brussel sprouts w/balsamic onions and hazelnuts

as a kid i hated brussel sprouts. i thought they were bitter and just plain gross. but as an adult i've got an obsession with them. actually, it seems that brussel sprouts are on nearly every American or Californian style restaurant menu nowadays....and i'm not complaining! last week i went to Lolo and had a great version of the dish with onions and hazelnuts so i decided to recreate it at home. i added balsamic vinegar to give it a bit of tang. good stuff, i tell ya!

perfect!!!

i couldn't wait a whole hour to cook these down so they were less soft than i wanted but the dish still came out great.

brussel sprouts w/balsamic onions and hazelnuts

ingredients:

- 30 brussel sprouts

- 1/2 white onion, sliced

- olive oil

- 3 tbs balsamic vinegar

- 1/4 c hazelnuts

- salt and pepper

directions:

1. in a medium pan heat olive oil on low heat

2. add onions and balsamic vinegar. stir to coat. cook for approx. 1 hr, stirring occasionally (also, season with salt and pepper half way through cooking)

3. while onions are cooking, cook brussel sprouts.

4. preheat oven to 375 degrees F

5. slice brussel sprouts in half and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper

6. place brussel sprouts in oven (flat side down) for approx 30 mins or until the outer leaves look to be browned and loose leaves look charred

7. at the same oven setting, cook hazelnuts for approx 5 minutes or just enough so that the skin rubs off easily. 

8. once everything is cooked, toss in a bowl.

quinoa, couscous and kale

before i go on, i'd like to say that every time i eat cooked spinach i hate it more than the last time. i don't know why i continue to torture myself with it. i like in it's raw form (like a salad or in spinach smoothies) or if it's buried in some cheesy gooey things (like spinach dip), but i cannot get around the weird film or whatever it is that it leaves on your teeth. and sometimes when i eat it i feel like i'm about to choke to my death. so while i made this side dish with spinach, i would recommend kale instead. it's so much better with kale, trust me. 

for a quick, super nutritious, guilt free side dish, make this quinoa and couscous. it's pretty tasty and goes well with most things.

quinoa, couscous and kale


ingredients:
- 1 c quinoa
- 1 can low sodium chicken stock
- 1/2 c couscous
- 1 small shallot, diced or minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- approx 3 c kale chopped into bite sized pieces
- salt and pepper to taste

directions:
1. put quinoa and chicken stock in a pot and heat until it reaches a boil.
2. once boiling bring it down to a simmer and cook for approx 15 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. transfer to a large bowl and set aside
3. while quinoa is cooking, over medium heat cook shallot until transparent
4. toss in garlic and cook for one more minute
5. toss in kale, salt and pepper and cook until just wilting. add to bowl with quinoa
6. bring 3/4 c water to a boil and add couscous and some salt.
7. simmer couscous for approx 8 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. transfer to large bowl with other ingredients
8. toss and enjoy!