More fun with Brussels Sprouts

Okay, so that sounds really odd to say because normally, Brussels Sprouts aren't considered fun.  In all honesty, it's also a little sarcastic because I, unfortunately, had to learn the lesson that Brussels Sprout stems + garbage disposal = clogged disposal.  I had a feeling when I was tossing them in there that it might happen, and sure enough, when I went to run it, I got lots of water and no disposing.  Oh well.  I think that I impressed Rick when I unhooked the piping and fixed it.  Obviously, that wasn't my first time clogging that bad boy up.

Last night, I was feeling rather lazy.  For the main dish, we grabbed a lemon pepper rotisserie chicken from Publix. I've been trying to get Rick to try Brussels Sprouts for a while now.  With his desire to eat superfoods, I thought that he would like to add them to our reportoire of dinner sides.  To cook them, I decided to add to Kelly's recipe a little bit.  Rick ended up liking them.  We are both fans of the "crunchy ones" (the crunchy leaves that result from roasting....I actually broiled them a little bit at the end to make sure to get some "crunchy" ones).

Here's what we did...

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Shallots

Ingredients
1 lb Brussels Sprouts
6-8 shallots (I used one of those packages of them that are found in the produce section)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Spice Island Garlic and Herb mix
Italian Seasoning Grinder
Sea Salt Grinder
Pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F.  Peel the shallots and place them on a square piece of aluminum foil.  Cover the shallots with a little bit of olive oil (around 1 tablespoon) and season with the Italian Seasoning.  Wrap them up in the foil and place in the oven.  Heat in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.

While the shallots are in the oven, soak Brussels Sprouts in a medium bowl for 25 minutes.  Remove the Brussels sprouts from the water. Trim off the stems and remove any discolored leaves.  Cut each of the Brussels sprouts in half. Place them in a roasted pan and add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic and herb mix, Italian Seasoning, Salt and Pepper to taste to the pan.  Remove the shallots from the oven and add them to the pan.  Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes.  Halfway through, remove from oven and toss with a spoon before continuing.

Enjoy!

NCLEX Dinner ala Carte

So tonight I went over to my friend Kelly's house after a long day of work and NCLEX studying.  She was making dinner, and unfortunately, I had Chinese food before I came over.  She was preparing a dish from Cooking Light with some Brussels sprouts on the side.  I had a sample of it because the main course involved mushrooms (and you know how I miss mushrooms since Rick doesn't like them!).  It was so good that I had to share it here!

Here's the recipe!

Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy 

Ingredients

• 2  cups  uncooked egg noodles
• Cooking spray
• 1  pound  top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1  tablespoon  butter
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped shallots
• 1  (8-ounce) package presliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1  teaspoon  minced garlic
• 1  tablespoon  low-sodium soy sauce
• 3  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 1/2  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 3  fresh thyme sprigs
• 1  teaspoon  fresh thyme leaves (optional

Directions

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

While noodles cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; sauté 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan; cover.

Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Return beef to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

Kelly's Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts

olive oil

sea salt

pepper

Spice Island Garlic and Herb Blend

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Soak whole brussels sprouts for 20 minutes in cold water.

Drain and rinse Brussels sprouts.  Half Brussels sprouts.  Tossed until well coated in olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic and herbs to taste. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes.  If desired, you can add Parmesean cheese.