Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Dijon Vinaigrette

Roasting is hands down my favorite way to prepare vegetables. I usually head straight for the asparagus. It's like my safety net, I always nail it. But I'm on a mission to branch out and try new things lately, so that's how brussels sprouts found their way into my oven!

 

Roasted brussels on their own are flavorful in a mellow, creamy kind of way, but this recipe is special because they're dressed in a tangy dijon mustard vinaigrette after they're roasted.  I served these sprouts with quiche but they'd make a perfect pair with pretty much anything, or even on their own as a snack or light lunch.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Dijon Vinaigrette
Adapted from Tasty Kitchen
Serves 3-4 as a side dish
Printable Recipe

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp agave nectar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 lb Brussels sprouts

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Whisk 3 tbsp. olive oil, dijon, balsamic, agave, and Worcestershire together in a small bowl until emulsified.

3. With a sharp knife, slice the stem end off the sprouts and then slice each one in half lengthwise. 

4. Arrange the sprouts on a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and toss with tongs to coat. Roast for 25-30 minutes, tossing occasionally, until browned and crispy.

5. Toss with vinaigrette, serve, and enjoy!

Quiche with Garlicky Spinach and Chicken Apple Sausage

I've had this quiche bookmarked forever but have always been sort of scared and anxious about making it. The truth is, though, that it's so much less intimidating than I had feared. That's usually the case with with me for most things in life, whether it's trying a new recipe or giving birth! My blogger friend Kate swears by this recipe, and now I understand why. It's the kind of recipe that's so easily adaptable to whatever you have in your kitchen. You can throw any protein and veggie into the mix and it'll almost certainly taste good, especially if you douse it with cheese too.



The combination of spinach sauteed with garlic + chicken apple sausage + Mexican blend cheese was a total gamble, one that paid off. It was a good lesson on trusting my instincts in the kitchen. I'm really good at following recipes but it takes a lot of courage for me to feel confident about riffing. It's a good thing that the frozen pie crusts come in 2-packs, because this is going to be on the menu again really, really soon.

The most important thing is to make sure that your mixture fits into the pie crust and doesn't overflow, so just keep an eye on it. This recipe was a bit tricky because I was using different ingredients than Kate's recipe so I needed to eyeball how much spinach and sausage to add. I wound up adding fewer ingredients than I thought I'd need because of this.

Quiche with Garlicky Spinach and Chicken Apple Sausage
Adapted from Elefantitas Alegres
Makes 6-8 slices (serves 3 people for dinner)
Printable Recipe

1 frozen pie crust
1 chicken apple sausage (I got mine from Trader Joe's)
Olive oil
1 large garlic clove, pressed
2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
3 whole eggs and 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
5.6 oz nonfat Greek yogurt (1 small container)
Garlic salt
3/4 cup of your favorite cheese, shredded (I used Mexican blend, jack and cheddar)

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Bake pie crust for 10 minutes and remove. Reduce oven heat to 350.

2. In the meantime, grill sausage on a griddle or grill pan over high until heated through. Slice thinly and set aside.

3. Over medium-high heat on another burner, heat olive oil until shiny. Add garlic and saute until fragrant but not brown, about 30 seconds. Add spinach and saute until wilted. Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, yogurt, garlic salt, and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Add in the sausage and spinach in small batches if they're still warm to prevent the egg mixture from cooking too quickly. Once it's all combined, pour the mixture into the parbaked pie shell, being careful not to overfill.

5. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top of the quiche and continue to bake for 25-30 more minutes, until completely set. Remove from oven and cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Lactation Cookies Are the New Labor Cake

There's no denying it, I've crossed over to the dark side. I'm a mom now, and it appears that I'm now willing to post personal details about my body on the internet.  Something no one prepared me for when I was pregnant was how hard breastfeeding would be. 6 weeks in, I'm still fighting like mad to make it work and I'm still not sure it will. In the meantime, I'm holding onto hope and coping the only way I know how: with cookies.




I know what you're probably thinking: lactation cookies?! Really, Amy?

Hey, I'm willing to give anything a try at this point if it might help us, even if it's an old wives' tale I read about on the internet. I've done it before and I'll do it again (the labor cake didn't work, by the way. Shocker!). It's not like this is going to turn you into a milk cow if you're not in a position in life where you'd like to increase your milk supply. But for those of us looking to promote healthy lactation, why not, right? Even though the recipe calls for some slightly unusual ingredients, these actually taste really good. Like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with a slightly nutty extra kick. You can find more info about the recipe and rationale behind the ingredients here.


