Brussels Sprouts with Cranberry Pistachio Pesto

April 16th 2011

It would not be inaccurate to say that I must have made this almost a year ago. I think I was going through a phase where I was so driven to try out so many new recipes that on average I must have tried at least 2 new ones per weekend. Obviously work was less intense then I guess or I was younger :P

Anyway, when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it because more than anything I had never eaten Brussels sprouts and the sauce was too tempting to not try. I was enticed by how the flavors would blend together and taste.

Time: 20 min

Difficulty Level : Easy

Ingredients:

For the Brussels Sprouts

• 1 1/2 pound brussels sprouts
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup Cranberry Pistachio Pesto (see below)

For the Pesto

• 1/2 cup toasted pistachios
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 3 cloves roasted garlic
• a bunch of parsley
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method of Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
2. Cut off ends of brussels sprouts, pull any loose outer leaves and cut them in half lengthwise, tossing with olive oil.
3. On a baking sheet or tray, spread the sprouts evenly and roast for about 25 minutes, until you being to see a bit of browning. The interior should be tender when tested with a fork. [If you put any loose leaves they will brown earlier leading to a burnt smell, so be careful to keep checking.]
4. Place ingredients for Pesto bar the olive oil in a blender and blend till ground semi-smooth. Drizzle in some olive oil in between to help grind and when done, stir in the remaining olive oil, seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste. The pesto will be slightly sweet and salty and more or less divine!
5. Season the sprouts with salt and pepper and spoon the Cranberry Pistachio Pesto on top and dig right in.

Source: I came across this recipe originally at Steamy Kitchen here.

Confessions:

 OK, I'll go ahead and say it here because I know the Mr does not read this blog very much..I am not a big fan of brussels sprouts, at least the first time I tasted it. However I argue with him that one should eat everything and never say no and don't want to be caught not following my own rule :D. I truly truly loved the Cranberry Pistachio Pesto and it had a lovely sweet and salty flavor that would go well with any salad or even with an Alfredo or plain pasta. So there - few more ideas :)

Onion Tomato Cucumber Salad

March 2nd 2011

I cannot even say that this is a recipe as such because it is just so easy but nevertheless posting it here for those who might be unfamiliar with this combination.

In Chennai, where I grew up there were some summer nights that used to be just so warm. A warmth that I actually miss and would trade for rain anyday. You are hot enough that you don't feel like eating anything; but that never stopped me though :P So the thought of rotis with any heavy sabji or dal is just out of the question. As a result yogurt is a staple in our diet and we always conclude a meal with yogurt rice or at least with just yogurt. It might seem like a strange combination but once you try it..you will be hooked! The beautiful thing about yogurt rice; is its plain taste makes it a wonderful wonderful accompaniment for everything and really brings out the flavors of the side dish. Not many people realize that; still it is true as strange as it might sound. 

This is a salad that is refreshing, that goes well with papad,with yogurt rice and with rotis also when paired with a raita.  I have and will post more recipes for raitas shortly, just check the side bar.

Difficulty level: Can't even rank - that easy :)

Time: 10 min

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized red onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• cilantro (for garnish)
• 1/2 tbsp lime juice or lime squeeze
• 1 tbsp or more fresh ground pepper
• salt

Method de Preparation

1. Chop the first four ingredients evenly. C'mon you can do it!
2. Add the lime juice and salt. Taste and adjust.
3. Add the freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust.
4. Ready to eat :)

Beans Koshambari (Bean Lentil Salad)

Feb 7th 2011

Don't you just love love the Wikipedia...where you can get a quick understanding for almost everything? I even used it as a reference in one of my journal publications and that did not go too well with my professor. Well, maybe I went a bit too far. But seriously you just have to google anything and the Wiki has a quick intro which is almost 99% accurate.

Getting to the topic of this post, the Koshambari is a salad from Karnataka that I don't need to give a recipe for because the Wiki has that too, sigh :) 

I like it because it is easy to make, very high in protein and wonderful for kids to munch on too! 

Difficulty level : Easy 

Time:  1 hr (Prep time), 10 min (Making time)

Ingredients

• 2 cups beans (chopped finely) 
• 1 cup moong dal (soaked for 1/2 hr and then drained and kept aside for 1/2 hr)
• salt to taste

To Temper

• 1 tbsp urad dhal
• 1 tbsp coconut (optional)
• 3-4 green chillies
• 1 tbsp mustard

Method de Preparation

1. Chop beans very finely and keep aside.
2. Soak moong dhal for 1/2 hr and then drain the water out. Keep aside for about 1/2 hr till it is soft and can be eaten as is.
3. Take oil in a pan, put the ingredients to temper, add the beans and saute for a couple of min and then mix with the moong dhal.
4. Add salt to taste and it is done done done :)

Options: You can replace beans with carrot, cucumber etc. And u can use red chillies instead of green chillies too, and totally skip the coconut if you like.