Brussel Sprouts Avocado Salad with Creamy Dressing

I’ve been in the mood for brussel sprouts.  I ate them three times last week and will be coming back for more.

What?!?  Did you say brussel sprouts? As in, those stinky, little, cabbage-like, weird little vegetables?

I am actually feeling a little sorry for brussel sprouts – they get a bad rap.  Since I know that most people turn their mouths down in disgust when this miniature cruciferous vegetable is mentioned, declaring emphatically “I hate brussel sprouts….”, I decided to do a quick check on just how badly they are disliked.  The answer:  top of the list of most hated vegetable here, here, and here.  And here, too.  Ok, so maybe try them on kids?  No chance.

And I have to admit, the first time I had brussel sprouts, I was far from enamored. “Not my thing,” was my response to the squishy, smelly pile of overcooked vegetables snuggling up next to the rather nice looking beefsteak on my plate, and it was the response of most people I knew who had tried them. This is no surprise since most of the time they are on offer anywhere they have been cooked within an inch of their life, the once lovely sage green cabbage fading away into a dull, gray, soggy orb and, having been typically boiled, the flavor watered down and unpleasantly sulfurous.

Raw, sliced brussel sprouts. Seriously. Aren’t they gorgeous?

It doesn’t have to be this way.  In fact, you don’t need to cook them at a all (though there are excellent options for doing so and resulting in a dish that will delight you).  And definitely, definitely do not boil them forever. You can use them raw, in a salad.  Steam them lightly (here’s how to do it right)and toss with a nice vinaigrette.  Roast them with olive oil, salt and herbs for a wonderful appetizer, use them as a base for satisfying gratin.  The possibilities are endless.

Once you’ve gotten over the grim memories of poorly presented brussel sprouts and sink your teeth into a dish that treats them right, you can begin enjoy all the good things they bring with them.  They provide your body with antioxidant support, better digestive health, and help reduce inflammation in the body.  A single 1-cup serving of this powerhouse vegetable provides with 249% of your recommended daily amount of vitamin K and 129% of vitamin C  They are also a good source of folate, manganese, copper, choline, vitamins B6 and B1, potassium and other many other valuable nutrients.  (Source:  whfoods.com)

Go easy on yourself and your palate as you start your relationship with brussel sprouts anew.  This addicting salad is a good side dish for a soup or sandwich or savory tart – or you could even put it ON a sandwich – who am I to judge?   Oh, my oh my is this a good one.  You have the crunch of the brussel sprouts.  The bite of the onion.  The creaminess of the avocado.  And a smooth, tangy dressing elevating this humble veggie to a whole new level.

Serve with or without roasted pumpkin seeds, your call.

Serve it along side a Pumpkin Sage Tart, perhaps

Brussel Sprouts Avocado Salad with Creamy Dressing

12 brussel sprouts, sliced thinly
1/2 avocado, diced
2 green onions, diced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons creme fraiche or greek yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon liquid honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, optional

Combine the brussel sprouts, avocado and onions in a medium bowl, breaking apart the brussel sprout slices with your fingers as you mix.

Combine the vinegar, creme fraiche or yogurt, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Whisk well to thoroughly combine ingredients.

Pour the dressing over the salad greens and toss with your fingers to combine well.  Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, if desired

Serves 2-4.

Pear, Raspberry and Brown Rice Breakfast Bowl

Pear, Raspberry and Brown Rice Breakfast Bowl

Pumpkin Bread revisited

Pumpkin Bread from Starbucks used to be one of the things I waited for as summer faded into a sweet memory, the leaves fell around me creating a glorious carpet of yellow, orange and red, pumpkins starting popping up at every turn, and the weather got steadily colder.  I’d pop into my local cafe, alone or with friends, order a double tall latte or a chai tea latte and a thick slice of the Pumpkin Bread.  If alone, I’d sip and munch and read; when together with friends we’d laugh and talk and catch up on Life.

I am long way away from those friends now (miss you all!), and I don’t frequent the local Starbucks here in Helsinki so I don’t even know if they serve Pumpkin Bread.  But what I do without out fail every year is make Pumpkin Bread of my own to settle into to the new season, and serve it to the friends and family I’ve found here.

Hokkaido pumpkin and Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Bread

This year, I created a new recipe for Pumpkin Bread.  I wanted to use barley flour as it has a pleasant sweetness to it that I thought would pair well with pumpkin, and it creates a very soft crumb.  I’d used olive oil with pumpkin once before so I knew that it works (even better than butter!) so I added that too.  And then I’ve been working on recipes that replace refined sugars with natural sugars, and have been playing with molasses as a nearly forgotten sweetener. The molasses in here plays really well with the variety of spices in the Pumpkin Spice Mix, though I’ve toned the molasses down just a tiny bit with the addition of honey.

This is not a recreation of the Starbucks version.  What you end up with is a dark, intense, lightly sweetened Pumpkin Bread, with a nod toward gingerbread and with a light tangy note from the buttermilk.  It’s a delicious combination, particularly when you top it with a bit of creme fraiche and then bite into the pecans and dried cranberries scattered throughout.  Feel free to swap the pecans for walnuts and the cranberries for raisins, if you wish.  Also, if you like a slightly sweeter bread, double the amount of honey.

Get your ovens warming and your coffee brewing, folks, you don’t even need to leave home to try this one.  And you may find that it’s a healthier version than the one I enjoyed all those years ago.

Pumpkin Bread with a spoonful of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of pecans and dried cranberries

Pumpkin Buttermilk Bread

Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.  Lightly oil a loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl whisk together:
1.5 cups whole grain barley flour (all-purpose or gluten-free flours can be substituted)
3 teaspoons Pumpkin Spice Mix
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped

In a small bowl combine:
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup molasses (see note below)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons honey

Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture and stir well to combine thoroughly.  Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with soft moist crumbs.

Serve individual slices with a sprinkling of pecans and dried cranberries and a spoonful of creme fraiche. (Try making your own creme fraiche, you’ll love it!)

Serves 12.

Note:  if you don’t have molasses, you can replace both the honey and molasses and instead use 3/4 cup coconut sugar if you want to skip refined sugars, or 3/4 cup brown sugar, (which is, depending on the brand you buy, either unrefined sugar with residual molasses, or white sugar with molasses added to it.)