Roasted and Glazed Brussels Sprouts

I am a veggie lover and these roasted and glazed brussels sprouts are absolutely fantastic.  This is another Thanksgiving side dish test.  I adapted this recipe from Guy Fieri's Bumped-Up Brussels Sprouts recipe.  Guy used pancetta in his recipe but I am still in a bacon kick and need to use up all the bacon I have.  I also used a peach flavored balsamic vinegar that I received as a gift from my brother and sister-in-law.  I think it gives a hint of flavor that you don't really know where it comes from but its so good!  These roasted and glazed brussels sprouts are sweet and salty - they may be perfect for Thanksgiving.  If you don't like brussels spourts, you might change your mind with this recipe! 

Roasted and Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Printable Recipes

Ingredients

3 slices of bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 tablespoon capers

1 pound brussels sprouts, halved

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (I used a peach flavor.)

1 tablespoon maple syrup (You may use 2 tablespoons if you want it more sweet.)

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a dutch oven or ovenproof pan, over medium heat, cook bacon and capers.

Remove bacon and capers from pan, and reserve a little of the bacon fat in the pan.

Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and cook until they begin to brown (about 5 minutes).  

Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and olive oil.  Season with a little salt (because bacon and capers are already salty) and pepper.

Place pan into oven and roast about 15 to 20 minutes.  Toss brussels sprouts a few times during roasting time.

Remove from oven and toss bacon and capers with brussels sprouts.  Season with additional salt and/or pepper if needed.

Serves 4 to 6.

Braised Kale with Onions and Bacon

Kale is like the new spinach!  Did you know kale is actually a form of cabbage?  Kale is also high in vitamin C, vitamin K, and especially beta carotene, which is supposedly a great source of antioxidants.  Kale has many health benefits!  So ... adding in just a little bit of bacon is probably okay then, but you could always omit it or substitute turkey bacon.   Enjoy!

Braised Kale with Onions and Bacon

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale

1 tablespoons olive oil

½ onion, sliced

2 slices bacon

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper

Directions

Remove leaves from ribs and stems of kale.  Chop into bite sized pieces.

In a large pan, over medium heat, cook bacon for about 5 minutes or until crisp.   Remove bacon and set aside.  Reserve 1 teaspoon bacon drippings in pan.  (I sliced the bacon before cooking or you can cook the slice and crumble afterwards.)

In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the 1 teaspoon bacon drippings.  Increase heat to medium-high.  Add onions and cook for about 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir occasionally.

Add kale and cook for about 5 minutes or until wilted.   Stir frequently.

Stir in broth and vinegar.  Cover and cook for about 10 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with crumbled bacon.

Serves 4.

Avocado, Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato (ABLT) Sandwich

I like BLT sandwiches, its a classic sandwich with bacon, lettuce and tomato.   You can't go wrong with bacon, but a BLT sandwich is even better with avocados. There you have an ABLT sandwich!  I love using avocados in a sandwich and my favorite sandwiches are always toasted.  I am also a fan of Hellman's Light Mayonnaise, it is the only mayo I will buy.  Did you know that Chik-Fil-A has packets of Hellman's Light Mayonnaise as one of their condiments?  Another reason I love Chik-Fil-A!  :)  But seriously, make yourself an ABLT sandwich soon - you won't regret it.

 

Ingredients

2 slices bread, toasted (I used whole wheat bread.)

2-3 slices bacon, cooked (Feel free to use turkey bacon too.)

1 roma tomato, sliced

½  avocado, sliced

lettuce (I used a spring salad mix)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I use Hellman’s Light Mayonnaise.)

 

Directions

Toast 2 slices of bread.  Spread 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise on each slice of bread.

 

Cook bacon.  (I cooked the bacon in the microwave - lay bacon slices on top of 2 paper towels, cover with another paper towel, and cook on high for 2-3 minutes.)  Slice avocado and tomato.

Place sliced avocado on top of 1 mayanoise-spreaded toasted bread.

Add bacon slices on top of avocado. You may need to cut the bacon in half.

 

Add lettuce on top of avocado.

Add slices of tomato on top of lettuce.

 

Top with remaining slice of mayanoise-spreaded toasted bread.

 

Enjoy!

Breakfast Burritos

On a weekday morning, I am usually rushing to get out the door and I never have time to eat breakfast at home.  I already try to pack my lunch (if I have dinner leftovers) and I usually bring my coffee to work in my travel mug or I might stop at Starbucks if I don't have time to make it.  The Starbucks is so convenient at work and I try not to go too often but I do have a "gold" card there with my name on it :P  However, I am usually hungry in the mornings when I get to my office, so I might eat a granola bar or sometimes if I remember to pack some cereal.  But those are not a filling breakfast, and I wanted something easy and simple too.  These breakfast burritos are filling and its easy to make a big batch of these!  After I made them, I let them cool and wrap each one in foil.  I put them in a plastic freezer bag and now I can just take one to work and reheat in the  microwave whenever I want. 

Ingredients

1 onion, diced

3 bell peppers, diced

3 potatoes, shredded (You can use premade shredded potatoes or shred your own like me.)

8 eggs

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon parsley, dried (You may use fresh.)

1 pound bacon, cooked and diced (I just cooked the bacon in the microwave.)

large flour tortillas (burrito sized)

2 cups shredded cheese (I used a mixture of mexican and mozzarella/provolone.)

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons oil (I used vegetable oil.)

Directions

Heat a large skillet with about 2 tablespoons oil.  Add in diced onion and bell peppers.  Cook until soft for a few minutes. 

 

Next, add in shredded potatoes.  You may need to add in an additional tablespoon of oil if it starts getting dry.  Cook until browned.

 

In a bowl, beat the 8 eggs and add milk, also add in salt and pepper to taste.

Pour in the beaten egg mixture to the skillet with the onions, peppers and potatoes.  

Stir until eggs are set and cooked.  Add in diced bacon and stir into egg mixture.

Meanwhile, warm tortillas according to package directions.

Spoon egg mixture down center of tortillas.  Sprinkle with cheese.   Fold tortilla into a burrito.

 Enjoy!  I was able to make 9 burritos ... you could make more if you want to use smaller tortillas.