Lactation Cookies
Adapted from Peaceful Parenting
Makes ~3 dozen
Printable Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup milled flaxseed
3 tbsp brewer's yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 c.  (1 12 oz bag) semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. chopped toasted walnuts
1 3/4 cups rolled oats

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

2. With an electric mixer in a large bowl, beat peanut butter, butter, flaxseed, brewer's yeast, sugars, and water until creamy. Beat in eggs until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts until well distributed, and then stir in oats in several additions.

3. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets and flatten each one slightly. Bake on the middle oven rack for 12 minutes and allow to cool completely before serving.

Introducing Little Miss Maya!

I'm so happy to share that Maya Ruth I. was born on March 25th at 7:40 am. She was 7 lbs, 12 oz and 20 3/4 inches of pure sweetness. We're so in love and can't believe how much she's grown already in her 6 short weeks! Having her around brings a whole new meaning to "playing house."

Pineapple Lemon Inside-Out Cake

Still here, still pregnant! This little one seems to lack her mom's chronic neurotic punctuality. I know that she'll show her face when she's ready, but that doesn't mean I'm not going a little stir-crazy as the overdue days tick by. Luckily, we have cake. Lots of cake.



I've done plenty of Googling for tricks to induce labor, and "labor cake" was one of the things I found. While I find the prospect completely ridiculous, I can't really turn down such a compelling excuse to make a cake. The traditional Labor Cake is a doctored-up box of chocolate cake mix (recipe here). Eating massive amounts of chocolate is thought to release hormones that might trigger labor. Oooookay, if you insist!

I decided to change it up and incorporate a different Old Wives' Tale; eating pineapple is alleged to have a similar effect. This cake is based around a box of lemon cake mix, with a lemon-pineapple glaze and crushed pineapple in the batter and on top. While I haven't gone into labor yet, I loved passing some slow-moving time in the kitchen. I'll be honest, this cake isn't my finest work (see: boxed cake mix), but definitely a tasty snack that I would make again for an easy crowd-pleaser.

My goal for today is to eat as much of this cake as I can so I can move on to either making something chocolatey or having a baby. Sounds manageable, right?!

Pineapple Lemon Inside-Out Cake
Adapted from The Cake Doctor
Serves 16
Printable Recipe

Nonstick baking spray
1 package (18.25 oz) plain lemon cake mix
1 can (15.25 oz) crushed pineapple packed in juice, divided into 2 1-cup portions
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350F. Generously grease a standard bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. Set the pan aside.

2. Place the cake mix, 1 cup undrained crushed pineapple, sugar, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 more minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Pour batter into the prepared pan and place in the oven.

3. Bake until the cake springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 45-50 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. If necessary, run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake. Invert it onto a cake stand or serving platter and allow to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Drain the remaining 1 cup crushed pineapple and reserve the juice. Combine the confectioners' sugar, 2 tbsp of the reserved pineapple juice, and the lemon juice in a small bowl and stir until smooth.

5. Using a pastry brush, spread the glaze over the cooled cake. Spoon the remaining 1 cup of drained pineapple on top of the glaze. Slice and serve.

Chocolate Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Is there anything better than chocolate and raspberry together? I dare say there is, and it's called Dark Chocolate Frosting. I've never had a go-to chocolate frosting before now, but I guarantee I'll never be making another recipe again.



To make the base for these cupcakes, I used an old stand-by, the classic One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcake recipe, and filled them with a generous dollop of raspberry jam (you can find my favorite filling technique here). I made the frosting ahead of time and refrigerated it until a few hours before I was ready to use it. It took some panic and quite a bit of coaxing to get it into a spreadable/pipe-able state, it was pretty stubborn about staying solid even after back at room temperature. If this happens to you, just microwave on high at 5 second intervals until it starts to soften but not melt.

The texture of this frosting is the most beautiful I've ever seen. It's rich and silky, and pipes beautifully. I promise this is the only chocolate frosting recipe you'll ever need.

Dark Chocolate Frosting
Makes enough for 24 Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
Printable Recipe

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp boiling water
2 1/4 cups (4 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 lbs best-quality semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1. Combine cocoa and boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add melted and cooled chocolate, beating until combined and scraping down the bowl as needed.

3. Beat in the cocoa mixture.

4. If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen up to 1 month, in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat on low speed until smooth again.