I have a secret.  I always thought brussels sprouts were weird.  I mean, they are mini cabbages, right?  So, what’s the allure?  Whenever I saw brussels sprouts either on a menu or on the table (not at the Healthy Chow house, at a friend’s house), I sort of shuttered.  Who knows why?  The truth is, I had never even tried a brussels sprout.  I thought they looked weird and people would always say (on tv) that they ‘hated’ them.  BTW, when I say ‘people’, I mean Punky Brewster.  I remember how she hated them, but used to always say before going to a commercial break, “I’ll be back before you can say ‘brussels sprout’!”  I think it may have been Punky that seeded the idea in my head that these mini leafy veggies were not so much.  But I digress…

Image Credit – kristievosper.typepad.com

Anyway, while my days of watching Punky B. on tv (hey, that rhymes!) are over (tears streaming down my face), my days of fearing the brussels sprout are also over.  In fact, I can’t believe I ever gave them the cold shoulder in the first place!  And, they are so good for you!  According to WHFoods.com:

Brussels sprouts reduced the development of pre-cancerous cells 41-52% in the colon and 27-67% in the liver, and drastically diminished the size (85-91%) of pre-cancerous lesions in the liver.

…a cup of Brussels sprouts contains a whopping 1122 IU of vitamin A plus 669 IU of beta-carotene, both of which play important roles in defending the body against infection and promoting supple, glowing skin.

Consumption of cruciferous vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, is known to reduce the risk of a number of cancers, especially lung, colon, breast, ovarian and bladder cancer. Now, research reveals that crucifers provide significant cardiovascular benefits as well.

After reading all the nutritional benefits, for Thanksgiving this year, I decided to bring a dish that contained the ever-so-mighty brussels sprout.  I figured, my family can all ‘thank’ me later (get it?).

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Goat Cheese, Dried Cranberries, Chickpeas and Pecans
Serves 10 – 12

• 2 1/2 lbs. of brussels sprouts
• 2 1/2 TBSP of olive oil
• 4 TBSP of orange muscat champagne vinegar (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
• 3 oz. of pecans, chopped (I used Green Valley Pecans)
• 1 1/4 cup of chickpeas
• 1 cup of dried cranberries
• 2 1/2 oz. of goat cheese (I used about half of the tube of the Trader Joe’s brand)
• few shakes of adobo powder
• s&p

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2) Wash and trim your brussels sprouts.  I cut the stems off and discarded any of the outer layers that looked wilted or ‘not-so-fresh’.  I then quartered each sprout (you can just halve lengthwise the smaller ones).

3) Place your prepared brussels sprouts in a large bowl and add the olive oil and champagne vinegar.  Gently toss everything together and make sure all the sprouts are evenly coated.  I used my hands to do this.

4) Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray (I had to use a large baking sheet and a small one).  Spread the brussels sprouts in a single layer on the sheet, making sure they do not overlap.

5) Roast for 35 minutes and add the chickpeas about halfway through.  Add the dried cranberries and pecans for the last 15 minutes.  Shake the pan and move some of the brussels, cranberries and pecans around occasionally while roasting in the oven to ensure even cooking.  You’ll see some of the brussels sprout edges browning and crisping – that means they are done!

6) Transfer the contents of the pan to a large bowl or serving dish.  Season with adobo powder, salt and pepper to taste.

7) While everything is still hot, add your goat cheese.* I crumbled the goat cheese in smaller pieces before adding it to the top of the brussels sprouts.  Gently toss to ensure the goat cheese is evenly distributed.

8 ) Eat, eat, eat!

*If bringing this to a party, I would suggest waiting until the dish has been heated and is about to be served before adding and mixing in the goat cheese.

This dish was a hit at my Thanksgiving dinner table.  While some were a bit concerned that they had never tried a brussels sprout and thus, had some preconceived notions about the miniature cabbages, most ended up really enjoying my dish.  I think what turns people off about brussels sprouts is the fact that they can taste a bit bitter.  By adding orange muscat champagne vinegar and dried cranberries, the dish was subtly sweetened and the bitterness was counteracted.  I also feel that roasting the brussels brought out their natural sweetness and also added to the rustic look of this recipe.  And of course, when you add silky smooth goat cheese and crunchy pecans to anything, it always tastes good!

I guess I can see why the brussel sprout gets a bum rap.  They are sort of odd looking and probably not on the top of the list of vegetables you’d want to eat raw.  But when they’ve been prepared, paired with some great ingredients, graced with some pizazz and basically given a chance, they can turn your world around.  Remember what Punky did for Henry?

“Every time I turn around, I see the girl that turns my world around. Standing there…”

Are there any foods that you’ve grown to love? Or, any foods you ‘thought’ you didn’t like, but actually now love since you’ve tried them?

