Carmelized Brussels with Peppers, Onions and Beans

You Will Need: 2 lbs. Baby Brussel Sprouts
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons sea salt 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped 1 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed 1 tablespoon Mediterranean spice blend (or spice mix of choice) 1 cup whole grain wild rice mix I recommend Rice Select Royal Blend available at Harter House World Flavors 2 1/2 cups Organic, low sodium Vegetable broth

~ smash and chop garlic, set aside for at least 10 minutes to release anicin. Cook rice in veggie broth according to package directions, usually 45 min. I use my pressure cooker and it takes 20 minutes and locks in flavor, no spices necessary. Vegetable broth is so full of flavor and good for you!
Also, whole grain rice, when served with beans or sweet potatoes is a complete protein ie: no meat necessary. I like "Rice Select, Royal Blend Rice" It's a combination of brown and wild rice with soft wheat and rye.

 

 

1. Trim sprouts by slicing off a bit of the end and removing dark outer leaves. Place them in a steamer basket over boiling water, add lemon juice to water, cook 8 minutes or until sprouts are just tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet. Add onion and peppers, saute 4 minutes till golden brown, add seasonings. Add garlic, cook 1 more minute. Add beans, turn down heat, cover and keep warm.
3. Remove sprouts from the steamer basket and cut in half lengthwise. Coat the bottom of a skillet with a bit more oil if needed and nestle the sprouts, cut side down on bottom. Cook over medium heat. Allow the sprouts to cook for about 5 minutes. Do not turn them over! This is carmelization. Make sure the bottoms are evenly browned and crisped. Then, turn them all over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Remove sprouts from pan and sprinkle with the salt and squeeze more lemon over top if needed.
5. Serve brussels over mixed veggies and beans alongside of the rice.

Caramelizing the brussels brings out such a wonderful taste!

This is coming from someone who used to be a brussel hater. Try, try again!

 

* Tip: For the younger kids, I also cooked some cubed sweet potatoes that I coated with a bit of evoo, honey and lemon juice, baked at 400F for 13 minutes. I haven't made brussel sprouts for the kids before so I knew it might be a bit of a challenge to get them to eat them. I was right..... they tried a couple of nibbles and that's it. Keep introducing new veggies to kids over and over. Mine will eat peppers and spinach and more because I serve them often and they are used to them. Don't get frustrated or expect too much when your kids turn their noses up at some new foods. Most importantly, don't give up and serve other unhealthy options like processed foods in place of veggies.

 

Thanks to Simply Happy Family

 

Shelly Kauffman

 Harter House 

Grilled Potatoes with Rosemary Mushrooms & Onions

If you're looking for a great side, this might be a great dish.

I have made similar recipes, cooking the potatoes, mushrooms and onions in a Reynold's foil package.

But now, at Harter House, we have the Creamer potatoes from the Little Potato Company.

Oven/Grill varietals are packaged in a handy foil pan that’s big enough to fit all of the vegetables. Plus, no dirty dishes to clean because the foil package can be placed directly on the barbecue grate or in the oven.

Start by following the package direction – tossing the naturally sweet little potatoes with olive oil and the enclosed seasoning (reduced sodium and no artificial flavors) – then sprinkle half of a chopped red onion over top. While the potatoes and onions are getting toasty and tender on the grill, chop the mushrooms and toss them with olive oil, crushed rosemary and a pinch of salt. Stir them into the potato mixture and cook until the mushrooms are tender and the potatoes are starting to brown.

Great herb flavors, caramelized, tender and downright delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 package Little Potato Co. Oven/Grill Ready Creamer potatoes (I used Garlic Herb)
• ½ red onion, cut into ¾-inch pieces
• 2 tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• 8 oz. Cremini mushrooms
• ½ tsp crushed rosemary  
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Alternatively, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Remove the cardboard and plastic covering from the potato package. Add the onion pieces, 2 tablespoon of olive and the seasoning packet. Stir to coat.
3. Place the foil package directly on the grill (or in the oven) and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
4. In a medium bowl, stir together the mushrooms, 2 teaspoons of olive oil, rosemary and salt. Stir the mushrooms into the potato and onion mixture. Cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 12 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
5. Garnish with parsley. Serve.

Crunchy Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad

This Thai-flavored salad recipe is made with carrots, cabbage, snow peas, and quinoa, tossed in delicious peanut sauce. This healthy salad is vegan, gluten free, and packs well for lunch. Recipe yields 4 salads.

Ingredients

Salad

• ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 ½ cups water
• 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 cup thinly sliced snow peas or sugar snap peas
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup thinly sliced green onion
• ¼ cup chopped roasted and salted peanuts, for garnish

Peanut sauce

• ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I love ginger so I used 2 teaspoons)
• ½ lime, juiced (about 1 ½ tablespoons)
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa: First, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 ½ cups water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer the quinoa until it has absorbed all of the water. Remove the quinoa from heat, cover the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, make the peanut sauce: Whisk together the peanut butter and tamari until smooth (if this is difficult, microwave the mixture for up to 30 seconds to loosen it up). Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. If the mixture seems too thick to toss into the salad, whisk in a bit of water to loosen it up (I didn’t need to do this).
3. In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, shredded cabbage, carrot, snow peas, cilantro and green onion. Toss to combine, then pour in the peanut sauce. Toss again until everything it lightly coated in sauce. Taste, and if it doesn’t taste quite amazing yet, add a pinch of salt and toss again. Divide into individual bowls and garnish with peanuts.
4. This salad keeps well, covered and refrigerated, for about 4 days. If you don’t want your chopped peanuts to get soggy, store them separately from the rest and garnish just before serving.

Notes

Recipe minimally adapted from Frugal Vegan by Katie Koteen and Kate Kasbee.