Brussel Sprouts & Butternut Squash with Roasted Garlic

As my Brussel Sprouts & Butternut Squash with Roasted Garlic were roasting in the oven I had about 30 minutes or so to surf the web.  During that time I stumbled upon an eye opening story about how our culture views eating habits today as opposed to yesteryear. 

I remember back in the day when we ate produce that we either harvested from the garden on the front yard bank or from berry bushes in the woods.

Vegetables were a primary staple in our families diet.  Heck my mom fed a family of seven on one chicken, and trust me the chickens back in the day weren't hopped up on steroids which meant they were normal size, small.  One chicken thigh and the gizzard was designated for me.  If we were still hungry, which we were not, then the reply would be "have more salad or veggies".

Lent season started earlier this week and I have decided to give up red meat and pork.  So veggies will be my main focus for the next 40 days.  I love veggies as long as they are prepared correctly.  Correctly meaning roasted or raw, I'm not a big fan of steamed veggies though.

Whoops! I rambled on a bit there, here's the article I was referring to titled “Tastes Worth Dying For,”

By now many of us are familiar with the infamous news of the man who suffered a heart attack last week while eating a Triple Bypass Burger at the Heat Attack Grill in Las Vegas. The very sad part is that onlookers thought it was a stunt and were actually taking pictures of the man’s suffering. Thankfully, as of today, he has survived, but this incident brings up the question, “How did we, as a culture, get to this point?” How did we go from my parents’ generation of surviving the Great Depression by eating dandelion greens and growing gardens out of necessity ~ to today’s Heart Attack Grill slogan that touts, “Tastes Worth Dying For,” and having their 575 lb spokesman die last year at the age of twenty nine? ....Read More

Brussel Sprouts & Butternut Squash with Roasted Garlic
Tossed together some brussel sprouts, butternut squash, a couple of heads of garlic, an onion and any other root veggies you have in the fridge or pantry, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and some dried basil.  Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.  

I've never been a champion of the brussel spout, but when roasted they have a chance to caramelize and end up tasting like nature's candy.  Enjoy!

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White Bean & Pesto Dip with Pita Chips

End of the week and time to clean the pantry and fridge.  I love making meals or snacks from ingredients only found in the pantry at the time.  Turns out we had quite a few items fixen' (Texan for getting ready to y'all) to expire.Fresh herbs on their last leg? Well ours were so rather than throw them away I whipped up this quick White Bean & Pesto Dip and served it with pita chips (the pita bread was about to expire too).

The pesto is made of:

• 1 bunch of Spinach

• 1/2 bunch of Cilantro

• 1/2 bunch of Parsley

• Several sprigs of Basil

• 1/4 C Pine Nuts

• 2Tbsp chopped Garlic

• 3Tbsp Parmesan Cheese

• 4-5Tbsp Olive Oil

• S&P to taste

Wizz it all up in a food processor set it aside about 3Tbsp of the pesto and refrigerate the rest for another day. 

Next, I made the White Bean Dip, which was just:

• 2 Cans of White Navy Beans drained and rinsed

• 1-2Tbsp of Olive Oil

• S&P to taste

Wizz this up in a food processor and pour it into a serving dish. Spoon the reserved pesto on top and swirl with a chopstick or skewer to mix the two colorful flavors together.  Garnish with pine nuts and paprika. 

Cut the pita bread into small triangle, and place on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil sprinkle with salt and toss to coat.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, too half way through.  Remove from the oven when golden brown and crunchy.  Serve with dip. 

Enjoy.

This is also great when served with fresh crudités (French for fresh veggies y'all!)

Roasted Sweet Potato with Herb Pesto & Black Truffle Topping

I heard back in the day, they used to put hot potatoes in their pockets on cold days well....
 
It is cold and sleeting just as the weather man predicted.  We're suppose to get 3-5 inches of the fluffy white stuff.  Snow! I haven't really seen any snow this Winter season, which is fine by me.

There's a sweet potato in the panty and some fresh herbs in the fridge...ahh fresh herbs and thoughts of Spring will turn this dreary day around.

But, before I could get started an urgent errand had to be taken care.  So, before dashing out the door (burr) I threw my medium size sweet potato in the oven, on 350 degrees since it takes about and hour to fully cook a sweet potato.

Once back home I gathered up all the other ingredients needed:

•  1Tbsp chopped Fresh Basil

• 1Tbsp chopped Cilantro

• 1Tbsp chopped Parsley

• 1 minced clove of Garlic

• 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese 
• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/8 tsp Coarsely ground Black Pepper

The first topping for the sweet potato is a herb basil pesto- without the pine nuts.

Once the herbs are chopped and the garlic is peeled and minced, it gets tossed into the mortar & pestle.  Drizzle in the EVOO and grind away making sure to pulverize those garlic bits.  Grind! Smash! Grind!

Okay you should have a nice paste in the bottom of your mortar at this point and you can stir in the Parmesan cheese. Set it aside. 





Lastly, in a small bowl we'll throw together the second topping; a dollop of Truffle Yogurt.  Nothing could be easier, all you need is:

• 2-3 Tablespoons of Fat Free Greek Yogurt

• 1 tsp Black Truffle Olive Oil

• Paprika (optional)

Mix together all the ingredients and set them aside.  Check on your potato, if it's been an hour than it should be done.  Put it on a plate, split it open and smear on the herb basil pesto followed by the truffle yogurt. 

It's that simple! I could have just nuked the potato and put a pat of butter on it and called it a day-but taking just a few extra minutes to make the pesto and dollop turns this into an indulgant meal. The aroma of the basil and truffle oil mingling together is out of this world.  Enjoy!

Yup, it's snowing and that's why I am cuddling up to a very warm lunch.






Nutritional Report via MyFitnessPal: Calories:147  Servings:2  Protein:6  Fat:20  Iron:5  Sodium:159  Fiber:4  Sugar:11  Cholesterol:3  Carbohydrates:25  Potassium:567