Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Chickpeas, Buckwheat & Pomegranate Salad

It is no secret that I love brussels sprout, and as Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I wanted to share a simple, seasonal, and healthy brussels sprout salad or side dish for your dinner or as a post-thanksgiving detox.  Its not necessary to cover everything in cheese and butter to make it "better". Don't get me wrong, I LOVE mashed potatoes with a dollop of butter, and every once in a while is fine, but balance it with dishes that are wholesome for you and your body like this one! If you have quinoa on hand, feel free to substitute it for the buckwheat. 

ingredients

1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced lengthwise

1 cup buckwheat, cooked (Try: Eden Organic Buckwheat Hulled Whole Grains)

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons zest of a lemon, finely zested/grated

1 tablespoon Italian parsley, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 15-ounce can organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed (Try: Trader Joe's) 

1/3 cup pomegranate arils or seeds 

(Tip: Buy Trader Joe's freshly packed seeds or cut a pomegranate in half and use a wooden spoon to pound that arils/seeds out) 

Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste 

preparation

How to roast the brussels sprouts: 

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  In a bowl, toss the brussels sprouts with one tablespoon of olive oil and season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Arrange the brussels sprouts on a baking sheet or a rimmed baking dish with the cut sides down. Roast them for about 45 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside and let them cool to room temperature on the baking sheet. 

How to cook buckwheat:

Rinse one cup of buckwheat in cold water. In a pot, bring two cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat, add the one cup of rinsed buckwheat to it. Cover, reduce the heat, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with fork, set aside and let it to cool for the salad. 

How to construct the salad:

In a large bowl, add the cooled brussels sprouts and buckwheat in the bowl. 

Add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, chickpeas, pomegranate seeds and parsley. Toss with a wooden spoon to combine. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. Serve immediately  or cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 day. I prefer to refrigerate the salad overnight to allow the flavors to marry. Also, feel free to substitute buckwheat with quinoa. Enjoy! 

Cooking Light's Halibut & Peach Salad with Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette

Cooking Light magazine nails superfast delicious recipes with meals that only take 20-minutes from start to finish. Each month, I try to make 2-3 recipes from that month's issue. As a home cook, I usually don't follow recipes but I find it helpful to follow a new recipe as I always pick up little tricks which inspire me incorporate them in other dishes. It also helps me word and write my recipes for you!

Extra Extra.....

I am SO excited to announce that Cooking Light reposted my picture on their Instagram account (78k followers) and I hope to be featured in the magazine! 

Recipe from Cooking Light, July 2014 

ingredients 

serves 4 

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 6 cups baby spinach leaves
• 2 medium peaches, halved and sliced 
• 1/2 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Sprinkle fish evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
2. Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, mint, juice, and syrup in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add spinach, peaches, and cucumber; toss gently to coat. Divide spinach mixture among 4 plates; top with fish. Sprinkle with almonds. Enjoy! 

Carolyn Malcoun, Cooking Light 
JULY 2014

Heirloom Tomato, Red Onion, & Maytag Blue Cheese Salad

Tomato, red onion, and Maytag Blue cheese salad is simple,but is packed with lots of great flavor. I love to serve this delicious salad along with a great grilled steak. Steve and I made this salad for Bobby Flay, on Food Network's Bobby's Dinner Battle, along with a grilled flank steak. However, it was edited and not shown on TV.  You have to make sure you are working with a ripe and seasonal tomato since they are the "star" of the salad. You can serve this salad layered (shown above) or tossed.  As both the onion and blue cheese can overpower some palate, feel free to change the amount use depending on your taste preference.

ingredients

1 heirloom tomato, cut horizontally 

1 red onion, cut horizontally 

2 tablespoons Maytag Blue Cheese, crumbled

2 teaspoons balsamic vinaigrette

Sea or Kosher Salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

preparation 

Cut the tomato and red onion with the same diameter or thickness.  Place one slice of tomato on one end of your serving dish. Layer a whole slice of red onion on top, slightly offset. Repeat for the remaining slices of tomato and onion. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Drizzle with the balsamic vinaigrette. Crumble the bleu cheese on top. Serve immediately.

For a "tossed" version:

Cut the tomatoes in bite size chunks and thinly slice the red onions. Toss the tomatoes and onions in a bowl along with the balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper. Top with the crumbled blue cheese. Enjoy! 

Strawberry, Mint & Feta Salad

Do you love to eat things sweet and salty? This salad is my go-to when I have that craving. You can substitute the strawberries with your favorite berry. It's a delicious and easy to make low calorie salad. 

ingredients 

1 cup organic strawberries, sliced lengthwise 

1-2 tablespoons of goat's milk feta, crumbled

1 tablespoon fresh mint, roughly chopped

preparation

Toss all three ingredients in a bowl and plate. Serve immediately. Enjoy! 

Grilled Creole Shrimp with Mixed Greens

Aren't these shrimp beautiful, succulent and colorful? I love making these as an appetizer or a last minute dinner.  My boy, the grill and a girl are the perfect cooking trifecta. We believe in deveining and gutting both sides of the shrimp because it really grosses us out.  

ingredients

4-6 or 1 pound wild caught raw shrimp

1-2 tablespoons of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

1-2 freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice

2 cups of mixed greens or mache, washed and dried 

preparation

preheat the grill to medium high. 

For the shrimp:

Peel the shrimp, devein and wash the shrimp.  Add shrimp in a bowl. Season by sprinkling 

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning on both sides of the shrimp and squeeze fresh lime or lemon juice. Let it marinate for about 10-15 minutes. 

Grill the shrimp for about 2-3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Shrimp cooks very quickly and easily can become overcooked and chewy. 

Arrange the salad on a plate. Place the grilled shrimp on top of the salad and squeeze the fresh lime or lemon juice over shrimp and salad. Serve and enjoy! 

Avocado, Jicama & Papaya Salad

If tacos and burritos aren't your thing and you love salads, you must make this salad for Cinco de Mayo. I used Mexican papaya; it comes in a football shape, and is mostly found in Mexican supermarkets.The jicama adds a wonderful crunch. If you finely chop the ingredients you can use it as a salsa to compliment tacos or grilled fish or meat. The squeezed lime brings out the flavor in this salad. 

1/2 cup of chopped papaya (skin and seeds removed )
1/2 cup of chopped avocado
1/2 cup of chopped jicama (peeled)
5-7 sprigs of cilantro stems removed
1-2 limes (squeezed throughly over the salad)


Gently mix first four ingredients in a bowl.  Serve with lime wedges. Squeeze lime throughly over the salad. Enjoy!