If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know my disdain for brussel sprouts.  Yeah…If you ask my husband, he will tell you that I pretty well hate them.  There are many vegetables (and even some fruit varieties) I can say that I’m not fond of, but I tolerate for their nutritional value.  Brussel sprouts don’t even fall into that category.

When the weekly CSA box contains brussel sprouts, I typically drizzle them in olive oil and roast them.  My husband couldn’t be happier that he will likely consume the whole pound single-handedly, for I can’t bring myself to encourage the kids to eat what I cannot even force myself to eat.

I’d seen a few recipes floating around the internet for a raw brussel sprout salad.  A few of my favorite bloggers have made them.  To say I wasn’t convinced would be an understatement; however, shredding the spouts like cabbage for cole slaw and topping with a dressing seemed slightly promising. What did I have to lose?

All I have to say is…GAAAHH!  The sprouts and the nuts give it crunchiness, the dressing has just the right tang, the dates add the perfect amount of sweetness.

I had two bowls.

The next day I ate another.

Two weeks ago I traded out bean sprouts for (gasp) MORE kale at the CSA and now….now?  I’m wondering when we will be getting brussel sprouts again!

brussel sprout salad with walnuts and honey mustard dressing

1 pound fresh brussel sprouts, woody ends trimmed off

15 Medjool dates, pitted

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted in a small dry skillet over low heat until fragrant (about 8 minutes)

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

Juice of one lemon

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp honey

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or in a Mason jar.

Halve the brussel sprouts and place in a food processor.  Pulse in small intervals, checking the consistency after each time so as not to over chop.  It should be roughly like a finer cole slaw consistency.  Alternatively, You can use a mandolin to shred them for more control over the texture.

Remove the shredded sprouts to a large bowl.  Pulse the walnuts in the food processor in the same manner.  Add to the sprouts.  Next, pulse the dates and add them to the salad.

Add dressing to the salad and toss to combine.

This tastes best the day you make it, but keeps well for one day (it just loses a little of the crunch).

The melt-in-your mouth pork nachos from this truck might cause me to become a stalker!

Remnant of an interesting old doorway in Clipper Mill
Abandoned building.  Wondering what this used to be.
gathering at Union Craft Brewing
This is what the garage looks like when you get off work at 11:30 pm Twice a year:  out with the old season and in with the newweekly Friday afternoon happy hour date  Late night tapas and Lazy Susan cocktails (in honor of Preakness) at the Rumor Mill Leading in the category of “beautiful shoes that I have no business buying because I’ll never wear them”Watched this fascinating documentary.  I have three print reproductions hanging in my hallway and new visitors to the house sometimes ask “Did you take those?” One of these times I’m just going to say yes (as if!).The weekly reads

My son and his friend drifted upstairs from the family room where they had been playing video games.

“It smells so good in here.  What’re you making?”

I told him there were brownies baking (which he probably guessed anyway) and that they were welcome to have some in a bit after they had cooled.

About an hour passed and the two of them were sitting at the counter, eating their brownies, elbow-to-elbow.  The murmuring went something like this:

“I’m pretty sure they’re chocolate.”

“Maybe they’re red velvet.”

“They have red bits in them.”

“I don’t know, but they’re good.”

Finally, my son spoke up.  ”What are the red bits in the brownies?”

I told him they were beets.

“WHAT?!”  They pushed their plates away.

“Why did you have to ruin perfectly good brownies with vegetables!” he asked.

I’m not sure if there’s a lesson is to this story.  As parents of young children, we were always trying to sneak in vegetables, but once they reach a certain age and become wise to your shenanigans, it’s more difficult to get away with it!

I first got wind of these brownies while I was working as a packer at a farm last summer.  I overheard the farm owner and her daughter, Casey, talking about how delicious  they were (and how good they were selling at their farm stand).  When Casey sent the recipe out in her weekly email which features recipes using produce from the current week’s CSA bounty, I was more than a little intrigued.  These brownies have a more of a mocha-like flavor to them (even though they contain no coffee) and while I still pledge allegiance to these brownies from my youth, I definitely recommend this healthy alternative!

