Cranberry Brussels Sprouts

With the holidays upon us, I have been eager to cook festive foods that reflect the cheer of the season. We recently bought cranberries with the intention of making cranberry sauce, Orange-Cranberry Bread, and Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Salad. One day, I noticed the bag of leftover cranberries next to a bag of brussels sprouts and I realized they might work well together.

Most recipes online that combine cranberries and brussels sprouts involve using the sugar-sweetened dried cranberries or add lots of sugar or honey to mix to counter the tartness of the cranberries. I was determined to create something that tastes great without the added sugars.

This recipe came together after just one less-than-perfect experiment and a few recommendations from Brent. As the whole dish cooks, the balsamic reduces and adds its own sweetness. Coupled with the sweet and nutty pecans, the whole dish comes together with a nice balance of sweet, savory, and tart. Plus, it’s beautiful!

Key Lime Pie Chia Pudding

It’s past key lime season, but we’ve had a few warm days in the past weeks that felt like late summer. This recipe was partially inspired by those days. Also, truth be told, we have a big bag of chia seeds that we rarely use and I randomly had the urge to make use of them.

While it might be more accurate to make this with key limes, I used a regular lime and the flavor was great. This recipe makes for a light, sweet dessert on a warm day. Or, make it on a gloomy and cold day to transport yourself to the golden days of summer. Either way, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

We buy brussels sprouts with some regularity throughout the year. They are a healthy and tasty side for many dishes, and we can make a big batch of them pretty easily. It’s almost laughable, but leftover brussels sprouts is one of our favorite snacks. So, when we make them, they rarely last.

This particular version of roasted brussels sprouts actually came about because we wanted to do something a little different as a side dish for a special project to which we are contributing. We can’t tell you any more than that, but stay tuned and we’ll make an announcement soon.

Meanwhile, make these brussels sprouts. We know you’ll love them!

Baked “No-tato” (Eddo/Taro) Chips

Potato chips are one of our favorite indulgence foods; salty, fatty, and crunchy, they satisfy a lot of cravings. Growing up with refined-oil chips in the house, it has been a transition away from keeping them around. This isn’t our first attempt at a potato chip, but it’s the first one that deserved publication.

One of the key tools in making these potato “no-tato” chips, is a Chef’s Choice 615 Premium Electric Food Slicer. Being able to thinly slice the starchy, root vegetable of your choice with consistency is what will make or break the experience. Eddo, which we found at the local international market, is a cousin of Taro. You could substitute these for other root vegetables, but the cooking time may vary slightly. Regardless of your root, this potato chip recipe is a winner that you won’t soon forget.

Easy Chipotle Pumpkin Soup

Fall in the mid-Atlantic region is funny. We have a couple of perfectly crisp days in September, but summer temperatures often linger into October. Then, suddenly, the temperatures drop and it’s cold. Sure, 55 °F may not be cold to our family in Wisconsin or friends in Boston. But when it’s 80° one day and 55° the next, 55 is cold!

Once the weather snaps like that, I’m ready for steaming tea, cozy sweaters, and hearty soups. Isn’t everyone? This week’s recipe was inspired by that desire and by one of the seasonal soups now being served at Cosi.

I call it easy because I kept it super simple. You don’t need to buy pumpkins for roasting and you don’t need to scour the grocery store shelves for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. We actually had everything in our pantry or fridge already! I hope you find it as simple to make and enjoyable to eat as we did.