Sauteed Shredded Brussels Sprouts

Christmas is coming up and I wanted to bring you a couple of wonderful side dishes that I'll be serving this year.

One of my favorite celebrity cooks is Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.

I have seen her in person at book signings and talks several times, and own several of her cookbooks. I just love her style of cooking.  She takes simple food and makes them fabulous.  Plus, her recipes are so well thought out and accurate that you can't go wrong with them!

A perfect example of taking something simple and making it fabulous is this wonderful side dish of Brussels spouts.  I saw her cooking on the Food Network the other day with Bobby Flay (another favorite) and they were mixing their two styles for a Thanksgiving feast.  Ina threw together this side dish in a matter of minutes on top of the stove.  Who doesn't love cooking something on the stove when all the prime real estate in the oven is taken?  

Back to the recipe...it has 5 ingredients.  Yep! 5 INGREDIENTS of which salt/pepper, oil, and butter are three of them.  This dish couldn't be easier.  But yet, it tasted spectacular!  Shredded Brussels sprouts are sauteed in a skillet in oil and butter, then seasoned and drizzled with a syrupy balsamic vinegar.  That's it!  SIMPLE!  Oh!  and you can make start them the day before.  I love make ahead dishes.  It save you so much time during the main event! (See my Kitchen Tip below.)

Kitchen Tip: MAKE AHEAD IDEA - You can shred the Brussels sprouts a day ahead and place them in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel.

You might be saying "Oh, I don't like Brussels sprouts!"  Well let me tell you, these will convert anybody into a Brussels sprouts lover.

Enjoy!



Sauteed Shredded Brussels Sprouts

source:  Ina Garten via FoodNetwork.com

serves 6


2 (12 ounce) packages Brussels sprouts, ends and brown leaves trimmed
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon syrupy balsamic vinegar

Place the Brussels sprouts in the feed tube of the food processor fitted with a large slicing disc.  (There is no need to core them.)  Process the Brussels sprouts until they're all sliced.

Place the butter and olive oil in a large (12 inch) saute pan and heat it over medium heat.  Add the Brussels sprouts, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and saute them, stirring frequently, for about 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but still bright green.  Stir in the balsamic vinegar, season to taste and serve hot.

Cook's Note:  Because you're shredding the Brussels sprouts, there's no need to core them.  Place the shredded Brussels sprouts in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel for up to a day.

Honey and Graham Snack Mix

Every evening when MGG comes home he immediately starts snacking.

He looks around the kitchen for little bites of something, not really anything in particular to snack on.  It could be some crackers, a piece of chocolate, or some hummus.  Really anything.

They guy has no control when it comes to snacking.  I'll go in the other room and come back and find he's eaten a LOT of something.  This has been a problem that I've had to tackle for quite some time.  On top of the fact that he doesn't seem to gain weight (I hate that!) with all this eating it does force me to be creative by keeping healthful snacks around. Grapes are always good.  However, sometimes you just want a little sweet/salty something.

This led me to make on of our favorite snack mixes.  I make a big batch of this cereal based mix and keep it in a big storage container for easy grabbing, cause I know when he walks through that door all bets are off and the snacking is on!

Cereal is a really good choice for snacking.  I'm sure you do it too.  This particular mix has a couple of our favorites. Fiber One makes a great Honey Clusters which provides you with extra fiber.  The Golden Grahams is more savory and blends well. I added a sweet salty nut and some raisins this time around.  Dried cranberries are another favorite to substitute for the raisins.  Make it your own.  It's all good.

So I feel better now that his snacking is a little healthier than before.  No cooking involved with this one, which is a plus!  

We both enjoy this cereal type "trail mix".  I'm sure you will enjoy it too!

Happy snacking!



Honey and Graham Snack Mix

serves 16

3 cups Fiber One Honey Clusters cereal

3 cups Golden Graham cereal

1 1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts

3/4 golden raisins

additional options:  dried cranberries, mini chocolate chips, raisins, dried cherries, yogurt chips, M&Ms, yogurt covered raisins.

In large bowl mix ingredients.  Store tightly covered in a plastic container or storage bag.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I'm having a long term relationship with a rabbit.

Mind you, I love rabbits, and would love to be involved with a fluffy, furry creature for the long haul, but this one is not furry. Or fluffy for that matter.  It's manly.  Yes, I said manly.  How so?  Well it's my better half, Mr MGG himself that is the rabbit.  Or more accurately, he EATS like a rabbit!

I've never met a man you enjoys soup and salad way more than beef and potatoes, or chicken, or pork!  Almost every time (almost) we go out to eat for dinner, I order something hot and hearty, like steak, chicken, tacos, or a wonderful pasta dish and what does he order? Salad, and possibly soup.   I think the stereotypical roles of men and woman's eating habits are reversed here!  What is going on???  

I'm used to it now (almost...ummm, not) but I always feel funny ordering this hearty meal and he gets the light, healthy salad.  But I'm not giving up my treat to have a steak.  So what to do?

Join them I guess!  So since he is such a soup fanatic, I myself was craving a hot hearty chicken soup.  During the chilly evenings I love to have soup and crusty bread for dinner. Reminds me of my mom making her Vegetable Beef Soup. Yum!  The best memories.  So I decided to make us a pot of soup last night, substituting the noodles for wild rice.  I just love rice in soup, don't you?

Kitchen Note:  I used Uncle Ben's wild rice mix which is parboiled and cooks in 20-25 minutes.  Using a regular long grain wild rice mix will require you to adjust the cooking time to about 45-50 minutes.

Nothing beats the flavor of chicken soup, and if you are under the weather a little, this soup will fix you right up.

Simple, quick, and tasty.  That's what this dish is all about. You can have this done in under 1 hour (about 45 minutes) By dicing the vegetables into a smaller dice they will cook quicker.

It's MGG approved, so that means your family will love it as well.  He at 2 big bowls and complimented it all the way. Then he leaned over and kissed my cheek and did the dishes... I guess living with a rabbit isn't so bad!

Enjoy a hot bowl of chicken and wild rice soup tonight.  



Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

serves 4-5

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/2 large onion, diced
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
salt & pepper
10 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon of dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 cup wild and long grain rice mix (such as Uncle Ben's parboiled wild rice mix)

In a medium pot add water (enough to cover the chicken breasts) and bring it to a boil.  Add the chicken breasts and poach for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile to a medium stock pot, add oil and heat over medium heat.  Add onions and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add carrots and celery and cook about 8 minutes until softened.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  

Add the chicken broth, parsley, garlic powder, and thyme and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes.  
Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid and allow to cool slightly and cut the chicken into chunks or shred if you prefer.  Add the chicken to the stockpot.  Add the rice and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Serve.