Casey’s chocolate and beet brownies (adapted barely)

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 cup cooked beets, pureed

4 eggs

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup packed brown sugar or sucanat

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup ground flax meal

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan (or spray with non-stick cooking spray.  I use this one)

Melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter in a small pan or double boiler over low heat.  Remove from heat when smooth and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy.  Add brown sugar and vanilla extract and mix to incorporate.  Mix in beets, chocolate mixture, and applesauce.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and spices.

Add dry ingredients to the chocolate/beet mixture until incorporated.

Fold in almonds, flax meal, and chocolate chips.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

After years of lusting after the dressing served on the small salads at various Hibachi grills and sushi restaurants, I think I’ve finally got it!  The combination of cucumber and radish in this salad is crunchy, ridiculously refreshing, and packs well in a picnic.

cucumber and radish salad with ginger miso dressing

for the dressing:

1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp sweet white Miso paste

2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tsp toasted sesame oil

2 Tbsp water

2-3 cucumbers, sliced thin (peeled or not according to preference)

4-5 radishes, sliced thin

chopped assorted fresh herbs (optional)

In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.  Serve alongside salad.  Refrigerate unused dressing.

white pants before Memorial Day.  I’m such a maverick! (not)

don’t usually wear nail color, but loving this one lately-Pilates hottie by Essie

breakfast: egg white scramble with cremini mushrooms, toast with cremed honey, fresh squeezed orange juice

Sometime during every Washington Capitals home game (usually the third period), the “Unleash the Fury” video clip is played and whips the crowd into a frenzy!  

We got to go to game two of the playoffs, Caps vs Rangers.  Caps won in OT!

After game pizza at Fuel while waiting for the Metro crowds to die down

Saw this  in the garage while walking to my car after work.  I needed that laugh!

My B/W sunflower photo looks kinda like an eye

Ziggy’s favorite place to curl up lately-right in the middle of my thinking space

Only 10 months after buying the new car I was rear-ended by a new driver

Trying to root some clippings of this Vinca for my flower boxesPreach, Bloo!
On the Metro heading to the Caps game

Sometimes a girl just needs some meat.

My very occasional encounter with meat is usually of the burger variety (and even then, I’m quite satisfied with the leaner bison burger).  But now that grilling season is upon us, sometimes a girl also wants a steak.

The marinade calls for lime and tequila, one of my favorite spirits.  There’s nothing quite like a traditional homemade margarita (none of those store bought mixes, please!) or a good sipping tequila.  And when it comes in a truly badass bottle…well, all the better!

This Añejo tequila is made by Kah and each tequila type is packaged in a unique artisan skull bottle.  Like I said, badass (and yeah, a little creepy).  Also, not the tequila you want to use to cook (I bought a bottle as a birthday gift for my brother and I just had to show you the bottle!).  It’s smooth for sipping.  A Reposado is fine for cooking or mixing.

Slice it and serve in tortillas with jalapeños and avocado for tacos.  I ate the leftovers with eggs for breakfast the day after.

Tequila marinated steak (adapted barely from The Boys Club)

1 Tbsp onion powder

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

one small jalapeño, minced

4 ounces tequila

1/3 cup olive oil

1.5 pound top round steak

Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl and place with steak in a ziploc bag.  massage gently to coat steak.  Place in refrigerator and allow to marinade for 4-6 hours.

Remove from refrigerator one hour prior to grilling.

Grill to your desired doneness.  Let sit for 15 minutes before slicing.

Spent a beautiful afternoon on a blanket at a winery and saw this.

All the puppies

Little league started this past weekend.  The day was like Americana on steroids complete with a parade, fire trucks, hot dogs, etc. Things that are locked at Wegman’s Every year, I place the new school photo on top of the old.  This year I spread them all out and had a good cry.

