Wegmans' Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Tomato Pesto

These are a hit at the store with both employees and customers. The walnuts are optional, I'm not a huge fan of them. I also use more than 3 Tbsp. of the tomato pesto sauce- I use the whole jar. Feel free to add other things, but the original is exceptionally tasty, enticing both children and veggie-haters to try the infamous Brussel sprout.

2 lbs. Brussel sprouts, halved if small, quartered if large
1 jar Wegmans' tomato pesto sauce
1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp. Wegmans' Basting Oil
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Toss the sprouts in the basting oil, some salt and pepper, and 1/2 the jar of pesto. Add in the onion pieces. Lay flat on a baking sheet and roast at 350 F for about 45 minutes, or until loose leaves are dark brown and crunchy, and sprouts are slightly browned. Toss with rest of the sauce. Add in your walnuts if you choose.

Italian White Fish, Roasted Red Pepper Zucchini Noodles, and Mashed Cauliflower +Bonus Soup!

Italian White Fish

2 large white fish fillets (can be cod, halibut, tilapia)

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. parsley

1 tsp. basil

1/3 c. parmesan cheese

1/4 of a bunch of green onions, chopped finely, set aside for AFTER cooking the fish

Grease/butter a casserole dish or pan. Lay out fish evenly; try not to overlap. Combine all spices in a small bowl and sprinkle over the fish evenly. Sprinkle over the parmesan, using more or less as you please. Bake fish at 350 F for 20ish minutes, or until parmesan starts to turn golden. Serve over the zucchini noodles. Top with green onion.

Zucchini Noodles 

in Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

2 medium zucchini, washed (or more, depending on how much pasta you want. Do about 1 small/medium zucchini per person)

2 red/orange bell peppers

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. low sugar tomato pasta sauce

Wash peppers. Place on a pan and bake at 450 F until soft and skins start to peel. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Peel off skins carefully. Cut out the seeds and stem. Puree in a food processor/Ninja. Add 1/2 c. heavy cream and 1/2 c. tomato sauce. Puree again to combine well. Add some salt and pepper to taste.

Use your kitchen tool of choice to julienne the zucchini. You can use a peeler, a special julienne tool, or a veggie spiralizer. Place zucchini noodles into a medium pot and pour 1 cup of the sauce over it. Allow to simmer until zucchini is soft. Sprinkle grated fresh parmesan over top when plated. 

Bacon & Chive Mashed Cauliflower

2 c. chicken broth

1 large head cauliflower

1/2 c. heavy cream

8 oz. cream cheese

3/4 of a bunch of green onions, chopped

1-2 Tbsp. chives

3 slices bacon, cooked, grease reserved

Spices: garlic and onion powder, salt, black pepper

Wash and chop up the cauliflower into small florets. Place in a microwave safe bowl. Add the chicken broth, chives, heavy cream, green onions, and spices. Microwave for 6 minutes in high. Stir, add the cream cheese, and cook another 6 minutes. Put bacon and grease into the bottom of the food processor/Ninja and put 95% of the cooked cauliflower into the processor. Whatever liquid and cauliflower is leftover (should be about 2 cups), set aside. Puree the bacon and most of the cauliflower until smooth. 

Bonus Soup! Cream of Roasted Red Pepper

Take 1 cup of the leftover red pepper/tomato/cream sauce and add to the rest of the chicken broth/cream/cauliflower liquid (about 2 cups). Add some salt and puree in a food processor to mix well. Heat and serve. It was creamy, frothy, and surprisingly light. I had already dug into it before I decided to take a picture. Oops. :)

Cream of Chicken and Mushroom Soup

This is a nice comfort food, or even a base for another dish. I ended up blending with my stick blender which created lots of teeny chunks of chicken which affected the texture. But nevertheless, it was very creamy and delicious.

3 c. chicken broth
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

~7 (or 2 c. chopped) baby bella mushrooms (cremini is ok too)
5 Tbsp. Kerrygold butter (salted)
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. sage
1 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
1 medium onion, finely chopped (I used my Ninja)

1 lb. chicken, breasts or thighs, or a mix
2-4 Tbsp. regular butter
Chicken seasoning (I used onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, poultry seasoning, and black pepper)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Over medium heat, melt regular butter in skillet, lay chicken carefully into skillet and sprinkle on spices listed under chicken seasoning. Cook on one side then flip and season again. Place partially cooked chicken on a baking pan and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 165 F. (You can do step 2 while you wait.) Remove from oven and let cool. Chop up the chicken into centimeter sized chunks using a sharp knife and a cutting board. Set aside

2. Wash the mushrooms and chop them into small pieces, about centimeter sized cubes. Wash and chop (or Ninja) the onion as well. In a nonstick pan, melt the kerrygold and toss in the chopped mushrooms and onion, Add the spices and Worcestershire listed. Start on a higher heat and move to a simmer. Let simmer until mushrooms are greatly shrunk and the butter is nice and brownish. (While you are waiting you can pull the chicken out of the oven and do step 3) Do not let it burn! There should be enough butter to ensure it doesn't burn. Add in the 1/2 c. cream. Let simmer a few more minutes.

