Sheer Balance » Sides

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Garlic

Brett — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:14:37 +0000

Until last week, the idea of brussels sprouts was as distasteful as the idea of eating liver. However, being the polite guest I try to be, I tried my mom’s recipe. I was pleasantly surprised. These mini cabbage like veggies are sweet and tasty when cooked the right way. Roasting these veggies helps to maintain a good amount of flavor, while giving them a crispy texture.

Ingredients

4 cups uncooked brussels sprouts – halved length wise
4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1 tsp of canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a big bowl, toss the chopped garlic, salt, pepper, canola oil and halved brussels sprouts thoroughly so that the brussels sprouts are well covered. Let sit and marinate for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a roasting pan, spread the brussels sprouts out in a single layer. Cook for 10-15 minutes and then shake the pan so that the sprouts turnover. Cook for another 15 minutes or until the edges of the halved brussels sprouts are golden. Serve immediately.

Mediterranean Chick Pea Salad

Brett — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:57:34 +0000

Chick peas (garbanzo beans) are loaded with fiber and are a good source of protein. This salad is well balanced and makes a great side salad for barbecues, and summer parties. And, because of its Mediterranean flare, it is a great addition to an Italian or Greek dinner. Taking only five minutes to make, this salad makes entertaining a cinch.

Ingredients

1 16 oz. can of chick peas, rinsed and drained
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup of chopped black olives
1/4 cup of jarred roasted sweet red peppers, chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper

Directions

Rinse and drain chick peas thoroughly. Put them into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the finely chopped onion, olives, roasted peppers and garlic. Mix with a spoon. Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and serve at room temperature.

Tropical Fruit Delight

Brett — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 01:17:42 +0000

This is a super easy recipe. It is also very versatile, and really delicious. Keep in mind, there seem to be a lot of steps but most of them require the ingredients to sit and cool. Tropical Fruit Delight can be eaten with yogurt, ice cream, stirred into cereal, spread like jam, or frozen to yield delicious tropical popsicle.

Ingredients

1 – 16oz bag of frozen peaches (no sugar added)
1 cup Water
1 – 16oz bottle of Goya “100% Natural Passion Fruit Tropical Fruit Beverage”*
1 – 3oz box of Jell-O brand Island Pineapple**

Directions

Microwave the frozen peaches for 2 minutes. Place peaches into medium sized saucepan (4 quart) along with 1c. water. On high heat, boil peaches for 5 minutes. Turn off burner and leave pot to sit for 5 minutes.

Once slightly cooled, place 1/2 of the peach mixture (this does not have to be exact, just use your judgment) into a blender on high until smooth. Return blended peaches into the pot and stir. Next, spoon out any remaining large peach pieces into the blender and pulse until chunky, return to pot and stir. Add the 16oz. bottle of passion fruit to the peach mixture and bring to a boil.

Once mixture reaches a boil, turn off heat and stir the package of Jell-O into the peach/passion fruit mixture. Once all ingredients are together, let mixture sit in the pot for 2 minutes to allow the gelatin to bloom. Pour mixture into an 8×8 glass-baking dish to rest for an additional 20 minutes on the counter. Cover with clear-wrap and refrigerate overnight.***

*This juice contains citric acid. Citric acid stops the gelatin from fully setting, which, in this instance, is exactly what we want. If you cannot find Passion Fruit juice, you can replace this ingredient with a mango or guava juice, as it keeps with the tropical theme and both fresh or juiced mango and guava naturally contain citric acid. When looking for a fruit juice to use with this recipe, I immediately turned to passion fruit. Passion fruit is delicious but a very under utilized fruit in American cuisine/desserts. Any tropical fruit will taste nice but I recommend trying the passion fruit. If you cannot find passion fruit juice, please make sure the fruit juice you use does not contain corn syrup. Corn syrup will dramatically change the taste, consistency, and nutritional values of this recipe.

**I use gelatin in lieu of adding sugar and pectin, which is what I would normally use if making a jelly or preserve. I wanted to have a product without all of the calories, but with a similar consistency.

***This recipe makes delicious popsicles. If you do not have a popsicle mold, use an ice tray and insert 2 skewers (cut down to 5” in length) into each cube after 2 hours (the recipe will have needed to set up a bit before the skewers can be inserted.) Frozen, the Tropical Fruit Delight will last 1 month (once the pops are fully frozen, place into a plastic bag to avoid freezer burn) and 3 weeks when refrigerated in an airtight container.

Fatoush Salad

Brett — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:08:39 +0000

This salad can be eaten as a meal by itself, or as a side dish. All the vegetables in this recipe hold their shape and crispness longer than lettuce. So if you go to the grocery store once a week, you can still use the vegetables towards the end of the week and not worry about them going bad. Further, the veggies in this recipe are high in nutrients. You can also add a few ounces of grilled chicken to make it a little more filling.

Ingredients

1 cup Grape Tomatoes – cut in half
1 1/2 cups cucumber – sliced and quartered
1/2 cup Red Onion – chopped medium
1/2 cup Red Pepper – chopped
1/2 cup Green Pepper – chopped
1/2 cup Crumbled Fat Free Feta Cheese
Salt, Pepper and Oregano to taste
1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
6 Stacy’s Pita Chips – Crushed

Directions

Cut up the vegetables as described and place into bowl. Add salt, pepper and oregano to taste. Add olive oil and vinegar and toss. Crush the Stacy’s Pita Chips and set aside. When you are ready to eat, add the Fat Free Feta and Stacy’s Pita Chips and mix well. Serve/eat immediately.*

* If keeping over night, add the olive oil, vinegar, feta and Pita Chips right before serving. It will help keep the salad crisp.