Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries & Gorgonzola

May 19, 2013

To continue the semi-healthy kick I’ve been on, we have this really interesting main dish/side dish/salad option, chock-full of different flavors and textures just begging to be devoured. I’d found this recipe on Pinterest a long time ago and always meant to get to it, but then months passed and it just lingered there. Decided to finally give it a try recently and was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it, though honestly the cranberries were a little too tart for me—I’d swap them out for something else.

You’ve got brussels sprouts, fresh cranberries, salty Gorgonzola, crunchy pecans, and a sweet maple balsamic dressing with a bite. The recipe calls for cooked barley as well, since it’s meant to be a main dish. I didn’t have the time or inclination to do that this time, but will definitely try it some other time.

I also loved this tip from Cookie + Kate…brussels sprouts are best cooked flat-side down because the heat gets trapped inside the sprout and, in effect, steams it. It’s the best way to get crispy flat sides and cooked insides. It’s one of those things you kind of do intuitively, but knowing WHY helps.

Maple Cranberry Cornbread

Feb 10, 2013

Fresh, hot cornbread is just the best, isn’t it??

The problem with cornbread so often (and why I don’t make it much) is that leftover cornbread is bad. Like dry, get-stuck in-your-throat-and-scratch-up-your-mouth bad. It’s just one of those foods that doesn’t translate to leftovers well. And for one person (that’s me) to try and eat an entire pan of cornbread in one sitting is madness. Not that I haven’t tried…

So while I was most excited initially about the cranberries in this recipe, it ended up being the overall texture of the cornbread and the hint of sweetness from the maple syrup that I ended up loving. The bread was super moist, and retained that texture for the next 2-3 days while I ate the leftovers. I’ll definitely be using this recipe again even without the cranberries.

Now the cranberries themselves weren’t quite what I expected. I figured that the combination of the super tart cranberries and the maple syrup would kind of balance each other out taste-wise, but the cranberries were still quite tart. The solution to this, of course, is to drizzle honey all over the cornbread! The cranberries were really good, but I think I might like cherries or something like that even better.

Healthy Pear-Cranberry Crisp

Jan 6, 2013

I’ve never been a “New Year’s resolution” kind of girl. I figure if I see a change that needs made in my life (eating healthy, weight loss, being nicer), I should do it right away—whether it’s January or August. But I know that lots of people have taken the opportunity of a new calendar year to re-evaluate their lives and make healthier and smarter decisions.

So this one’s especially for you people. Because I’m all about eating healthy and making smart choices, but I’m also all about the fact that sometimes you Just. Need. Dessert. And I’m here to show you that dessert doesn’t need to be a diet-breaker.

I love sweets, but I tend to love things that are lightly sweet, not super rich. My two favorite desserts to make for myself are my healthy peach crisp and a healthy pear-banana pie with streusel topping (with whole wheat crust). These rely on the sweetness of the fruit, whole wheat flour, oats, oil, and the flavor of all the spices.

I used an adjusted version of my peach crisp, and changed up the flavors a little. I had a few pears sitting around and was looking for something to do with them. Pears are my absolute favorite fruit (when they’re actually ripe) and there are so many interesting flavors that partner well with them. This recipe is very forgiving, you can change up amounts and flavors to suit your needs or the size of your pan (it could even make a delicious pie with my aunt’s whole wheat and oil pie crust).

Rosemary-Cranberry Cheese Spread

Dec 12, 2012

Our family’s Thanksgiving traditions are long-standing—tons of great food for lunch, followed by football (playing and watching), cards, then we kind of just snack and eat leftovers for dinner. There’s a veggie platter, plenty of desserts, crackers, chips, and there’s always a cheeseball. The kind my family makes is generally savory, with pimentos and covered in nuts. But this recipe I found on Pinterest intrigued me with its combination of sweet and savory, so I decided to whip it up for Thanksgiving.

Funny enough, we were all so full that we didn’t even get it out on Thanksgiving, but we devoured it a couple days later and it got rave reviews from my family.

Even better, the cranberries were a great Thanksgiving tie-in!