Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans

My husband loves brussels sprouts and has been talking about how I never serve them. I have to be honest and say that I really have never been too fond of brussels sprouts. I think I never liked them because of the way they were prepared. I found a super simple (I like simple) recipe to prepare these little creations and thought we would give it a try.

My youngest son, my husband and myself really liked the brussels sprouts prepared this way. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans

Ingredients:

Brussels sprouts - about 20 or so, halved or quartered
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (or more if you like)
Salt and pepper
Toasted pecans (heat in a skillet with olive oil until toasted)

Preheat the oven to 400°

Toss brussels sprouts with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Roast for about 15-20 minutes or until tender. Top with toasted pecans and serve.

Our Dinner Menu Plan

This week my dinner menu plan includes some new recipes as well as some old favorites. My husband said that I am on a rustic food kick with Tuscan beans last week and Tuscan Vegetable Soup this week. I go through phases with food so he is probably right.

I am branching out a little with my selection of side dishes in hopes that my children will explore other vegetables unfamiliar to them.

Our Dinner Menu Plan

Monday - Refried Beans and Rice, Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans and Banana Cream Parfaits (recipe coming)

Tuesday - Beef Stroganoff with Garlic Bread

Wednesday - Tuscan Vegetable Soup (recipe coming) and Cornbread

Thursday - Chicken in Onion Buttermilk Gravy (recipe coming) and Apple Celery Coleslaw (recipe coming)

Friday - Homemade Pizza and Salad

Saturday- Leftovers

Sunday - Pesto Pasta and Caprese Salad

Chickpea Minus the Meat Balls (Great for Spaghetti or Hoagies)

I have to admit that although I love preparing vegetarian meals for my family I was not too excited about making chickpea meatballs. For some reason the sound of chickpea and meatballs just did not make sense to me. Well, I am super glad that I finally got a chance to make these delightful little balls, they were actually really good.

Next time I prepare them I think I will add some fresh herbs like oregano, parsley and basil to give them some extra pazazz.

Here is a link to the recipe I used from Rachel Ray. The only ingredient I omitted was the lemon. Rachel served the Chickpea Balls on a baguette and I served them in spaghetti. I think they would work great either way.

Hot Cross Buns for Good Friday

My kids are really excited about making Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday. I figured I would go ahead and post the recipe for these delicious treats if you wanted to also make them on Friday (or any other time).

Along with the Resurrection Rolls, these buns are another great way to help kids understand the Easter story.

Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients:

¾ cup scalded milk
3 tablespoons butter
¼ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
¾ cup dried plums, currants or raisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Put milk into a saucepan and scald it. Let it cool until it’s lukewarm.

Add warm milk, butter, sugar, salt, one egg + one egg white (save the yolk to coat the buns later), flour, and yeast in bread maker to mix and knead.

When the kneading cycle is almost finished (some machines beep at this point), add the raisins and cinnamon.

When dough cycle is completed remove the dough from bread maker and press it out on a floured surface.

Cover it and let rest 10 minutes.

Shape dough into 12 balls and place them in a greased 9 x 12 inch pan.

Cover the pan and let the dough rise in a warm place 30-40 minutes, until doubled.

Mix the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water and brush on buns.

Bake at 375º F for 20 minutes and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Frosting Recipe

Ingredients:

½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoons milk or water

Mix together confectioners’ sugar and milk.

When the buns have cooled completely brush frosting on each bun making a cross.

Black Bean Salad

If your family likes beans this recipe for black bean salad is a super delicious and completely versatile dish. It makes an awesome and flavorful side dish or light main dish. A friend of mine gave me this delightful recipe a few years ago and I had forgotten all about it until I was flipping through my disorganized recipe book.

Black beans are a good source of protein, thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese, and an excellent source of dietary fiber and folate. After researching black beans a little further I also found information that suggests that black beans help lower your risk of colon cancer. It seems they provide additional support for our digestive tracts, particularly the colon. All good reasons to make black beans a part of our diet.

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 Cup red, yellow, or orange pepper, finely chopped
1 Tsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 Tbsp cilantro (I used parsley because that is what I had on hand)
1/4 Tsp cumin
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp red chile honey (see recipe below)
1 Tsp salt
3/4 Cup corn kernels
1 Cup ripe tomatoes, chopped (I used grape tomatoes and those worked just fine, however romas would have been better I think)
1 Cup black beans, cooked

Saute the onions and peppers in olive oil over medium heat until soft.

In a separate bowl, combine cilantro, cumin, vinegar, honey mixture, and salt.

Add corn, tomatoes, black beans and sauteed vegetables to the dressing mixture and combine thoroughly. Allow flavors to blend by letting the salad stand for 30-45 minutes. I placed my black bean salad in the refrigerator and served it cold, however you can serve it room temperature as well.

**If you like things spicy you can also add 1 finely chopped or minced jalapeno. For the sake of my kids I decided to leave the jalapeno out.

Red Chile Honey

Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey
1/2 Tbsp red chile powder
1/8 Tsp cumin
1/8 garlic salt

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat for about 2 minutes. Stir continuously until all the flavors have combined.

Resurrection Rolls

Our family enjoys reading our bible and working together on various bible activities. I am always searching for projects and activities to increase my kids knowledge of the word of God. It is a way for our family to connect and spend time together.

Recently I began searching the internet for great Easter activities. I came across a super cute hands on activity to communicate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to young children, called resurrection rolls.

You can get the complete directions and pictures on how to make resurrection rolls here.

Our Dinner Menu Plan

My kids have always preferred Mexican, American, and Italian food. This week I am going outside the box and making a healthier Indian Butter Chicken that I hope my kids will enjoy. Indian food is so fragrant and colorful. My husband and I love Indian food, but only get to have it on special occasions.

Have a fantastic Easter week!

* I will be making resurrection rolls later this week, so look forward to a post on that as well.

Our Dinner Menu Plan

Monday - Crock Pot Mexican Chicken to make Tacos, Mexican Salad and Black Bean Salad

Tuesday - Sweet Potato Pancakes, Sausage, and Fruit

Wednesday - Tuscan Slow Cooker Beans (Recipe coming), Salad, and Honey Cornbread

Thursday - Indian Butter Chicken, Rice and Sweet Peas

Friday - Eating Out

Saturday - Chickpea Meatball Spaghetti (I know I moved this again, but last week we received a complete homemade dinner to help support a missionary fundraiser so I did not make these meatballs)

Sunday - Smoked Pork Loin, Sweet Potato Casserole, and Kale Chips