Curried Brussels Sprouts

Curried Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are possibly my favorite vegetable and I am always looking for new ways to prepare them. Last night, I was searching for something that went with the scotch eggs from Well Fed. When I was making this dish, I added my own spice mix, but if you are feeling tired and do not have all of the ingredients, you can always use yellow curry powder.

When I was making this dish, I caramelized some onions create a depth of flavor and add sweetness to the dish.  Caramelizing onions properly takes about 45 minutes of sauteing over low heat. If you want to skip this step, I would add tbs of anchovy paste along with the spices and then add 1 tbs of honey to the dish at the end of cooking.

Curried Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

3 tbs olive oil or coconut oil

1 lbs fresh brussels sprouts halved lengthwise or 1 lb frozen petite brussels sprouts

1 medium sweet onion sliced lengthwise

1 tsp grated ginger

3 garlic cloves minced

1/4 tsp mustard seeds or 1 tsp whole-grain mustard

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground tumeric

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp smoked paprika, if you do not have this use paprika

1/2  tsp chili powder, preferable chipotle

zest from one lime

juice from one lime

1 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

1. In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tbs oil.  When heated add the brussels sprouts cut side down and cook for 5 minutes or until the
   

   Image via wikipedia

   brussels sprouts are browned. If you are using frozen sprouts, rotate them while cooking and cook for 10 minutes or until browned. Remove the browned sprouts to a waiting vessel.

2. Turn the heat down to medium low and caramelize the onions. This process should take 30 – 50 minutes with you stirring every five minutes.  If the onions look like they are going to burn, add more oil and reduce the heat. The resulting onions should taste sweet and have a deep caramel color.
3. When the onions are caramelized, add the oil and then raise the heat to medium. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
4. Add the spices to the oil and stir into the onions.  Saute the spices until fragrant, about another 30 seconds.
5. Add the brussels sprouts and stir to coat.
6. Turn off the heat and add the lime.

You can also prepare the elements of this dish ahead of time, refrigerate, and then reheat in a skillet right before dinner. If you desire, you can also add a fresh tomato to this dish and saute it along with the spices until the juice has thickened.

Onion image via wikipedia.

Coconut Flour Cheesy Biscuits

I was making some sloppy joes and needed something to pair with the meal.  I had already made my smothered kale, but I wanted to try something new.  I have tweaked this recipe and I think I got it just right.  Let me know how you like it!

Cheesy Coconut Flour Biscuits

Bakes at 400 degrees

Makes 8 biscuits

 

Ingredients:

4 large eggs room temp

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/3 cup sifted coconut flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. In a medium sized bowl mix together eggs, coconut oil, salt, onion powder, garlic powder well.

2. Sift the coconut flour and baking soda into the wet ingredients

3. Stir together until well blended – this is sticky stuff.

4. Fold in the cheese.

5. Using either a table spoon or a medium sized cookie scoop,  drop onto a greased cookie sheet.  I covered mine with parchment paper.

6. Bake at 400 degree for 15 minutes.

Baking with coconut flour can be tricky. It’s thirsty and different brands require different amounts of water.  I made my biscuits with Bob’s Red Mill Organic Coconut Flour. If the dough is too dry, I would try adding a small amount of water or cream until it becomes more pliable.

Coconut Flour Peanut Butter Muffins

I had a craving for something sweet. I thought I would try my hand at some peanut butter muffins with coconut flour. I have used coconut flour to make pancakes and 3-minute microwave cupcakes, but never in actual baking.

Coconut flour absorbs a lot more liquid than traditional wheat flour or even almond flour. Also it can be quite heavy and needs to be sifted in most recipes. Because of this, even though coconut flour is expensive, it does go a long way. I purchase Bob’s Red Mill brand organic through amazon.com. It has 8 grams of carbs and 5 grams of fiber per 2 tbs.

I also used Xylitol as the sweetener, which I also purchased through amazon.com. I like xylitol much more than other sugar alcohols, such as erythritol or maltitol. It neither irritates my stomach like maltitol, nor does it have that cooling effect of erythritol.

Overall, these muffins are moist and rich, with a prominent peanut butter taste and a pleasant coconut note in the background.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1/3 cup xylitol
2 tbs coconut oil
2 tbs natural peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sifted coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Method:

1. Add the eggs, xylitol, coconut oil, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt into a bowl and beat until smooth.

2. Sift coconut flour and baking powder into the mixture and mix until smooth.

3. Scoop mixture into a greased muffin tin.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes on a rack placed in the middle of the oven.

5. Remove when the tops of the muffins are lightly browned.

6. Consume with cream cheese or butter.

This makes 6 muffins.