Roasted Broccoletti

We really enjoy broccoletti (or broccolini, depending on who you ask!) but it is one of those things that is hard to find in the grocery stores.  It seems to be one of those things that we get as a vegetable when we are fortunate enough to go out for dinner (on a kid-free dinner...meaning to a nicer restaurant).  What a surprise when then other day I came across broccoletti stocked in one of our local stores!  I scooped up a pack and was super excited to show my husband.

I decided to prepare the broccoletti similarly to how I prepare asparagus (and so many other vegetables!)...roasted in the oven.  Here is the recipe:

Broccoletti (approx 10 spears)

Olive Oil

Sea Salt (we use Epicure chili garlic sea salt)
Garlic (1 clove, minced)
Red Pepper Flakes

Preheat oven to 325F.

Wash broccoletti, trim end and cut thicker spears in half lengthwise. Lay on a foil-line baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Season with minced garlic, salt to taste and lightly season with red pepper flakes.

Roast in oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until done to your preference.  You may choose to flip the broccoletti half way through.

VERDICT:
Our oldest son was super impressed with the broccoletti.  He kept commenting about how good it was.  Great news that the 5 year old loved it!  My husband and I both also enjoyed the dish - nice, fresh tasting.  Roaseted vegetables are delicious!    

Caramelized Brussel Sprouts

Don't turn up your nose! Give this post a chance...yes, it is about brussel sprouts, and I don't know why they are so disliked :-)  A few weeks back at Scrumptious Sunday #2, The Traveling Spoon posted her recipe for Caramelized Brussel Sprouts.  The recipe caught my eye and I featured it that week.  Well I am here to tell you, I made the recipe and tried a few of her suggestions, and well, you'll have to read on for the verdict :-)

Here is the recipe that I used, based on The Traveling Spoon's eye-catching recipe:

3 slices bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 brussel sprouts, washed and cut
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Cook bacon in frying pan, set aside to cool. Drain off excess grease from frying pan (don't worry about scraping clean, I figure a little extra bacon flavour is good!)

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, warm, and add minced garlic.  Saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add in the brussel sprouts and salt.  Saute for a few minutes until starting to heat through, then add the brown sugar.  Continue to cook and the brown sugar will melt away.  Crumble the bacon and add to the pan.  Serve immediately.

VERDICT:
We are already brussel sprouts fans in our house.  But let's just say...this recipe is awesome!  There was NOTHING leftover.  Nada. Zilch. Empty serving dish!  My husband had THREE helpings, he liked the sprouts that much!  It was a WINNER!  We will be making this again...try this dish and you will become a fan of brussel sprouts!

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Bang Bang Cauliflower

I am really lucky that I have a family that loves vegetables.  My husband has been on a cauliflower kick lately, which works for me....now if only I could get him to eat more salad ;-) Baby steps!

I came across a recipe for Bang Bang Cauliflower online and I thought, what the heck is this?! But of course, the "bang bang" caught my eye, as well as a new way to prepare cauliflower.  Here is my version of the recipe:

1 head cauliflower, cut into florettes and washed
5 tablespoons cornstarch
3 egg whites
3 tablespoons light coconut milk
1 cup panko
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons (approx) vegetable oil
Green onions for garnish

Sauce:
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/8 cup thai chili sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar

In a small bowl, prepare sauce and set aside.

Put the cut cauliflower into a large bowl.  Sprinkle the cornstarch over the cauliflower, and toss to coat.

In a second (small) bowl, mix together the egg whites and coconut milk.

In a third (small) bowl, mix together panko, garlic, powder, salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium.

While oil is heating, start taking the pieces of cauliflower, dip them in the egg & milk bowl, and then dip in the panko bowl.  Once dipped, place cauliflower into the heated skillet.  Repeat until all the cauliflower is in the skillet.  Reduce the heat in the skillet at this point to a medium-low.

Brown all sides of the cauliflower and once the cauliflower is cooked to your liking, remove cauliflower from skillet and put back into the large bowl.  If there is still oil, you may wish to place the cauliflower on paper towls to blot out any extra oil before putting back into the large bowl.

Once all the cauliflower is back in the big bowl, pour on the sauce and and stir to coat the cauliflower.  Add green onions for garnish and stir immediately.  Note - this uses a full head of cauliflower, so there is a LOT, you may want to adjust the recipe accordingly.

VERDICT:
While out four year old was not a fan (there was too much spice for him), my husband and I were addicted.  It was hard to stop eating the cauliflower.  The subtle spice kept pulling up back in!  Needless to say, we got our veggie fill for dinner.  Because I made the recipe with the full head of cauliflower we did have lots leftover - next time I would probably half the recipe and use the other half to steam and "baby bullet" for our baby.

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