Pepper-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Feta

You can download the printable version of this recipe and many more at susanmallery.com/recipes.php.

Brussels sprouts are one of those love-‘em-or-hate-‘em vegetables. There is no middle ground. There’s no way that you can doctor Brussels sprouts so that a hater will grasp her hands to her chest and cry, “Delicious!” It’s not gonna happen. You can stir fry them, roast them, grill them, or cover them with cheese sauce, but they’re still Brussels sprouts. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they are what they are.

So I won’t try to convince you that this recipe will convert any nonbelievers. But for those of you who already fall in the Love ‘Em category, this Brussels sprouts recipe is going to rock your world! I invited a well-traveled foodie friend to dinner the night I made these. This is a woman who has been to Paris many times, and who has dined in fine restaurants in Europe and the United States. She said, and I quote, “These are the best Brussels sprouts I have ever had.”

I think I might cry.

Recipe: Pepper-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Feta

1 lb Brussels sprouts
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 habanero pepper, chopped
½ t salt
1/8 t pepper
2 T crumbled feta cheese

Place the oil in a small bowl. Add the habanero pepper and the garlic, and allow flavors to infuse oil for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the ends off the Brussels sprouts and remove the outer leaves. Place the sprouts into a bowl and pour the oil in through a strainer. Toss with salt, and pepper.

Put in a single layer on a shallow roasting pan and roast for about 35 minutes, stirring twice. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Put them into a serving bowl, add the feta, and toss.

Hummus Chicken

You can download a printable version of this recipe for free at www.susanmallery.com/recipes.php. Lots of other delicious recipes there, too!

Since I started this cooking blog, the funniest thing has happened: I imagine flavors more than I ever did before. It used to be when I imagined a flavor, it was the flavor of my favorite dish in some restaurant, and the only way to get it out of my head was to visit that restaurant. But now, I imagine flavor combinations that I’ve never tasted before, just wild ideas that pop into my head. The combinations don’t always work – my husband will attest to my many failures.

But sometimes, wow. They’re as delicious in real life as I imagined them to be. One example is the Shrimp Margaritas appetizer I concocted. And the Snap Pea Cheese Canoes. (My imagination didn’t serve me nearly as well with my Tater Salad, potato salad made with Tater Tots, which tasted so horrible that I put it in the “Don’t try this at home” category.)

I am very proud to share with you my delicious recipe for Hummus Chicken, which happily tasted even better in my mouth than it did in my head. And it’s super easy, with just four ingredients.

Recipe: Hummus Chicken

3 – 4 pounds of boneless chicken breasts
4 oz prepared hummus
1 T mayonnaise (I used fat-free)
½ t cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice each chicken breast in half.

Mix together the remaining ingredients. Spread some of the hummus mixture inside each chicken breast, fold the halves closed, then spread some on top of each chicken breast. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and put it into the oven.

Bake until the chicken is cooked thoroughly, about 50-60 minutes.

Minted Roast Beef

You’ll find a printable version of this recipe at www.susanmallery.com/recipes.php.

Since I started this cooking blog last year, I have begun to follow other blogs that share free recipes online. There are a lot of very talented cooks in the world… and many of them are also very talented photographers. Sadly, my pictures don’t do my recipes justice.

Recently, I joined Tasty Kitchen. I have shared a couple of my recipes online there already and plan to share more as time permits. While I was on the site, I was very excited to stumble upon the Pioneer Woman’s Food Photography Tips. Maybe by following these tips, I can get a photo accepted by FoodGawker.com, described to me as “food porn.”

Unfortunately, I hit a stumbling block with the first and second tips. The first is to turn off the flash, and the second is to rely instead upon natural light for the food pictures. The problem is, this time of year, the sun goes down in Seattle before 5 pm, and I don’t start cooking until after I finish my writing for the day. And even when the sun is up, we don’t see it very often in this cloudy city. I create recipes as a way to connect with readers, but I think most of my readers would prefer that I spend my best, most creative hours writing the books they love.

But for this recipe, because the meat would benefit from a few hours to absorb the flavors of the rub, I did do some prep work during daylight hours… with a rare Seattle peek of actual daylight! And I must admit, I love how the garlic cloves look in the natural sunlight.

Oh, and by the way, this roast beef tasted amazing. The flavor really didn’t taste much like mint, but it did have a nice little “bite” that was different from the same-old, same-old.

Recipe: Minted Roast Beef

1 beef roast, 2-3 pounds
2 T fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
3 cloves of garlic
1 t dried oregano
1 t kosher salt
½ t black pepper
1 T vegetable oil

Mince the mint leaves and garlic and place in a small bowl. Mix with the oregano, salt, and pepper, then rub over the meat. Place the meat in the refrigerator, uncovered for about two hours.

Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees. Heat heavy-bottomed, oven-safe pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add oil. When oil shimmers, put the roast in the pan. Sear on each side for about 2 minutes. Place the pan with the roast in the oven and cook on low heat until the center of the roast reaches about 150 degrees, about 60-90 minutes. Allow the roast to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

This picture was taken with a flash, long after the sun went down.

Tomato-Cucumber Salad

Sigh. Yes, I’m on a diet. I’ve committed to losing 20 pounds by March 31. I’m still feeling bitter about it, but I’m hopeful that in a couple of days, after the sugar has worked its way out of my system, I’ll get happier. Or at least more resigned to my fate. I’ve invited my Facebook friends to join in the challenge – or to set a resolution of their own – and we’re cheering each other on at www.facebook.com/susanmallery. Or if you prefer, you can join the challenge at www.susanmallery.com.

So… dieting. That means that for the next three months, I will try to post only reasonably healthy recipes. My hope is that coming up with new recipes will make this fun.

And the truth is, this salad really was kind of fun to create. It was very easy, but it looks beautiful, doesn’t it? We served it with a steamed chicken breast, and I didn’t feel deprived. Much.

Recipe: Tomato-Cucumber Salad

1 large cucumber, sliced thin
2 small, sweet tomatoes, sliced thin
½ small onion, sliced thin
1 T mild vinegar
1 t olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ C Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 T pine nuts

Layer the vegetables on a large plate. Drizzle with vinegar and oil, then add salt and pepper. Allow to marinate at least half an hour. Just before serving, top with cheese and pine nuts.

You can get a printable version of this recipe at www.susanmallery.com/recipes.php.