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:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Lay the broccoli florets out on a baking tray and drizzle with 3 Tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Roast for 45 minutes until the broccoli begins to brown.
4. 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.
5. In a large bowl, toss together the cooked quinoa, roasted broccoli, remaining olive oil, hazelnuts and craisins if using, and salt and pepper.
6. Add extra seasoning as desired. Serve hot or cold.

Much better than green juice.

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:

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

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