Do you ever get like this?  I know I do!
Wine tastes better when you’re sprawled on a blanket on a rolling countryside in the sunshine.I think he’s going to catch it!

Serve this for supper with a salad (or some crusty bread if you’re feeling the need for more carbs…no judging here).  Delicious, also, for brunch as an alternative to the usual home fries.

Possible add-ins?  Spinach, shredded cooked chicken, asparagus, cooked ground chorizo or chopped bacon, mushrooms.  Be your creative self.

potato and onion frittata

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, yukon gold or red skin (skins on), sliced to 1/4 inch thickness

one large yellow onion, chopped

3 Tbsp olive oil, divided

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

pinch cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp fresh thyme

3 large eggs

8 egg whites or one cup 100% natural egg whites

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

in a large bowl, toss potatoes and onions with 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt.  Spread on two large rimmed baking sheets.  Roast in oven until tender and brown, tossing and flipping halfway through cooking, about 40-45 minutes.  Remove from oven.

whisk eggs and egg whites in a large bowl.  Add 1 tsp salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, thyme, and smoked paprika.  Fold in potato and onion mixture.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in 10-inch cast iron skillet or oven safe skillet on stovetop.  Remove from heat and pour in potato mixture.  Spread evenly in skillet.

Place skillet in oven and bake until egg is firm and puffy, about 8-10 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Cut into wedges to serve.

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There’s not much I can say about what has happened this past that hasn’t already been expressed.  The anger, sorrow, and the question of why just simply cannot be comprehended.  In her post on her blog, Foodloveswriting, Shanna writes “It seems to me that the beauty in this world is ever in conflict with the darkness that is also always present.”  As Christians, the promise of a world with no more pain gives us the hope to navigate through the brokenness that will always be a part of this world.

Last summer I visited Boston for the first time.  This week I decided to post a few of my favorite photos from that trip.

I mentioned a few posts back that I bought a juicer.

I know what you’re thinking…  They’re kind of trendy right now.

But the the thing is this:  I am, without a doubt, the top consumer of vegetables in my house and even with all of the creative, wonderful ways I have found to cook vegetables since joining the CSA two years ago, sometimes I can’t keep up each week.  Although I add the green leafy veggies to breakfast smoothies, I couldn’t use up my weekly share of kale and spinach.  I even attempted to blend vegetables in my blender with a bit of water and then strain it (a suggestion from a few fellow bloggers)-gross and messy!

Enter the juicer.  I did my research, and you should too, if you’re considering buying one.  One of the great things about a juicer is that there is minimal prep time in getting the fruits and vegetables ready.  Sure, you have to wash everything, but if you eat organic you don’t have to peel a lot of things (depending on the type of juicer you have). Whenever I juice, I’m still in absolute awe at the sheer number of vegetables and fruit I consume in one tall glass!  Several people have told me that they know someone who even uses the pulp in muffins and cakes, but I’m not quite there yet.

The first couple of times I followed some of the green juice recipes out there it tasted, well…less than awesome.  I let my husband try a sip. He scrunched his face up. “Tastes like I’m drinking the ground”, he said.  I had to agree.  After doing a bit more research on flavor combinations, along with  distinguishing the flavors in juice that I liked and dialing back the flavors I didn’t like so much, I came up with this recipe after some tweaking.

Bottoms up!

my favorite green juice

5 kale leaves (at times, I have replaced half of this with other green leafy vegetables-spinach, collards, chard, etc.)

1 medium cucumber

1 apple, cored

1 lemon (some recipes and web sites say you can use the lemon whole, but I prefer to peel it and remove the pith, which gives it a bitter taste)

a knuckle of fresh ginger root, unpeeled (about an inch)

Cut vegetables down to size to fit your juicer.  Pass through a juicer and enjoy over ice.