Brussel Sprout, Cauliflower & Mushroom Hash

 

Can I let you in on a little secret? I’m a little bit obsessed with brussel sprouts. These little cabbage-like balls of goodness are so tasty and so surprisingly versatile. As soon as brussel sprouts are in season, I pounce. Brussel sprouts tend to appear at the local markets sometime in November and I totally dance a little jig when I see that bucket at my favorite market stand for the first time in the seaons. And sometimes, during the fall and winter holidays, I get all silly and buy them on the stalk. Because I am fancy like that. But really, on most days, I toss them with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and just let them roast. But not this time. I went all out with my brussel sprouts.

A lunch with my mom this past fall inspired this dish. We went to this funky pub near her hotel where I had a simple brussel sprout hash with eggs and creme fraiche. The lunch was a perfect treat, and its’ simplicity made me really happy. I knew I had to create a dinner inspired by this dish. I knew that cauliflower would work well with brussel sprouts. And well, mushrooms, because mushrooms. I always add mushrooms to everything. Or so it seems.

I started by caramelizing some diced onion and garlic while I shredded up the brussel sprouts. I like buying my brussel sprouts whole and chopping myself, but I wouldn’t hold it against you if you picked up a bag of already shredded brussel sprouts over at Trader Joe’s.

Once the onions were done, I added the shredded sprouts to my cast iron skillet. I let those cook a bit while I chopped up my cauliflower. If you wanted a shortcut here, you could also use a bag of that riced cauliflower. I quickly chopped half a head of cauliflower – stalks and crowns. I added that to the pan and let that cook a few minutes before adding in the chopped mushrooms. I continued to let it cook in the skillet for another 7-10 minutes or so, stirring every so often.

I served this brussel sprout hash over some baby spinach and then topped it with a gloriously fried egg. You can also go for a poached egg, if fried isn’t your style. If you’re vegan or just not in the mood for an egg, you can certainly leave it out. It’s all good. This was dinner in our house, but I could totally see this being served again as breakfast, brunch or lunch as well.

Enjoy!


Brussel Sprout, Cauliflower & Mushroom Hash
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil or butter
  • 1 onion, dice
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil or butter (additional)
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1.5 pounds of brussel sprouts, washed and trimmed
  • 4 cups chopped or riced cauliflower
  • 8 oz. cremini or baby bella mushrooms, diced
  • Additional salt and pepper to taste
  • Eggs (optional)
  • Butter for frying the eggs
Instructions
  1. Heat up the oil or butter in a large, deep skillet. I like using my cast iron pan for this.
  2. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add in the onion and garlic let it soften and caramelize.
  3. While the onion cooks, shred the brussel sprouts by halving and slicing thinly.
  4. Add the salt and pepper to the onions.
  5. After about 7 minutes, add in the brussel sprouts. Stir a bit and turn the heat to medium.
  6. Let the brussel sprouts cook down for 3-5 minutes and then stir in the cauliflower and chopped mushrooms.
  7. Mix everything well and let the mixture cook for about 10 minutes.
  8. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  9. Fry up some eggs, sunny side up if you like.
  10. Serve the hash with some fried eggs or salad, or even with some meat - if that's your speed.
  11. Enjoy!

 

 

Creamy Mashed Parsnips

There is often that dinner scene in the movies. The one where everybody sits around a massive wooden table passing around platters of steaming food. The food I prepare is rarely seen in those movies. You never see Ryan Reynolds asking Mila Kunis to “please pass the tofu curry” It just doesn’t happen. They always have amazing bowls of pasta and plates piled high with filet mignon. There’s always a big salad and a serving dish of peas. Why are there always bowls of peas?

Another food that makes it to the big screen family dinner is mashed potatoes. You can always hear the splat of the potatoes as they hit the plate. Peas and mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are homey. There’s something about the creaminess and warmth of the potatoes that tell you that you are home. We never eat mashed potatoes though.
I was looking for that warm and creamy texture when I came up with tonight’s side dish. My kids are not big potato fans and neither am I. This creamy parsnip mash fit the bill.
Creamy Mashed Parsnips
Ingredients:

5 parsnips
1 medium potato
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 cup non-dairy sour cream
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
3 tsp. garlic powder
salt
ground pepper

Directions:

Peel and cube up the potatoes and the parsnips.

Place in a pot.

Cover the cut up veggies with some salted water.

Bring the pot to a boil. Turn down to medium and cook for about 20 minutes or until the veggies are tender.

Turn off the stove.

Drain all but about a tablespoon of the cooking liquid.

Add in the sour cream and olive oil.

With an immersion blender, puree the parsnip mixture.

Add in the spices. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve!

These were great paired with a stew and its’ gravy.

Enjoy!

Creamy Mashed Parsnips

Meatless Monday: Zucchini "Pasta" with Pesto

I am almost ashamed to post such a ridiculously simple recipe. I don’t know why it never occurred to me to make this.

My husband came home on Friday with a massive bag of some very large zucchini. He explained to me that the farmer’s market was closing up and they offered them to him. He isn’t one to say no to free vegetables.

Of course, I do realize that we will be eating zucchini every day this week.

Like every night, I needed a fast dinner for the kids. I had some pesto in the freezer to use up. I thought I would test out this famed low-carb and gluten free pasta idea.

I have a julienne slicer taking up space in my drawer. I love playing with it, but don’t use it as often as I should. Since it only cost about $2 on Amazon, I am not too distraught. This slicer would be perfect for what I had planned with the zucchini.

The verdict? Two thumbs up. My 5-year-old kept asking for more. Will have to make again.

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Zucchini “Pasta” with Pesto
Ingredients:

1-2 large zucchini, washed – 1 large zucchini served 2 hungry kids
2 tsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup peas
1/2 cup pesto
pine nuts
Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper

With your julienne slicer, turn you zucchini in to long thin strips. I cut mine up over paper towels to drain the “pasta” a bit.

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Heat up the oil in a large pan.

Toss in the garlic cloves.

Add in the zucchini noodles and cook for two minutes.

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Add in the peas

Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook for another two minutes.

Sprinkle with some pine nuts and more Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

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