roasted brussel sprouts with a fig balsamic reduction

roasted brussel sprouts are something i’ve only recently grown to love, but it’s been a whirlwind romance and now i’m obsessed! to take away a little of the bitterness from these tiny little cabbage buds i love this fig balsamic reduction {you can find it at whole foods, or here is a recipe for a balsamic glaze that looks tasty if you’d like to make it yourself!} as a bonus, anything with fig makes your whole dish 60% fancier. not even kidding.

 

the what:

organic brussel sprouts (the smaller, the better)

evoo

sea salt

pepper

balsamic vinegar {optional}

fig balsamic reduction 

the how:

 

- chop off base of brusssel sprouts, cut in half

- coat with evoo, sea salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar

- roast at 375 for 20-30 minutes (i used my toaster oven- easy peasy!)

- when they’re sufficiently soft, charred and browned to your liking, drizzle fig balsamic reduction and eat whilst feeling very, very fancy!  *i prefer to wait until they’re room temp

what the what?

these persimmons came in our farm box this week and i haven’t the foggiest what to do with them {besides style them in a bowl as decor}. i don’t think i’ve  never even tasted one! ideas my friends? they’re darling, i hope they taste as good as they look!

eating in austin

eating in austin is a sport, and one they don’t take lightly. a few of my favorites: veggie tamales & stewed okra at the eastside cafe, hibiscus mint popsicles dipped in red wine at the hotel san jose, the sticky bun at olivia’s (the fried chicken there looked pretty tasty too), the cheese/fruit plate at hotel saint cecilia, the endive/walnut salad at 24 diner, and the fried ochra at perla’s. i have a feeling we hardly scraped the surface of the yumminess in that town, even though it was a pretty epic food tour. anyone from austin want to chime in with some recommendations for our next trip?  1. alysha, matt’s girlfriend 2. chicken at olivia’s 3. paigey and kevin at hotel saint cecilia 4. kevin 5. matt and lou at perla’s 6. cheese and fruit at hotel saint cecilia *i’m pretending that we didn’t drive 35 minutes outside of the city for bbq at a place that served meat by the pound {on butcher paper with a tall stack of white bread}.

fire roasted tomato and kale soup

this is my favorite winter soup these days- and of course it fits the theme of our meals: easy, healthy, delicious. i promise, it won’t disappoint. i double it and we eat leftovers for days. and as you can see from the kitchen picture, there’s hardly any mess to clean up {and i am like a tornado in the kitchen!}.

 

the what:

2 tablespoons evoo

1 cup diced yellow onion 

4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped 

1 (32-ounce) box low-sodium vegetable broth 

4 cups packed chopped kale 

1 (14.5-ounce) can organic fire roasted chopped tomatoes

2 large carrots, chopped

a few shakes of red pepper flakes (optional)

leftover wild rice (optional)

 

the how:

- in a large pot heat olive oil over medium heat, saute onions for 3 minutes and then add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.  

-add broth, tomatoes, fresh carrots and kale {now is the time to sprinkle in some red pepper flakes if you like a little heat in your soup!}.  

-cover and cook until kale is tender (5-7 minutes).  you may need to add a little extra water/sea salt/ pepper if the soup is too thick for your liking.  

-serve steaming hot with a chunk of fresh sourdough or add some lefover wild rice to the soup to make it even heartier.  

-slurp it down and love your life!  *adapted from this recipe 

sweet potato tacos

the what:

 

organic corn tortillas

2 ripe avocados

cilantro

1/2 medium red onion

1 medium sweet potato

1 lime

can of organic black beans

salsa (preferrably fresh, organic and flavorful!)

salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

trader joe’s chilli pepper sauce (or similar)

the how:

 

-roast chopped sweet potatoes coated in EVOO and sea salt until semi soft (I used the toaster oven at 375 degrees)

-while potatoes are roasting, make a quick batch of guacamole (using avocados, cilantro, some chopped red onion, the salsa, sea salt and  1/2 the lime)

- sautee chopped red onion, sweet potatoes, red pepper flakes, sea salt, black pepper and a healthy dash of the trader joes chilli pepper sauce in EVOO until the veggies are soft. 

- add black beans (1/2-3/4 c) to sweet potato mixture and heat for one more minute

-heat corn tortilla over open flame

-pile the sweet potato mixture, guacamole, and cilantro and a squeeze of the lime

-try not to make a total pig of yourslf in front of your fiance while simultaneously shoving taco in your mouth and talking about what an amazing chef you’re turning out to be.

*this recipe will feed two hungry adults, with only a little leftover beans and guac.  double it up for easy leftovers!