Shredded Sprouts Salad

I have always been terrified of brussels sprouts.  They just don't sound good, and until recently they've only been featured as a weird ingredient on the menu that no one really orders, like liver and onions.  But these little veggies, they've made a comeback!  And with good reason, they're actually delicious!



My mom makes a brussels sprouts recipe where she keeps them whole and then cooks them in bacon fat.  I much prefer the shredded version.  When it's whole, the outside gets cooked and caramelizes but the inside often remains a bit raw.  Raw brussels sprouts have a very strong cabbage flavor, which is probably the flavor that gave these babies a bad rep in the first place.  So step 1 in making them delicious - shred your sprouts.



Of course, everything tastes better with bacon.  Step 2 is to fry them up in bacon fat.  Sprinkle back in the crumbled bacon.  You won't be sorry.  Even 1 piece of bacon in the whole batch goes a long way.  If you don't eat pork, use turkey bacon and fry them in butter or oil, still does the trick.



Step 3 is balsamic vinegar.  It gives the perfect bit of acidity while adding some sweetness to the sprouts. Sprouts need balsamic.  They were meant to be together.

Finally, cheese.  Like bacon, everything tastes better with cheese.  Asiago is fantastic because its a little salty and it's plenty hard to grate in easily.  I'd like to say you can never have enough cheese, but a little goes a long way here.



This recipe is my favorite vegetable side dish, maybe ever.  I can gobble up a whole batch on my own.  I almost never make a dish more than once (I love trying new things) but I've made this probably 5 times now and I'm dreaming about making it again tonight.  Even the Monkey Scientist, who claims to hate brussels sprouts, loved this dish.  Leave it to Jessica, a self-proclaimed veggie hater, to bring me the best thing to happen to brussels sprouts since...well ever.  Now go home and make these, you won't regret it!



Shredded Sprouts Salad
from How Sweet Eats

Ingredients
2 cups whole brussels sprouts
1/2 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter or bacon fat
1 slice bacon, fried and crumbed
1/2 ounce grated asiago cheese

Instructions
1. Cutting the stems off of the brussels sprouts.
2. Add sprouts to a food processor and pulse until sprouts are tiny shreds. Do it manually so you can control the size of the shreds. You want some larger pieces and you don’t want them to be crumbs!
3. Melt butter or heat up bacon fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shredded sprouts, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute for about 5-7 minutes, or until sprouts are browning. Add vinegar, salt, and pepper while stirring and make sure sprouts are all coated. Saute for another 1-2 minutes. Remove and plate.
4. Top with crumbled bacon and a small sprinkling of asiago cheese. Devour!

Tomato Braised Chicken with Kale

When I got back from New Hampshire, I had NO food in my apartment.  I ate terribly the whole time I was home, so I knew I had to make something a little healthier for a change.

Even though I know it's a healthy protein, I rarely buy chicken breast because it is so expensive, but I found a small pack of Purdue chicken breasts and had a $0.75 off coupon (which my grocery store doubles!) so I managed to make it affordable.  I also already had asiago cheese from making my favorite shredded sprouts salad - I really need to share that one on here - so this recipe seemed a natural to make.

I did manage to fill my apartment with smoke while browning the chicken.  I recommend chopping the onions and kale etc ahead of time so that you can keep an eye on the chicken and not do what I did.

This was a great recipe overall.  I was trying to cut down on carbs, but I think it would be really good served over brown rice or quinoa.  I really kicked up the spice with the red pepper flakes... as I usually do... and I really enjoyed it.  Kale has a little bit of a funny taste, so I might try it with a different green next time.

Tomato Braised Chicken with Kale

from my kitchen addiction(Serves 2 - 4)

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces boneless chicken breast (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 cup Asiago cheese, shredded
• 2 thin slices prosciutto
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake (for a less spicy sauce, just use a pinch)
• 8 ounces fresh kale, chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Pound out the chicken until it is flat and about 1/2 inch in thickness.  Top each piece of chicken with half of the shredded cheese and a slice of prosciutto.  Roll up the chicken and secure it with a toothpick or two.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat.  Sear the chicken on each side in the oil, then transfer to a plate and reserve for later.

Add the onion, garlic, basil, oregano, and red pepper to the pan.  Saute until the onion is translucent and tender, about 4 – 5 minutes.  Gradually stir in the kale and wilt it down into the onions and garlic.
Deglaze the pan by adding the red wine and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Stir in the crushed tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper.

Nestle the two pieces of chicken down into the sauce and transfer the skillet to the preheated oven.  Bake until the chicken is cooked through (I recommend a meat thermometer here – 165°F in the center), about 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to rest for a few minutes and adjust the seasonings on the sauce.

After about 5 minutes, remove the toothpicks from the chicken, and slice across the pieces of chicken to make small spirals. Serve the chicken and sauce together with pasta or rice.