***Wanna win some free gourmet chocolate?  If that’s a yes, check out Kerstin’s blog for her fantastic Hotel Chocolat giveaway!***

Namasté,
Nicole

***Thank you so much for your patience.  I’m back and I finally have pictures (and boy, do I have pictures!).  Did you miss me?***

Do you have anyone in your life that is tough to shop for?  Someone who has impeccable taste and great style and has one (or more) of just about everything and anything? A person who is so beautiful that nothing you buy her will compare to her beauty? But this human being is very near and dear to your heart and you love her so much that you want to give her something but you just don’t know what?  Well, ladies and gents, let me introduce you to that person.  That person in my life is Mother Healthy Chow (or MHC for short).

As you might have read from my posts a couple of weeks ago, MHC recently had her birthday.  She turned 39 (*ahem-ahem, cough, cough*) and doesn’t look a day older 25.  Being the good daughters that we are, Michelle and I wanted to get a nice gift for MHC.  But we just didn’t know what?  The woman has too much a lot of clothes, more handbags than she ever can carry, fanciful jewelry, mucho make-up, a collection of shoes that can rival Imelda’s or Mariah’s and two amazing daughters (*pats herself on the back*).  What more could she want or need?

Can’t get enough of this pic!

However, even if a person has just about everything, the person’s gotta eat.  So, instead of taking MHC to the latest and greatest resto in the Boston area, we decided to shake-n-bake things up a bit and do something we haven’t done in awhile and should do more often.  Michelle and I decided to cook MHC a birthday dinner! And because MHC just moved in with her boyfriend, Darrell, we decided to make dinner at their newly renovated home.  There’s nothing like cooking in a brand spankin’ new kitchen!

Because Michelle and I were going to be responsible for cooking the whole dinner and bringing dessert, we had to plan in advance what we were going to make and thus, bring the ingredients.  I’m not quite sure how we decided, but we divvied up the courses as follows: sides, salad and dessert – Healthy Chow and main course and dessert – Michelle.  Yeah, I know dessert is mentioned twice.  That’s no mistake!  We wanted a birthday cake-ish treat for MHC, for candle blowing and wish making, as well as some other goodies, for variety and pigging out’s sake.

Image Credits – fundraw.com

While I was planning the few days prior to the dinner party, I chose to make sides that I felt would go with just about anything.  Because Michelle hadn’t told me what she was making as the main course and I didn’t want to keep annoying asking her, I just went with my gut (lame pun intended)  and selected recipes that were tasty and on the ‘healthier’ side.  Thus, I chose to make two recipes I found from Cooking Light - Creamy Parmesan Orzo and Mustard-Dressed Asparagus.  Both recipes received at least 4 out of 5 stars and very good reviews and comments from readers.  In addition, I had made the orzo recipe a few times before and it was delicious and easy and the asparagus recipe seemed healthy and easy.  Done and done! For the salad, I decided to bring mixed greens (baby spinach, arugula, radicchio and frisée) and the ingredients to make a homemade vinaigrette dressing.  So easy-peasy lemon-squeezy!  And for dessert, I just stopped by the store and grabbed brownie bites and chocolate chip ice cream.  You can’t go wrong with warm, soft chocolate baked goods à la mode, right?

I was so excited for this night!  Not only did I want to show off some of my much improved culinary skills, but I also love spending time with my family and I could not wait to see my mother’s new place.  MHC had just moved into Darrell’s condo, which they recently renovated and enlarged by acquiring the adjacent condo unit.  I’ve always loved seeing the interior of people’s homes, but ever since we gave our place a face-lift, my interest has reached a whole new level of appreciation.

Oh my stars!  I thought the ocean view from the outside of their building was incredible; the interior of their home was absolutely gorgeous! I tried not to have any expectations or visions in my head before arriving in order to be totally surprised and when I walked in, I was blown away.  Not only was their condo ginormous, but every detail was carefully paid attention to and flowed seamlessly to the next.  I felt as if I was flipping through the pages of an interior design magazine.

I lurrrrvvve those bamboo floors!

Absolutely beautiful…

Sparkle, sparkle…

I think the food might taste better coming from this kitchen…

Even the spices are cool, or should I say, ’sah-pie-say’!

Now that’s a closet!

My dream come true!

Even the washer and dryer are stylin’!

Darrell loves his shoes, too…

This closet would suit me just fine

An ocean view…

Simply breathtaking…

After receiving the grand tour and getting my groceries for dinner settled, I nibbled on some shrimp cocktail and chips and salsa.  While we told our mother she didn’t have to do a thing, she naturally put out a spread of appetizers and snacks.  What a good lil’ doobie.

It’s a good thing I had to cook or else I’d be full before dinner…

Snacks and sports…

I was having so much fun chatting it up with the party goers that I almost forgot that we were in charge of preparing dinner.  I could see the hungry looks growing, so I stopped munching (for a few minutes) and got started on cooking.  Since all of my dishes were relatively simple to prepare, I picked the one that would take the longest to make and would be the easiest to reheat.  So, I started on the creamy parmesan orzo.  Having Michelle and MHC (she couldn’t stay out of the kitchen for long, nor did we want her to) by my side in the kitchen was so much fun and so helpful.  While I would read off the instructions, one would hand me the needed ingredient and the coordinating utensil.  It was like having my very own sous chefs!

