This is almost too easy to be a real recipe. I chopped up about 2 TBSP of red onions and sautéed in 1 TBSP of olive oil. When they caramelized, I added 5 brussels sprouts that I had chopped up. I sautéed just until warm and added 2 TBSP of Trader Joe’s Tomatoless Corn Salsa. The corn adds crunch and sweetness, the salsa has a sweet/hot flavor and the brussels sprouts provide a hearty base. It was delicious.
This was a quick and easy salad to top some lettuce rather than using a salad dressing. I laid a bed of romaine lettuce. In another bowl, I added about 1/2 cup of shredded red cabbage, 1 apple cored and sliced, 2 radishes sliced thin and 1 celery stalk chopped. I also added about 1 TBSP of chopped red onion. I sprinkled a bit of feta cheese, ! tsp of walnut oil and balsamic vinegar on it and mixed. I tossed this on top of the lettuce and ate mixed together.
The vegetables had lots of crunch with the onions and radishes adding some bite while the apple added sweetness. The tang of the feta was a nice contrast with the balsamic. Together the flavors balanced each other beautifully
This is a simple chop salad. I chopped 1/2 parsnip and 2 carrots into matchsticks. I added 2 TBSP of red onions, 5 brussels sprouts, chopped, 1 apple cored and chopped and 2 TBSP of chopped fresh parsley. I added some salt and pepper, 1 TBSP of walnut oil and the fresh-squeeze juice of 1/2 a lemon. I let the flavors marry overnight and ate the next day. It was a crisp, crunchy mix of heat from the radishes and onions with sweetness from the carrots and apples and hearty umame from the parsley and brussels sprouts and that special bright tartness of parsnips. With its crunchiness, it makes a great snack for late night TV watching.
I was DJ’ing at The Velvet this morning and wondering what to fix for breakfast. I asked for ideas and Bushido Fretwork suggested caramelizing onions and brussels sprouts with some bacon. Well, everything goes better with bacon, so I decided to try it.
I fried two slices of bacon, removed from the pan to a paper towel. While the bacon was cooking, I chopped up 2 TBSP of yellow onion, 2 TBSP of red pepper and 5 brussels sprouts. I added 1/2 tsp of dry oregano and the onions and let them start to caramelize before adding the red peppers and brussels sprouts.
While the veggies cooked, I mixed 3 eggs with 1 TBSP of flour, salt, pepper and 2 tBSP of water. I spread thinly on a large griddle set to 250° F. I then cut the bacon into long strips and chopped them into pieces about 1/4 inch or so, the same size as the onions and red pepper. I mixed with the vegetables and set aside.
I also mixed 2 TBSP of sour cream with 1 tsp of dry dill weed, 1/2 tsp of garlic powder and some salt and pepper.
I let the omelet cook until the top was close to done, then spread the sour cream across the inner circle of it and then I spread the bacon and veggie mixture and turned the four sides over, enveloping the veggies, before rolling the omelet.
It was delicious and the freshness of the sour cream was a perfect accompaniment.
I was talking with my best friend about how much I like the combination of grapefruit and anise seed that I used in the salad the day before and speculated that it could be tasty with just about anything. We were talking about different options and it occurred to me that a cabbage slaw might be delicious. She thought brining the cabbage might work really well, but I decided for something simpler and crunchier. I hope she tries her own flavor combo. If she does and she shares, I will tell you how it goes.
For this, I shredded about 1/4 of large head of red cabbage. This was about 8 cups or so of shredded cabbage. I sprinkled salt on it, stirred and let it set for a few hours. Then I drained the liquid from the cabbage. This softens the cabbage and removes a lot of liquid so that it holds up better.
I then added 1 small red onion, sliced thin on a mandolin and chopped into smaller pieces. I loved the color combo with the cabbage. The onion is white with pruple while the cabbage is purple with white. They look beautiful together. I added 2 small carrots, shredded and 2 tsp of anise seed, 1 TBSP of olive oil and 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar. I mixed it all well together and let sit for 30 minutes to marry.
I supremed a grapefruit, removing all pith, skin and peel. I squeezed all the juice out of the skin remnants and stirred it in, then sliced the segments into thirds and tossed lightly.
This makes a very pretty salad that is light and crunchy with a subtle citrus flavor balanced with sweetness of anise seed and the heartiness of carrots and cabbage and the tang of red onions. It’s a burst of flavor in your mouth and will only improve for tomorrow and the next day. This made 8 servings of salad, but it keeps beautifully.
This was a quick and easy 15 minute salad. I put 1 TBSP of olive oil on medium heat in a sauté pan and added 1 tsp of anise seed and a pinch of cardamom. While they heated I chopped two tbsp of red onions and 10 brussels sprouts. I added them to the oil once the air was perfumed by the spices and turned the heat down to just below medium.
While they were cooking, I chopped up 2 tbsp of fresh mint into small pieces and supremed a grapefruit. To supreme a grapefruit, cut off the top and bottom and slice away the peel so you remove all the skin. Then using a sharp knife, cut out the segments so there is no skin attached. When I was done, I tossed in the mint and squeezed all the juice out of the leftover center and skin of the grapefruit into the pan, stirring lightly.
You only want to warm the vegetables so they are not too crunchy, but are still toothsome. After removing from the heat, I added the grapefruit segments and stirred, adding just a touch of salt.
If there were ever flavors meant to be together, they are anise seed, mint and grapefruit. Candy manufacturers could make some hard candy sucker with their flavor. The brussels sprout and red onion add just enough bite and earthiness to balance that rich, perfumed sweetness of the grapefruit. Yum! Makes one large salad, or two small side salads.
Single Servings 