3. In a large soup pot, bring 3 c. of chicken broth to a simmer. Add in the poultry seasoning. Add your chopped, cooked chicken and the cooked mushrooms. Add in another 3/4 c. cream. Season to taste. I like a dash of cayenne pepper. Let simmer until nice and hot. Serve and enjoy!

Thanksgiving Menu Preview!

Appetizer

Rye Crisps with Dip (TBD)

Main Course

Roasted Turkey with Gravy

Side Dishes

Garlic & Bacon Mashed Cauliflower

Green Bean & Mushroom Casserole

Sausage Stuffing

Tomato Pesto Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Cranberry Sauce

Dessert

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Cranberry Sauce and Simple Green Bean Casserole

Cranberry Sauce

I decided to try to make a cranberry sauce that was sugar free, and it's actually quite easy. I used Ocean Spray diet cranberry pomegranate and cranberry cherry juice in mine. If you just want the cranberry flavor, use their original diet flavor.

Ingredients:
1 12 oz. bag cranberries
3 c. Ocean Spray diet cranberry juice
1/2 to 1 c. stevia or Splenda (depending on your sweetness preference)
1 squirt orange MiO (optional)
2 tsp. xanthan gum

Wash cranberries and place in a pot. Add cranberry juice and sugar. Bring to a boil and let simmer until all cranberries pop. Add MiO if you want. Remove from heat and stir in xanthan gum. Try to get out all the clumps. Chill until ready to serve.

Notes: I've never made cranberry sauce before, and while it turned out pretty good, the cherry and pomegranate flavors from the juice seemed to sort of overpower the cranberries themselves, so that's why I have the plain one in the recipe. Also, I think I let the cranberries cook for too long because the skins came completely off and rolled up into little chewy tubes. Not too appetizing, so I will not boil it as long next time. Also, be very careful when adding the xanthan gum because it clumps fast. May be do like they do with cornstarch and add it to some warm water before adding into the pot? I will be making this recipe again soon to fix some of the kinks.

Simple Green Bean Casserole

I absolutely love green bean casserole, but the cream of mushroom condensed soup has about 6 g net carbs per 1/2 c., and the flavor of canned green beans isn't so pleasant anymore. I used fresh green beans, cream, and fresh mushrooms in this deliciously creamy casserole.

Ingredients:
~24 oz. bag green beans
1.5 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. mushroom broth or chicken broth
1/2 red onion
3 Tbsp. butter
20 white mushrooms (1 small package)
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. xanthan gum
salt and pepper
3 strips bacon (optional)

Pan fry or cook bacon in the microwave. Let cool and crumble. Poke some holes in the bag of green beans for ventilation and microwave for about 5 minutes or until green beans are bright green, steaming, and soft. Using kitchen shears or clean scissors, chop green beans into ~2 inch pieces. Place in a casserole dish. Rough chop and saute red onion in 1 Tbsp. butter until slightly soft. Add to casserole dish. Wash the mushrooms and chop them into roughly 1/2 inch sized cubes, or large slices if you prefer. Saute in 2 Tbsp. butter until reduced and soft. Add to casserole dish. Add cream and broth to dish. Add garlic, and salt and pepper to your liking. Add in the crumbled bacon. Bake at 350 F for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and mix in xanthan gum to thicken. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving to allow xanthan gum to set. The cream should coat the beans.

Homemade Coffee Creamer

Coffee creamers may last a long time, but they contain highly processed soybean oils (that may be partially hydrogenated: aka the dreaded trans fats), and corn syrup (the second ingredient). For quite a long time now I've been looking for a non-Nestle sugar free coffee creamer, and I've only found one, which I was not impressed with. I try as much as possible to boycott Nestle and their products due to their company's dubious and sometimes downright disgusting ecological record (Just read up on what they did to a small town's water supply in Michigan). So, in the interest of health and ecological responsibility, here's my super simple recipe for coffee creamer:

Thicker version (24 cal/Tbsp.)

11 Tbsp. heavy cream
8.5 Tbsp. unsweetened coconut milk (I used So Delicious)
4.5 Tbsp. DaVinci Sugar Free Vanilla (or any flavor you desire) syrup
1/2 tsp. madagascar bourbon vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 24 Tbsp, or 1 and 1/2 cups.

1/2 c. serving = 190 calories
1/4 c. serving = 95 calories

Thinner Version (19 cal/Tbsp.)

11 Tbsp. unsweetened coconut milk
8.5 Tbsp. heavy cream
4.5 Tbsp. DaVinci Sugar Free Vanilla (or any flavor you desire) syrup
1/2 tsp. madagascar bourbon vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 24 Tbsp, or 1 and 1/2 cups.

1/2 c. serving = 152 calories
1/4 c. serving = 76 calories

You're welcome for doing all the math =)