Happy Friday! Tis’ the season to roast vegetables and today is no exception. Lately I have been turning into a huge brussel sprout fan and I am loving it. Many years have passed in my life where I never tried a brussel sprout let alone thought about roasting it in the oven.

Well my friends that has all changed. I am on the brussel sprout bandwagon like society is onto chia seeds. Yep that is right. I heart brussels sprouts. Oh wow, did I just say that?

Ok, enough banter, let’s move on. This recipe doesn’t get much easier than this – 6 ingredients and you have a side dish that will make you happy.

Ingredients

• Brussel Sprouts, halved
• Drizzle of Olive oil
• Parmesan Cheese, grated
• Pine nuts
• Salt & Pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lay out the brussel sprouts, season with salt and pepper and drizzle the olive oil.
3. Toss and roast
4. In a small dry pan over medium heat, add the pine nuts to toast them for extra flavor
5. After the brussels are tender ( about 30 minutes) remove from the oven, add the grated Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.  Toss together.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  When you are buying brussel sprouts, make sure you hunt for the firm ones with a tight outer leave.  I find these are the freshest and best for roasting.

A simple dish that goes with anything.  It works as a side dish, an evening snack or for some – maybe even a main course.

Have a great Friday wherever you may be and a nice weekend.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Happy Hump day all!  Hopefully you had a nice holiday weekend and are ready to get back to the grind.  The fall is creeping up and routines will soon be created.  One routine that we want to work on this year is more family time at the dinner table.  So we can talk about the day, share our stories, and have some really quality time.  It is easy to forget about this stuff when things get hectic.

For a nice sit down meal give this one below a try.  It uses simple flavors and the good quality ingredients to make you feel like you are at a fancy restaurant.  The method is simple but involves some time.  For the beef, you have a couple of options to make it melt in your mouth.  You can throw it in the slow cooker in the morning and let it ride the whole day through, or you can toss it in the oven for 3 hours at 250 F and get similar results.

The ultimate key to great beef is the time you give it to break down and cook and how you season the cut.  I chose for a spicy barbecue based sauce with some onion and garlic.  Below are all the details on how to recreate this dish.

Ingredients

• 4 Sirloin Steaks
• 1 Head of Cauliflower
• 2 Large Sweet potatoes

Beef Sauce

• 1 Tbsp. Onion flakes or powder
• 1 Tbsp. Black pepper
• 1/4 Cup Ketchup
• 1/4 Cup Barbecue sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Dry mustard
• 1 Tsp. Seasoning salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp. Coriander
• Splash of water

Cauliflower Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
• Black Pepper
• Red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp. Honey
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. In a large bowl combine all the beef sauce ingredients and mix together.  Lay the beef in a large baking dish and cover with sauce liberally.  Cover with tin foil and bake in the oven for 3 hours at 250 F
2. In another bowl combine the cauliflower sauce ingredients and give a stir.  On a cookie sheet, lay some parchment paper down and drop the cauliflower on the paper.  Drizzle the sauce over and coat the cauliflower.  Let sit for about 30 minutes.  Roast in a 400 degree oven until golden brown, tunring a couple times.  I let them go about 30-40 minutes.  I also finished them off in the broiler to crisp up some edges and keep the cauliflower crunchy.
3. For the sweet potatoes, pierce for a fork all over and drop in the oven for about an hour or so.
4. When the beef is cook, let rest for a minute and serve.  I topped it with fresh baby arugula and spinach for some crunch.
5. ENJOY!

Ok, I am heading out to put junior on the bus for day 2 of school.  I will definitely be back in action on Friday for something tasty I hope.  Have a great rest of the week and if you have any questions by all means let me know.  Before I go, I have a question for you?

What is one routine you want try and get into for the remainder of this year?

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Scrambling with work and Disney preparations – I decided to recycle one of my new found favorite ways to serve potatoes… Let me know if you like them.

Growing up on PEI, potatoes are everywhere, and I have grown to love them.  Whether they are mashed, baked, french fries, scalloped, pan fried, boiled, microwaved ( umm a bit sketchy) I eat them all.  Over the years I have tested many techniques and added different flavoring to potatoes to kick it up a notch.  When looking for a comfort side dish I tend to lean towards the method seen below.

Now do not dismiss the fact I truly adore mashed potatoes with butter and cream but lately I have been all over SMASHED potatoes.  It is a two step process to make it happen but will never disappoint.

Ingredients

• Potatoes
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

1. Start off by boiling the potatoes until almost fork tender.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F
3. Once the potatoes are finished boiling remove them from the water and let stand for a minute.
4. Prepare a cookie sheet or roasting pan
5. Using a heavy bottomed pot, smash the potatoes gently to just break the skin and press the potatoes down.
6. Once flat, add a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven until golden brown and slightly crispy.  About 25-35 minutes.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: In the boiling stage, be careful not too overcook the potatoes.  You just want them softened slightly so you can “smash” them with the back of a pot.

Well I hope you enjoyed the potato talk.  Do note that they are potatoes and very versatile.  Switch it up and keep it fresh.  Another great alternative is the beloved sweet potato.  All the techniques stay true to a regular potato.  As I am typing this, I think someday I should talk about all the different types of potatoes and why some are good for baking versus boiling etc.  Maybe another time!

I am scheduling some guest posts while I am on vacation next week and not bringing my laptop… can you believe it?

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty