Return of the Sprouts

I once got in trouble for flushing Brussels sprouts down the toilet... though I should really say trying to flush Brussels sprouts down the toilet, as it ended with a flooded bathroom. The other night when my mother said she was making Brussels sprouts with dinner, I had flashbacks to that unfortunate night and was reminded of my serious loathing for Brussels sprouts. Then I remembered: I have had Brussels sprouts that I enjoyed - nay, loved - at Craigie on Main in Cambridge. They were roasted in duck fat, and were to die for. Though the owner and chef of Craigie, Tony Maws, is a demigod and I knew I couldn't hold a candle to his cooking, those Brussels sprouts gave me hope that an edible sprouts recipe was out there somewhere.

Since we don't often have duck fat laying around the kitchen, I told my mom I would be in charge of the sprouts and set off to find a recipe. I didn't have to look far, as obviously good old Ina had a great one.

Roasted Brussles Sprouts (adapted from Ina Garten)

3 cups Brussels sprouts

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Wash the sprouts, cut off the brown ends and pull off any discolored leaves. Cut the sprouts in half, and place them in a large mixing bowl.

2. Mix in olive oil, salt, and pepper until the sprouts are evenly coated.

3. Bake on a tray in an oven preheated to 425 degrees for about 35 minutes.

I'll concede that this recipe isn't very exciting, but I wanted to prove that there are alternatives to cooking Brussels sprouts other than boiling them and slathering them in butter. These end up crispy and browned and satisfy any salty, French fry cravings.

Veggie Tales: A Quest for Quinoa

It's been a while since Christina and I have cooked together. Between the holidays and cranking up the job search, I've been cooking more Break n' Bake than bouillabaisse. To make sure we actually followed through on a new recipe, we invited our friends over for dinner! Best part was, they even brought the wine! Though for this recipe, we could've used a glass before they got there.

Christina and I are not the most elegant cooks. The kitchen always becomes a mess, the house fills up with smoke, and there inevitably will be blood. We had 2 out of 3 this time.

Since one of our friends is vegetarian, we thought this would be the perfect night to cook some quinoa burgers! Christina found the recipe a while ago, but I've been itchin' to make this one ever since I heard about it. Quinoa is a grain originally domesticated in the Andes, and is closely related to tumbleweed. Mmmmmmmmm tumbleweed. But seriously, quinoa has becoming the "cool" grain in the past decade because of its nutritional value. I mean it is a POWER HOUSE of a carb. According to www.cookingquinoa.net (yes, there is such a website), it has magnesium, copper and phosphorous making it especially good for those who have migraine headaches, atherosclerosis or diabetes. Its a great source of healthy carbs, has 5 grams of fiber, and 8 grams of protein per serving. And its gluten-free! Hurrah for sufferers of celiacs! But onto the recipe...

If you have a food processor, these "burgers" are a cinch to make. Since we had never used the food processor before, this was our first challenge (I'm still amazed there wasn't more blood). Once conquering that, this recipe only took 35 minutes from start to finish! We decided to make these burgers more like patties so they were easier to put in the whole grain pita we'd purchased. The taste was similar to falafel, but much more moist. It's so healthy and delicious that I know I'll be making these burgers again soon!

Greek-Style Quinoa Burgers
Adapted from Whole Living

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

1 cup Dry quinoa
2 Medium carrots, cut in chunks
10-11 Scallions, thinly sliced
15 oz Great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup Plain dried breadcrumbs (we used Panko Original)
2 Large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tbsp Ground cumin
Coarse salt
Ground pepper
2 tbsp Canola oil
1 cup Plain nonfat Greek yogurt, such as Fage
2 tbsp Fresh lemon juice
4-6 Pitas (each 6-inches)

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, about 12-14 minutes. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, half the scallions, beans, breadcrumbs, eggs, cumin, 2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Pulse until combined but still slightly chunky.
3. Form mixture into 3/4 inch patties, however large you want (be sure to dip hands in cold water to prevent sticking). If you'd like the patties burger sized, the mixture will make about 5. However, if you make smaller ones for easy pita-stuffing or hors d'oeuvres, the mixture should yield approximately 10-15 patties.
4. If too soft, refrigerate patties for 10 minutes to firm. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook burgers until browned and cooked through (smaller patties 2-3 minutes per side; burgers 8-10 minutes per side).

5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, and remaining scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Serve burgers in pita topped with yogurt sauce and lettuce or cucumbers.

(Mis)Adventures in the Kitchen

On Christmas morning, Santa brought me what I had been dreaming about – a Kitchenaid standing mixer. As my mom remarked as I was unwrapping the gigantic box, “some girls want diamonds, you wanted kitchen appliances” (nota bene: I’ll gladly accept diamonds, too). It was everything I have ever dreamed of. I had spent months picking out the perfect color to match my future apartments. I had dreamed of the exciting things I could whip up with ease. Needless to say, I was dying to put it to use all of Christmas Day, but our Puerto Rican pernil occupied our oven for the better part of eight hours. As soon as dinner ended, I jumped on the opportunity to bake my dad’s favorite oatmeal cookies as a thank you to Santa Claus. My elation was short lived. Things with the cookies ended poorly when, as a direct result of me not reading the instructions (whoops), I used the wrong mixing attachment and baked the most bizarre oatmeal cookies in the history of oatmeal cookies.

Every time I walk by my new Kitchenaid, which is often, as it is currently sitting in the middle of our island, I’m tempted by all of the exciting things I can try to make with it – breads, candies, cakes, oh my. However, dreams of future merengues are tainted by those bizarre wannabe oatmeal cookies still sitting uneaten next to my baby. After the cookies, I had been humbled. I realized it was best to start with the basics… and after reading the instructions. So I found a seemingly simple cinnamon roll recipe in my trusted copy of How to Cook Everything and went to work...

Ha. Still fooled that shiny machine that was my BFF mere hours ago. My dough didn’t rise. Nor did it particularly look like dough. In retrospect, cinnamon rolls are probably not the best beginner’s introduction to bread making. To be totally honest, the recipe called for the use of a food processor, but I thought I could out-smart it by using my Kitchenaid, which had to be a far superior machine… ignore the fact that they serve completely different purposes.

So there I was, feeling defeated. Again. I decided to take a break with dough, and bake a batch of my favorite Christmas cookies from an old family recipe. So yes, dear readers (hi, mom!), you have read this far to get the recipe of literally the simplest cookies on the face of the planet. Enjoy!

Molasses Cookies

¾ c. oil

1 c. sugar

1 egg, beaten

2 c. flour

½ t. salt

2 t. baking soday

½ t. ginger

½ t. cloves

1 t. cinnamon

¼ c. molasses

Combine all ingredients. Chill dough. Form into 1 t. balls, roll in sugar, bake at 375˚ for 8 to 10 minutes, until cracked across top.

Allow me to gloat for a quick second – mixing the dough in the Kitchenaid took literally less than a minute. I was astounded. But don’t get me wrong, my Kitchenaid and I aren’t on speaking terms again yet. Don’t expect any more Kitchenaid posts anytime soon. My next adventures will be with what the Kitchenaid recipe book calls “Simple White Bread,” which I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you about in great detail. Once I get those cinnamon rolls down, though, you all will be the first to know.