Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

MSCD beginner recipe

I'm a Brussels sprouts newbie. This was my first recipe to try with them, and it turned out great! Very fast and easy. Serve them as a side with any meal or make them the main dish with a side of Deb's Cornbread. If you'd like to spice it up a bit, add 1 tsp. red pepper flakes when you're sautéing the garlic. Freeze leftovers to add to your next vegetable soup.

1 (1 lb.) bag Brussels sprouts (approximately 24), sliced into ribbons, ends removed

¼ of a yellow onion, sliced into ribbons

2 Tbs. minced garlic

2 Tbs. butter

extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs. honey

2 tsp. Mrs. Dash Table Blend seasoning

1 tsp. sea salt

½ cup sliced almonds

Melt butter and a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for a minute. Add Brussels sprouts and onion. Sauté for a couple minutes. Add seasoning and honey while continuing to sauté for a total of around 5 minutes. Stir in almonds and remove from heat. Serve immediately.

Cheesecake

MSCD 12-month recipe

Cheesecake. mmmm...

It took many recipe flops to come up with this mouth-watering, healthy delight! It's one of my Mom's favorites, which is why I made it for her surprise princess birthday party. But she's not really 60. (wink, wink)

This cheesecake is a mixture of cream cheese, honey and maple syrup, accompanied by a simple cinnamon and honey oat crust to upgrade from the traditional graham cracker crust laden with enriched flour, sugar and hydrogenated oil. The cake's topping is optional and flexible. My favorite is strawberries, but serving it plain or topping with cherries or any berry would be excellent.

Crust

1 cup whole oats

1 cup oat flour

¼ cup applesauce

3 Tbs. butter, finely diced

1 Tbs. honey

1 ½ Tbs. water

1 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of salt

extra virgin olive oil

Lightly chop oats in a blender. In a bowl, combine chopped oats with remaining ingredients, except olive oil, forming a ball by working the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with your hands until the entire ball of dough is moist. Drizzle the dough ball with olive oil to coat. Butter or oil a 10-inch springform cake pan. Press the crust dough to an even thickness along the bottom and sides of the dish. Make the side crusts tall enough to hold the filling and strawberry topping. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.

Filling

4 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

4 eggs

¾ cup honey

¼ cup maple syrup

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

Place eggs, honey, syrup, lemon juice and vanilla in a bowl. Mix to combine. In a separate bowl, whip cream cheese with an electric mixer. Add egg mixture to cream cheese, a little at a time, whipping until creamy. Pour filling into crust. Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Topping

1 (16 oz.) bag frozen strawberries

½ cup honey

While the cake is baking, make the topping. Place strawberries and honey in a saucepan over medium low to medium heat. As the strawberries begin to melt, smash mixture with a potato masher until a chunky sauce is formed. Place topping in the refrigerator to thicken.

When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool. Remove cake from springform pan and place on a decorative serving dish. Top with strawberry topping. If you can resist, the cake is best after it is chilled in the refrigerator.

Orange you glad we're friends, Valentine?

Holidays equal candy. And cookies and cake pops and cupcakes and icing and SPRINKLES! What's a health-conscience family to do?

With a Kindergartener and a preschooler, I face these dilemmas - a lot. The most recent dilemma was Valentine's Day. I wanted to make homemade valentines with my sons. But I just could not buy candy. I wanted to do something fun and witty (and cheap!), and I just knew I could come up with something that wasn't coated in sugar! I brainstormed with my husband one night. His idea was to give all the kids a bag of rocks with a note that said "Valentine, you rock!"


Witty. Check.
Cheap. Check.
No sugar. Check.


But can you imagine what would happen if I gave a bunch of 4 and 6-year-olds a bag of rocks?! So, instead, I went with my idea. Little cutie mandarine oranges with a card that read "Orange you glad we're friends? Happy Valentine's Day!" I designed the cards in Adobe Illustrator and printed them at Office Depot, but you by no means have to get that fancy. Construction paper and a marker would work just as well. I had each son sign the card with a Sharpie and put it and an orange in a snack size ziplock bag. The cost was 29 cents per valentine, which was great since we made 63!

Having the boys hand-make the valentines gave me some special time with each son. We talked about what love is and who we love and why we love while we assembled the bags. And because the boys helped make the valentines, they were invested and it meant so much more to them when they gave the valentines to their friends. My 4-year-old handed his out at his party this morning, and his teachers commented on how big his smile was while he was doing so.


And guess who else smiled? The recipients! All of the kids were so excited to get an orange. The teachers told me they were all so happy to have an orange, too, because their tummies hurt from gorging on chocolate the previous day. And the parents. Of course they were smiling, too, and asking to steal the idea (which I encourage you to do, too!) One mom said she is going to make them as party favors for her daughter's birthday tomorrow. Great idea.

For my Kindergartener's Christmas party a couple months ago, I had made fruit kabobs. And guess what the kids requested for their Valentine Party? More fruit kabobs! Not more candies and cookies - more fruit. The kabobs are very easy, fun and healthy. And pretty, too!

One tip I would give you is to snip the sharp tips off the ends of the sticks after you've threaded the fruit if you are making the kabobs for young children, which thankfully I did. The sticks become light sabers and swords soon after the fruit is gone! Yes, my son is the one that started the light saber fight...


For our family party at home, I made the delicious strawberry muffins pictured below with organic oat flour, brown rice flour, fresh strawberries and honey, just to name a few ingredients. The icing is simply cream cheese whipped with honey and a few drops of red food coloring. I hope to post the full recipe soon. Can someone please send me a babysitter?!

Remember that you CAN give your kids and coworkers and friends a healthy holiday. All you have to do is think outside the sugar-coated box.