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Fennel Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Written on November 19, 2014 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

Brussels sprouts are one of my–like so many others’–favorite vegetables. Fennel? Not so much. It’s a vegetable I’m slowly growing to like that’s better sweet than savory.

These sprouts are a little sweet and a little salty; its a tasty balance that’s also healthy. This time of year you could probably also find fresh cranberries and make this recipe a little more natural, but I love eating the extra craisins while I’m cooking for something to chew on.

You can serve this hot or cold but I prefer it hot. It really depends what you’re eating it with.

Fennel Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 6 Servings):

4 cups Brussels sprouts, washed and halved
1 fennel bulb sliced
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup craisins
1 1/2 Tablespoons honey

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Toss the sprouts, fennel, oil, and salt in a large bowl.
Lay the sprouts out in a pan or cast iron skillet.
Roast for 30 minutes, then mix the sprouts with a utensil and roast for 15 minutes more.
Once done, remove the sprouts from the oven. Sprinkle on the craisins and drizzle the whole pan with honey.

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Easy Maple-Curry Acorn Squash

Written on October 1, 2014 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

When you live in the city, it’s sometimes hard to tell exactly what season it is. That’s what Starbucks limited edition drinks are for.

After I saw it was pumpkin spice latte season already, I knew it was time to start digging up old squash recipes. This recipe I’ve posted an annoying amount of times but still come back to again and again.

It’s one that I always make because I know how easy and delicious it is. Using curry powder to flavor the squash adds an untraditional kick that keeps the squash anything but boring. Still it’s familiar enough that semi-picky eaters will enjoy.

You can really use this coating on any type but I prefer acorn the best for this since I think it has the mildest flavor. Butternut and winter squash tends to be sweeter on their own.

Maple-Curry Acorn Squash

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1 Large acorn squash
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt*

*omit if your curry powder is already salted.

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking tray
Cut the squash in half to remove all the seeds. Once de-seeded, cut along the ridges into thin wedges.
In a large bowl, toss the wedges with the maple syrup, curry powder, and salt so that the squash is evenly coated.
Lay the squash out on the baking tray and roast for 45 minutes or until fork tender.
Remove from the oven and serve hot.

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Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

Written on May 16, 2013 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

At some point recently I could feel myself becoming one of those vegetarians who doesn’t actually eat enough vegetables. Its not that I don’t like them—I love them. I’ll order them off of a menu any chance I get. But more often than not I cook for myself, and by cook I mean make oatmeal, open a yogurt container, scramble eggs or microwave a potato.

That’s definitely a habit I need to change. I never regret buying and cooking vegetables when I do, especially not these sprouts. Anything is delicious with some good olive oil and vinegar. I thought I was making a lot at the time but this hardly lasted me two meals.

If you want to make this fancy, you can add some other roasting vegetables into the mix with the brussels sprouts. These would especially be good with some julienned onions and diced potatoes(the kind not made in a microwave).

Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1lb brussels sprouts, washed and cut
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Make sure all of your brussels sprouts are clean and trimmed.
In a large bowl, toss together all of the ingredients.
Spread the sprouts out on a roasting pan.
Roast for 20-30 minutes until the sprouts are cooked and the edges begin to crisp.
Remove from the oven and serve hot.

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4 Killer Potato Recipes

Written on April 5, 2013 by Wannabe Chef in Recipe Round-Up

It’s no secret that I love potatoes. They aren’t the healthiest vegetable for you by any stretch of the imagination but there’s not much you can’t do with some potatoes, oil, salt and pepper. Besides—they’re gluten-free naturally and less than a dollar a pound so there’s a lot to love.

I make potatoes a lot because they fit in as a side dish with just about anything. It helps that there are so many different ways to cook them. If I’m baking some, I’ll throw a few extra in the oven to dice later and turn into home fries. So that’s why I have enough potato recipes on this website to feed a small army; here are four of my favorites that I end up making again and again:

Rosemary Hasselback Potatoes are probably the most impressive to look at out of these recipes. They come out as fun to eat as they are to make. Using olive oil as the fat instead of traditional butter makes them healthier and have a lighter flavor while the slits let more of the potato soak up the oil to cook in.