Stir that orzo, Michelle!

Even the birthday girl isn’t safe from kitchen duty!

Love that green!

Once the orzo was about done, I began on my asparagus dish.  Even though the recipe was for asparagus, I decided to add some zucchini since it would give the dish some variety and because I had some just sitting idle in my fridge.  I know, your girl is so resourceful! The recipe called for the asparagus to be boiled, but because MHC had a crazy-arse steamer built into the stove top, I just had to steam versus boil.  It just seemed so cool and high-tech; I had to give it a whirl.  The vegetables took only minutes to cook and the sauce took an even shorter time to prepare.  The key ingredient to this recipe was no doubt the mustard seeds.  They’re little, but they’re powerful (does that remind you of anyone you know?).

I gotta get me one of these…

The Yellow Wonder…(tee hee)

While I was cooking the vegetables, Michelle and her boyfriend, Jonathan began cooking the main dish – chicken saltimbocca.  Jonathan and Michelle make a great team both in life and in the kitchen.  They love cooking together and testing out new recipes.  I was told by the dynamic duo that the trick to making their recipe was to brine the chicken in salt water the night before.  I guess I’ll take their word for it.  It looked dang good! And just as the chicken was about to be taken out of the oven, I whisked together a simple salad dressing using Trader Joe’s Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil, some chopped shallot and salt and pepper.  As I’ve said before, Trader Joe’s never lets me down and he came through for me again that night.  The Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar was divine! It gave the right amount of citrus and zip to the dressing without making it too sweet or weighing it down.  Another winner from TJ’s!

That’s some kickin’ chicken!

I heart TJ’s

Veggie Might!

Finally, dinner was served! MHC did a fabulous job setting up her dining room table for her first dinner guests and her first dinner guests did a fabulous job of dining.  I couldn’t believe how well everything turned out.  Everything was cooked to perfection and tasted wonderful.  Michelle and Jonathan’s chicken saltimbocca was moist and juicy (must be that brining action) and the prosciutto that enveloped it was flawlessly crisped with just the right amount of fresh sage.  Ah-may-zing! And like the chefs who played off of the synergy that was overwhelming the kitchen, the dishes co-mingled with each other fantastically and complemented each other perfectly.

And while I don’t like to brag much, I just want to say that my dishes came out quite well.  MHC loved the creaminess of the parmesan in the orzo recipe and said that the fresh basil was the perfect complement to the dish.  And everyone seemed to really like the mustard sauce on the vegetables.  They said it gave the vegetables a unique flavor.  As for the salad, everyone wanted to know what I used to make the ‘fruity’ dressing.  They truly seemed to enjoy my new found secret weapon from TJ’s and the fact that the salad was tasty without being too greasy or heavy.  Success!

And what would a birthday dinner party be without birthday cake and dessert?  Not a good one in Healthy Chow’s book! Jonathan made a key lime pie that was so light and refreshing, I thought I was having a cocktail.  There was just enough lime to cleanse my palate and the airiness of the filling coupled with the flaky crust was enough for me to want to have seconds.  However, because there were other desserts to sample, I stayed with having only one small (ish) piece and had a scoop of ice cream along with a mini fall-inspired brownie.  I think MHC honestly loved every bite of her birthday celebration.

While receiving a luxurious cashmere sweater, the latest bottle of perfume, a new pair of fall boots, or some fancy handmade jewelry may be a wonderful birthday gift, it’s no match for the gift of time.  Being able to spend time with my mother and sister in her new kitchen laughing, cooking and simply enjoying each other’s company was my favorite part of the night and by looking at my mother’s face, she felt the same way.

Oh, he’s such an angel! Hahahahaha!

Gotcha!

“Isn’t she lovely? Isn’t she wonderfuuuuullll?“

MHC is always appreciative of any gift she receives, but I could tell that this time this gift meant the world to her.  She was so excited for us to finally see her new home with Darrell and to be able to see how our culinary skills had developed.  I think it’s always a gift for a parent to see how their children have matured and blossomed, but it’s also a gift for the child to see their parent being happy in their new life.  While it may have been MHC’s birthday, I feel as though I was the one who was showered with presents.  It was a spectacular night filled with giggles, good times and great food.  While it might have been easier to go to the mall or hop online to buy our mother a birthday gift, it definitely would not have been as much fun, nor would it have been as special.  Being able to create a memorable night, such as our dinner party, is something that everyone should try – it may require a bit of time and energy, but what you get back is immeasurable and certainly priceless.  For the person who has everything, it’s definitely something of which they could use more.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?  Or, what’s your favorite secret ingredient to use?

Namasté,
Nicole