Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts

 

About two months ago, I purchased an air fryer from Costco. It was $50. Good deal! I've been using it 3-4 times weekly. 

I roast Brussels sprouts in the oven, but I decided to air fry them. There are lots of recipes on the internet. I found one that sounded good. I don't recall if I found it on Facebook or via google. Credit goes to the author. If I find the link, I'll add it here.

Ingredients

1 Lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
4 strips of bacon, cut into 1" or so strips
1 T olive oil
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese or balsamic glaze (optional)
 
Directions

 
Preheat air fryer to 375°F for 3-5 minutes.
 
Rinse and trim the Brussels sprouts, cut in half. I quarter the larger ones.
 
In a large bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Add the chopped bacon to the mix and combine well.
 
Place the seasoned Brussels sprouts and bacon in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
 
Cook for 12-15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through to ensure even cooking.
 
Check for doneness. The sprouts should be crispy on the outside and tender inside.

Roasted Root Vegetables

 I made this last night for dinner. The recipe is from: 
https://www.thekitchn.com/roasted-root-vegetables-22948817
 

Prep 10 min
Cook 40-45 min
Serves 6-8
 
Ingredients
 
3 pounds root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and beets
1 small red onion
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  

Directions:

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F.
 
Peel 3 pounds root vegetables, if desired, then cut them into rough 1-inch chunks. Cut 1 small red onion into 1-inch chunks. Place the root vegetables and red onion on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil, sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, and toss to evenly coat. Spread out in an even layer.
 
Roast for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, chop until you have 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped rosemary leaves.
 
Remove the baking sheet from the oven, sprinkle the vegetables with the rosemary, and toss to combine. Spread back out in an even layer. Continue to roast until the vegetables are tender and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes more.
 
My Notes:
 

For the root vegetables, I used carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, beets.

I added whole garlic cloves (peeled), which came out so tender and mild.

Overall, a very good vegetable dish.

Roasted Butternut Squash

My friend Megan made this for our 26 June 2023 Cookbook Club in Brunswick Forest. It was excellent, especially the roasted garlic. This recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics cookbook. Lots of great recipes!

Servings: Serves 6

 
Ingredients
 
1 large butternut squash
1 head garlic separated but not peeled
2 Tbsp. good olive oil
2-1/2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces thinly sliced pancetta chopped
16 whole fresh sage leaves
French bread for serving
 
Directions
 
Preheat oven to 400°. Peel and seed butternut squash and then cut into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes. Place squash and whole unpeeled garlic cloves in a baking dish or sheet pan large enough to hold them all in one layer. Toss with olive oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until squash begins to brown, turning once during baking.

Sprinkle pancetta and sage leaves evenly over squash and continue to bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until squash and garlic are tender and caramelized. Season to taste and serve hot with French bread for guests to spread with the roasted garlic.
 

Solterito Arequipeño Salad “little bachelor from Arequipeño”

Tony and I hosted a Peruvian dinner with friends (15 June 2023). One couple made this wonderful salad.  It's a perfect summer salad. 

 
[My notes]
 
1 can corn, rinsed
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. black olives (more to taste)  [sliced]
1 pt. grape tomatoes, halved or quartered  [seeds removed]
Colorful peppers chopped coarsely
Salt and pepper to taste
Smoked paprika to taste
1/2 c. cilantro (hold to end) sprinkle on top
1-1/2 c. queso fresco small cubes (hold to end)
1 avocado small cubes (hold to end)
 
Sauce: 5 T extra virgin olive oil, 3+ T Jalapeno [about 1.8 oz], blend in cuisinart – add at serving.
 
Make early to let salad marinate in fridge.
 
Hold off on avocado, cilantro, cheese when ready to serve.

Simple Braised Mushrooms

Our Brunswick Forest cookbook club met on 11 April 2023.  The recipes that everyone made were from Giada de Laurentiis’s cookbook called, Eat Better, Feel Better: My Recipes for Wellness and Healing, Inside and Out. 

 
I selected this simple but delicious mushroom side dish. It was a hit along with many other recipes that evening.
 
Serves 6
 
Total time: 35 minutes
 
Ingredients
 

2 T. olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1-1/2 t. kosher salt, divided
3 (10 oz) packages cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 T dry Marsala, sherry, or white wine, optional
1/2 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 T unsalted butter
 
 
Directions
 
Heat a large straight-sided skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and heat another 30 seconds. Add the shallot and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to the hot pan and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes or until fragrant and beginning to soften. 

  

Add the mushrooms to the pan along with another 1/2 teaspoon salt and the thyme.  Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have let off some of their juices are beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.

 
Deglaze with the Marsala, if using, and add the broth and remaining salt. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the pan, increase the heat to medium and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about an additional 5 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs, stir in the butter and serve.
 
My Notes: 
 
I used chicken broth and white wine.
 
I added two cloves of garlic, chopped, when I added the shallots to the skillet. 
 
Next time I will also add some hot pepper flakes.
 
In my opinion, the butter is really not needed.

Italian Grilled Vegetables

This is an adapted recipe from Giada de Laurentis. I made last week for a rotation dinner. It made a huge batch, so either reduce the quantity of the vegetables or enjoy the next night or two.

3 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into thin slices
2 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise into 1/2" strips
3 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/2" strips
2 eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/2" strips
24 Cremini mushrooms, keep whole unless very large
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
1 bunch green onions, roots cut off
1/4 cup + 2 T olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 T balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. parsley
1/2 t. finely chopped rosemary

Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Brush the vegetables with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the vegetables in baking pans and as one layer as follows, as they all have different cooking times:

- Red bell peppers in one pan - these take about 8 to 10 minutes
- Yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and eggplant - these take about 7 minutes
- Asparagus and green onions - these take about 4-5 minutes

I started the bell peppers in the oven and added the other pans, each one, a few minutes later.

Whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, herbs in a bowl to blend. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle over the vegetables and serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: I mis-read the ingredients and used more olive oil than needed for the dressing, so I added more balsamic vinegar.

This came out great, but doing it directly on a grill would be even better. Of course, you can use any type of vegetables. I'm thinking fennel, onions, other types of bell peppers, etc.

Crème de Poivrons Rouges (Cream of red peppers sauce)

Steve and Diane Woodard, August 2003, from their book, "When our Grandmothers Cooked in Provence"

1 lb to 1.3 lb Red peppers, seeded and diced
1 large onion, minced
2 garlic cloves
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded
2 oz. Double cream (You may substitute1% milk for 2 oz of double cream and consider this a Weight Watchers' modification)
Olive oilPinch of sugar (or Splenda)
1.5 dl/ 0.2 Pt of water
Salt
Fresh ground pepper

Brown the onions and garlic with 3 tablespoons olive oil over slow heat until they change color.
Add the peppers, tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper; add the water. Bring to a boil, and then cover and cook for half an hour.

Pour into a food processor with the cream and pinch of sugar. Blend and check the seasoning.

Serve this warm over fish, an omelet, hot vegetables, or serve cold over cold vegetables.