Grilled Potatoes are a lot like thick-cut, deep fried potato wedges except without all the added oils, flour, and fat. They have a smoky, charred flavor that you can’t get in the oven or in a frying pan making them all the more irresistible in the Summer time. They also just look darn impressive coming off of the grill.

Balsamic Herb Oven Fries are a step up from your regular fries because they already have a sweet tanginess baked into them. I’ve gotten into a habit of buying frozen fancy french fries at the store and popping them into the oven before dinner; fortunately recipes like this remind me it’s cheaper and almost easier to make them yourself.

Vanilla Rosemary Potatoes are great if you want to try something new and a little foreign with the same old ingredients you have at home. The vanilla adds a sweet and savory flavor that’s hard to put you finger on if you don’t know it’s there. This is one potato recipe where it’s better to skip the pepper and just enjoy a touch of salt.

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Homemade Honey Roasted Cashews

Written on February 13, 2013 by Wannabe Chef in Snack

I’m not sure when but at some point nuts became one of the most expensive items in the grocery store. It’s a shame. They’re one of the healthy foods that are naturally delicious, but dressing them up never hurts.

These have become my go-to afternoon snack. They’re perfect for a slight sweet craving or to throw on yogurt or even a tofu stir-fry.

I’m not sure if the egg white is completely necessary for this recipe but I love the texture of the sugar on the cashews after they’re baked. You can spice these up easily by adding in some cinnamon.

Homemade Honey Roasted Cashews

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups cashews
1 Tablespoon egg white
1 Tablespoon honey
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Homemade Honey Roasted Cashews Roasted

Method:

Preheat you oven to 325 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix together the egg white, honey, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
Mix the cashews with the wet ingredients until they are covered.
Lay the cashews out on a non-stick surface in a single layer.
Roast for 15-20 minutes until the edges begin to darken slightly, taking care not to burn them.
Remove the cashews from the oven and let them cool completely.
Break the cashews apart and store them in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Purely addicting.

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Roasted Broccoli Quinoa

Written on January 1, 2013 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

Happy New Year! We’ve survived the holidays and a Mayan apocalypse only to be told we need to lose 10lbs before February again. It’s silly the detox diets that people come up with, like raw green juice only for a week or “The Cookie Diet”(sounds promising but it’s not).

I definitely could use less desserts after last month and will probably try to post more healthy vegetable recipes. But that doesn’t mean you should be stuck on juices. Whole foods like broccoli and quinoa are perfectly good for you.

I read on a blog that quinoa was one of those 2012 “food fads” that ought to fade away in 2013. I hope that’s not true because it’s a great way to vary things up in the kitchen like roasted broccoli.

Roasted Broccoli Quinoa

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4-6 servings):

1 cup dry quinoa, washed
2 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts(optional)
1/4 cup craisins(optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Lay the broccoli florets out on a baking tray and drizzle with 3 Tablespoons of olive oil.
Roast for 45 minutes until the broccoli begins to brown.
While the broccoli’s roasting, combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water in a pot and bring it to a boil. Add a lid and turn off the heat and wait for the quinoa to cook.
In a large bowl, toss together the cooked quinoa, roasted broccoli, remaining olive oil, hazelnuts and craisins if using, and salt and pepper.
Add extra seasoning as desired. Serve hot or cold.

Much better than green juice.

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Vanilla Rosemary Carrots

Written on November 12, 2012 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

A lot of my meals lately have revolved around roasted vegetables. Some of my meals have been just roasted vegetables on the days I didn’t feel like cooking anything else; that’s healthy, right?

A while ago I saw this recipe for vanilla carrots. The photos on that blog make everything look delicious. I finally got around to making them last week and they did not disappoint at all. These aren’t sweeter than regular roasted carrots, but the vanilla and rosemary add an interesting savory flavor to them.

Don’t use an oil that has a lot of flavor like coconut or peanut oil. Instead use something like vegetable oil or refined olive oil that will let the flavor of the vanilla come through.

