Braised Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

It's that time of year again when our sunlight is waning and that means no natural light to take appetizing food pictures with. But don't let the yellow tint of this photo deter you from trying these deliciously prepared vegetables. Now I know that a lot of people think brussels sprouts are gross. They were the dreaded childhood vegetable for most, right along with peas and broccoli and lima beans right? Basically anything healthy and green. I'd encourage anyone with a list of disliked since childhood foods to revisit those foods with their now grown-up taste buds. I've realized that several things I could have sworn were the most disgusting things ever put on a plate before me, are actually quite good: mushrooms and avocados are couple that come to mind. Similarly, I'd like to think that this actually wonderful veggie gets a bad rap because it hasn't been prepared like this. We serve them with our thanksgiving dinner every year, in place of green bean casserole and it is a most welcome switch. I've made many a brussels sprout hater into a brussels sprout lover with this dish. I'm confident you'll change your mind and wish for brussels sprouts at every meal!

Braised Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

2 lbs brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and the top layer of leaves removed, discarded and large sprouts cut in half

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

4-5 slices of thick-cut bacon

1 shallot, finely minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T olive oil

3 T butter

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

After brussels are trimmed and ready, heat large skillet over medium high heat. Cook bacon until crispy, then crumble and set aside. Leave residual bacon grease in pan and add olive oil and butter. Over medium heat briefly saute shallot and garlic, add brussels sprouts and saute for about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and then add chicken broth and put lid on skillet. Cook brussels sprouts until tender and cooked through. Transfer veggies and any remaining sauce to serving platter, top with crumbled bacon and serve.

Swiss Cheese Broccoli Cauliflower Bake

Oh my lands this is tasty! I have a similar recipe that just involves cauliflower from my husbands grandma and it has long been a favorite in our house. I will share it sometime. But this combination of cauliflower AND broccoli and swiss cheese is side dish heaven on a plate! And just so you know, cover any veggie with saucy, cheesy goodness and you've got a sure fire way to get your kids eating their vegetables. (So what if it's not quite as healthy ;0))

Swiss Cheese Broccoli Cauliflower Bake

1 head of cauliflower

1 head of broccoli (or 2 if smaller)

1 1/2 cups swiss cheese, grated

2 T green onions, chopped

2/3 cup mayo

1 t dijon mustard

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

Steam broccoli and cauliflower until mostly fork tender. Arrange in 9x13 casserole dish. Combine remaining ingredients in separate bowl, until a thick "paste" is formed. Spread cheese mixture over vegetables, using a spatula. Bake uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Bake

Another Mels Kitchen special. This was tasty. Cheesy, creamy, broccoli filled, flavorful crumb topped goodness. It has a few steps, i.e. cooking the rice, steaming the broccoli, making the sauce but the time spent was worth it because the end result was fabulous! You could add in some chicken and make it a one-dish meal with salad on the side. We had some chicken kebabs with ours making it a side dish, and let me just say it stole the show! It would pair perfectly with roasts of all kinds, grilled meats, and many kinds of fish as well.

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Bake

Recipe from Mels Kitchen Cafe

2 slices sandwich bread

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

6 T butter, 4 melted, 2 chilled

1 clove garlic, minced

2 lbs broccoli chopped, including stems

1 onion, chopped

1 1/4 cup white rice

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/4 cups half-and-half

1 t salt

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/8 t cayenne pepper

Grease 9x13 dish and set aside. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Pulse bread, 1/4 cup parm, and 4 T melted butter in food processor. Add minced garlic and set aside.

Microwave chopped broccoli, covered, in a microwave safe bowl until bright green and slightly tender, 2-3 minutes (no need to add water). Melt remaining 2 T butter in large pot over medium heat. Cook onion until softened and translucent. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, half-and-half, and salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until rice is tender, 20-25 minutes. Off the heat, stir in cheddar cheese, cayenne, remaining parmesan and cooked broccoli.

Pour the mixture into the baking dish and top with bread crumb mixture. Bake until sauce is bubbling around edges and top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serve.

Citrus Almond Green Beans

There is just nothing to compare with fresh green beans! And there are a million ways to prepare them, each one yummy in it's own way. This is one simple way to dress them up even though they don't need much. The almonds add a nice crunch and the lemon freshens things up, perfect for summer.

Citrus Almond Green Beans

{If fresh green beans seem a bit pricey, try using the fresh, frozen variety. When using fresh, I like to spend a little extra for the french style, aka haricots verts. They're thinner and more tender because of it}

1 lb+ fresh green beans, ends trimmed and snapped in half if necessary (not necessary with french style)

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

Half a lemon

3/4 cup chicken broth

Kosher salt

Pepper

In a medium size sauce pan place butter and almonds. Turn heat to medium and allow butter to melt and almonds to turn golden. Add green beans and chicken broth and place lid on pot. Steam for 7-9 minutes, until beans are tender but not mushy. Remove from heat and stir in kosher salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze half lemon in and some lemon zest, if desired. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6 depending on how much you like green beans!

Oven Roasted Asparagus

Nothing says spring like asparagus and Boy do we love it in our house! Even my 8 and 5 year olds will eat it and I think this method of preparation has a good deal to do with that. It brings out the natural sweetness in vegetables and adds a bit of brown (carmelized natural sugars) which equals extra flavor. The great thing about this method is that you can try it on just about any heartier vegetable you can think of and we have: carrots, brussel sprouts, and broccoli just to name a few. Although I have other ways of preparing those vegetables that are a bit more fancy (and I'll share those recipes another time), we've all but given up just plain steaming preferring this route instead. Roast away!

Oven Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Place cookie sheet in oven while it preheats to 425 degrees. Rinse asparagus and then trim ends. I'm lazy and just pick a spot about an inch and a half up and cut the bunch all at once. But if you really want to be thorough about removing the tough part, pick up each stalk, hold either end and gently bend, is should snap apart right around where the tough stem end meets the soft enough to eat stalk. Place in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil, enough to coat thoroughly (about 3T?) Use hands to toss around to ensure even coating. Once oven and cookie sheet are piping hot, remove sheet momentarily from oven and quickly spread oil-coated asparagus in an even layer. It should sizzle a bit when it hits the hot sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt and a few cranks of fresh ground pepper and pop right back in the oven. Roast 8-10 minutes, checking around the 8 minute mark for doneness. Asparagus is done when fork goes in easily but there's a still some firmness. Remove from oven and serve while hot.