Don't you love when a good friend is visiting? This weekend my best friend from childhood came to Brooklyn and stayed with me - it was awesome! She and her husband are leaving in two weeks to hike the entire Appalachian Trail (wish them luck!) and I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible since I won't see her for a good 7-8 months. This included wanting to cook her some awesome food without having to focus on the cooking too much.
So I made this amazing broccoli dish! It involves minimal prep. Cooking = simply pop in the oven. It is such a pleasant combination of flavors! The earthiness of the broccoli, the saltiness of the pecorino, the smokiness of the bacon...all brought together by the deep tones of extra virgin olive oil. I was raised in a house full of sports fans, though I never really got into it myself. However, whenever the Superbowl came around I would get really excited for the food, the commercials, and even the game. Every year my family would go to my grandparents' house and enjoy good eats and good company. As I got older and moved away from home I had to start my own tradition. So every year, without fail, I make buffalo chicken dip. This stuff is CRACK - so delicious, so addictive, so satisfying...don't say I didn't warn you.
I grocery shop once a week (every Sunday). My boyfriend and I sit down, plan meals for the week, and make a grocery list based on that. Despite the thinking ahead, we always seem to end up with items at the end of the week that need to be used ASAP before they go bad - I'm sure you can relate. Thanks to this unfortunate weekly occurrence, however, this amazing dish was born!
This week's victims? Fresh basil and brussels sprouts. The basil started to brown and wilt in spots. The brussels sprouts were looking sad. I knew I had to rescue them and let them shine in all the glory they were meant to. So the brainstorming began and with the addition of quinoa and sesame these "victims" of my over-shopping became stars in their own right! Can you believe Thanksgiving is already over? It came and went so fast! Such a good meal and so many leftovers. But there is one dish that didn't even make it to leftover status at my house - my brussels sprouts. They got devoured.
I guess I'm not surprised - they came out amazing! Featuring pancetta for saltiness, maple syrup for sweetness, and thyme for an herbaceous twist, there is no way you could not like this. Not to mention it is super easy to make (like, for real) and comes together pretty quick. This is a dish that goes beyond Thanksgiving - it is surely one to make throughout the entire winter season! Every Sunday I go to my local farmers market armed with a tote bag and cash that I will spend every last penny of. I love all of the fresh produce and knowing I'm supporting local farms. I'm always sad to see the bountiful harvests of summer go, but the root vegetables and winter squashes that fall brings provide me with a feeling of comfort.
Rutabagas are easily in my top three favorite fall/winter vegetables. They are versatile, hearty, and easy to work with! Not to mention they are chockful of vitamin C, which my body desperately needs this time of year to avoid getting sick. |
AuthorAli is a Brooklyn based blogger and Certified Health Coach with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, providing you with recipes to inspire you to cook more at home! She is a firm believer in knowing that eating healthy can be made easy and inexpensive if you simply know how to cook and understands that for the average person there needs to be balance between "healthy" and "unhealthy". Whether you are looking for easy weeknight recipes, delicious snacks, or want to try something new, Ali's recipes are easy to follow at all skill levels! For more info about Ali and her offerings, check out the About page. Categories
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