Vanilla Rosemary Carrots

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 50-60 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 4-6 servings):

1lb carrots
3 Tablespoons oil
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Peel, trim, and wash the carrots.
In a large tray, toss the carrots together with the olive oil, vanilla extract, salt and rosemary until they’re covered.
Lay the carrots out in a single layer on a baking tray.
Roast for 50-60 minutes until the carrots are fork-tender and serve hot.

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Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Written on October 31, 2012 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

I’m not the best speller. In the past week I’ve learned three different words I’ve been spelling wrong all along. The first was “forcable” instead of forcible. That one could have gone either way, right? Another was “judgement” for judgment. I’m still left wondering what happened to that missing e. And then there’s “brussel sprouts”; to be fair, I don’t know anyone who’s ever taken time to pronounce that extra s.

It’s a good thing I’m better at preparing brussels sprouts than spelling them. They can seem intimidating and bland at first but with the right seasoning you’ll have no problem finishing a plateful.

Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 4 servings):

1lb fresh brussels sprouts, stems removed and halved
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
In a large bowl, toss together all of the ingredients until the brussels sprouts are evenly coated.
Lay the brussels sprouts out in an even layer on a non-stick surface.
Roast for 30-40 minutes until the sprouts begin to brown on the outside and are tender.
Serve immediately.

If you don’t have maple syrup, use something like honey to add the sweetness.

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Pumpkin Pie Spice Almonds

Written on October 1, 2012 by Wannabe Chef in Snack

The nice thing about Fall and cooler temperatures is that it gets me to use the oven more. During the Summer I’d much rather make ice cream than cupcakes but recently I’ve been using my oven more and more. The kitchen is quickly becoming my favorite room again.

Roasting nuts is something I make time to do every year. You can come up with the most fun flavors using different spices, and they always are a healthier treat, too. A lot of the time I think I like pumpkin pie spice more than pumpkin itself. These almonds have all the right flavors to make you think of Fall in a portable, no-mess snack.

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, there are plenty of recipes online to make your own. If you don’t feel like looking up a recipe, just toss together cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg to get a range of flavors.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Almonds

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup raw almonds
1/2 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoons maple syrup

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients until the almonds are coated well.
Lay out the almonds on a non-stick baking tray.
Bake for 15-20 minutes disturbing the almonds halfway through until they’ve roasted to a darker brown. They should still be slightly sticky when you take them out.
Let the almonds cool, break any that are stuck together apart, and store them at room temperature.

These are a great snack to leave out at a party. Clean out a mini-pumpkin and serve it in that for something festive.

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Salt Roasted Beets

Written on August 22, 2012 by Wannabe Chef in How To, Side Dish

Salt is something that a lot of people don’t understand; too much can make anything a disaster, but just a touch on fruits and vegetables always helps to make them taste sweeter. When you eat something with natural sugars that’s been seasoned right, it touches more taste sensations on your tongue and you’ll enjoy it more.

Salt roasting is a technique I learned last Summer when I was interning in a restaurant. It was something that the lunch crew trusted that I couldn’t possibly screw up so I did it quite a bit whenever we got more beets in. Since then I’ve done it at home whenever I have the chance; you really can’t screw it up! Beyond the ease, I swear it makes the vegetables taste like candy.

This may seem like it’d be a hassle to clean up after but it’s really not. Just put the pan with the burnt salt under the sink and run hot water on it until the salt dissolves.

Salt Roasted Beets

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1-2 hours

3/4 cup coarse grain salt
Beets, tops trimmed and peel on

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Lay the salt out in a single layer on a roasting tray.
Wash the outside of the beets. If your beets are large you can cut them into quarters or leave them whole. The larger they are, the longer they’ll take to cook.
Lay the beats on top of the salt and place them in the oven.
Roast for 1-2 hours until you can poke a fork through the skin with some ease.
Remove from the oven and begin peeling off the skin while still hot. You may want to use gloves or a towel to keep the beets from burning your hands. Brush off any remaining salt on the outside.
Serve hot or chilled.

What do you do with your beets? Well they make a good salad, for one, especially if you keep those beet greens. Vegetables roasted in salt don’t need any further seasoning so you can just pop them in your mouth.

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