When it came to choosing what to make, I really left it to them. We settled on brussel sprouts two ways, cauliflower, and salads with homemade dressings. We mostly stuck to the plan, but made a spontaneous quinoa pasta dish that wound up being the favorite of the night! This is a lot for one meal - we were doing a tasting - but they are good recipes to have in your repertoire.
Here are some photos for you to enjoy, and some recipes as well:
For each of the brussel sprout recipes, preheat the oven to roast at 450. You will need a pound, de-stemmed and washed, browning leaves removed, and sprouts cut into halves or quarters, depending on how big or small they are.
For the savory dish, drizzle 1/8-1/4 c. olive oil, and then mix in a teaspoon of dried or fresh rosemary, and a generous pinch of kosher salt.
For the sweet dish, drizzle 1/8 c. olive or avocado oil, 1/4 c. maple syrup or agave (your preference), 1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans, and 1/4 c. chopped dried cranberries or golden raisins.
Both dishes get popped into your oven, top rack, to roast for 20-30 minutes. The sprout leaves should be starting to brown and get crispy, yet they should be fork tender. Serve immediately.
For the cauliflower, mix 3/4 olive oil, 1 tsp. turmeric, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and 2 generous TBSP of sugar in a gallon Ziploc bag. Into that go the large, bite-sized pieces of cauliflower (just don't use the core.) Shake everything well so that the cauliflower is well coated, and pour into a baking dish to roast, also at 350, but for 30-40 minutes. You want it to cook until tender, but with a nice char on the edges. Serve this immediately as well.
For the salad, wash some mixed field greens and serve them with this light, zesty dressing. Whatever you do, do not overdress your salad! You or your family and friends can always add more, but there is little worse to eat than a soggy lettuce. Combine the juice of one lemon, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp white balsamic vinegar, 1/4 tsp dried rosemary and 1 3/4 tsp olive oil. Whisk well before using. This will last in the refrigerator for at least a few days so you can save the excess.
For the pasta, cook a box of quinoa pasta according to the directions. Just be sure to keep tasting it for a good, al dente consistency. Finely chop 1/2 large yellow onion and 2 garlic cloves and sautee them, until wilting and turning golden in a pan with olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt. Then add 1 c. finely chopped mushrooms and 1/2 c. halved cherry tomatoes. Continue to cook until the tomatoes start to break down, and then add 1/4 cup finely chopped spinach or, even better, fresh basil. *You may need to add more oil once the mushrooms are in as they soak up a lot of liquid. Salt to taste and serve immediately over the drained pasta.
All of these recipes were a big hit - I hope they are in your house when you make them as well!
