but its GOOD! It could be categorized somewhere between cookie, banana bread, and granolla.

I baked mine in to 8 cookies. I ate two for breakfast with my protein shake. I sent my man off with 4 for his breakfast, we will see what he thinks later on.


Banana Breakfast Cookies

In a food processor:
2 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup of coconut flakes (unsweetened)
1 Tbs coconut oil (melted)
1 egg (or vegan egg replacement)
vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cocoa (or more!)
1 - 2 cups total of Walnuts, Pecans and Rasins. Or other "mix in's" - see below*

Pre-heat oven to 350°
Blend up coconut flakes and bananas until they are so smooth, and the coconut flakes have broken down into small bits. (in the original recipe the coconut flakes were almond butter, so this is what we are trying to simulate.)

Add in the egg, vanilla, coconut oil, cinnamon, cocoa, and baking powder. Pulse until combined.

*Mix in's can include nuts, seeds, dried fruit, chocolate bits, hemp seeds, ground flax seed. Use your imagination, and then use your judgement to how much chopping in the food processer each "add in" needs. chunky nuts first, etc, you are smart and cannot screw this up.

Drop in spoon fulls onto parchment paper, or a silpat. or a greased cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Easy + Light Almond Spice Cake

This lightly spiced cake is adapted from Sarah Forte's almond-meal strawberry cake in "The Sprouted Kitchen".

I was quite excited to pull a tall light and evenly browned cake from the oven. When you replace the sugars and other things, it is always a gamble when you put it in the oven! I think a gluten-free flour would replace the tiny bit of wheat flour easily. I used home ground almond meal from my twice weekly almond milk production, it is more coarse that the bagged stuff from Trader Joes. It was delicious, a toothsome quality amidst the light and fluffy cake, mysteriously sweet and well spiced. It needed no frosting, just a cup of tea and sometimes I put fruit with it. Mostly I ate it in little slivers all by myself.


Preheat oven at 350°. One 8" cake pan, greased with parchment round in the bottom.

3 eggs
vanilla bean
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup Greek yogurt or similar something
3 Tbs melted coconut oil

2 cups almond meal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or gluten free AP flour blend)
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamon
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp sea salt

Whisk the wet ingredients together, beginning with the eggs.
In a separate bowl, mix the rest: flours, sugars, spices and soda/powder and salt.
Now, mix the dry stuff into the wet stuff. Break up the lumps and mix into a smooth batter. Pour into the prepared 8" cake pan.
Bake about 25 min, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool, turn out of pan, enjoy best at room temperature.

Almond Flax Crackers

I make a lot of homemade nut milk in this house. Which means lots of leftover ground up almonds and hazelnuts. Sometimes I bake it into cakes and muffins or put it on cereal. I read a few blog posts about crackers made with almond meal and eggs, they seem pretty hard to mess up, and are very versatile so this is my take.





2 Cups almond meal
1 cup ground flax seed
2 eggs
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp basil

- Pre-heat oven to 350°
- Mix everything together in a bowl with a fork. It will look crumbly but will stick to itself if pressed.
- Dump it all onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
- Place another parchment paper on top. Roll with a pin or smash with your hands until it is about a 1/4 of an inch thick or less.
- Lightly score the dough into your cracker shapes, I used a pizza wheel, very easy!
- Bake in 350° oven for 15 to 20 min.



They turned out very savory, satisfying chewy and crunchy!

Banana Paleo Pancakes

I tried out these great pancakes the other day and they were so good, I remade them for breakfast for just myself this morning! I found the recipe here at The Little Foodie.

enough for one hungry or two people.


1 ripe banana
2 eggs
1/4 cup almond flour
2 Tbs almond milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
vanilla



I found a blender super at mixing all these things first thing in the morning. My fingers take a while to wake up in the morning and mashing bananas is no fun then. (you can do it all with a fork if you wish to)

Step one: Heat a cast iron pan (medium heat) add coconut oil for pancake frying, its the most tasty.
Step two: Dump everything in blender, turn on and puree until well combined and smooth.
Step three: spoon batter into the hot pan for pancake cooking! Keep the guys little, they cook better. They cook quickly, as bubbles show up, flip over....you know the drill.


***
Serve with fruit like blueberries and you don't even need maple syrup. Heat up some frozen blueberries in a pan with a little water till warm and spoon on top. (or microwave those frozen berries, super fast!)

M voted these are even better than the pumpkin paleo pancakes!

***

DIY Hazelnut Milk (or almond!)

Q: Why would you make your own hazlenut milk when you can buy it from the store in a box?

A: 1) It is less expensive. 2) It is easy! 3) Why pay for water, and for that matter, lug it home in the car and up the stairs! 4) You know EXACTLY what is in it! No perservatives or sugars or whathaveyous! 5) It is delicious and tastes fresher than from the box! 6) You get ground nuts out of the process as well! 7) To have your mom roll her eyes at you. 8) A great way to impress your vegan and lactose intolerant friends!

1 cup nuts
Soak overnight (or 8 hours) in a 1 quart jar of water.

-Drain the hazelnuts or almonds and put in a blender. (repeat: blender- the food processer is not better here.)
Add 4 cups of water to the blender.

-Blast away for several minutes depending on how effective your machine is! You are done when all chopped up small, and the liquid is milky looking.

-Set your nut milk bag , or cheesecloth set in a strainer over a bowl or pitcher. Pour it all into the bag, let the milk strain out and use your hands to squeeze the rest from the cloth.
 

-Keep the nut milk in a covered container for several days.
-Shake before using, It will keep for several days but does not keep as long as the store bought kind.

Keep the ground up nuts in the fridge to use for baking or cereal or a homemade face scrub!

*** if you usually buy the sweetened varieties: add a dried DATE or two to the soaking nuts. If you like vanilla: add vanilla! 

AND - in case you dont drink a TON of milk and dont want it to go bad, you can make a half batch: 1/2 cup of nuts to 2 cups water.

Enjoy!