Like clockwork, day four of my sugar detox and the headache and moodiness have arrived. Its around lunchtime, so I should definitely stop and eat something. I feel the angry sugar withdraw monster trying to rear its ugly head. Someone told me yesterday that it's my body reacting to the "healing crisis" my body goes through by expelling toxins into different systems of my body. I guess that makes me feel a little bit better about it, but days like today really just sssuuuuuuucccckkk! Knowing it's my fault makes me even more frustrated. Why does sugar have to taste SO GOOD?! Enough complaining, suck it up, right? I'll be all the better for it down the road.
Moving on to these delicious little gems. Cooking dinner in the kitchen is something I really enjoy doing, but I find myself snacking while I cook, which is probably a poor decision on my part. The Roasted Plantain Chips from Trader Joe's are my weakness. They are part of what sparked my decision to detox again...those and the large bag of Brookside's Dark Chocolate Acai with Blueberry I crushed up in Chicago last month. It was heinous ..and glorious. Anyway, I have made all kinds of chips, plantain, sweet potato, kale, etc. and these are probably the easiest to make. They aren't all completely crispy, which I happen to like. The combination of the fat, salt, little bit of garlic and paprika...delish! Plus it gives me a reason to reuse the normally discarded leaves that fall off these baby cabbages anyway, and satisfy my need to snack without leaving me feeling guilty.
Note: If you are making brussels sprouts but aren't ready to use the leaves for making chips right away, you can store them in a resealable plastic bag for several days.
Brussels Sprout Chips
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 7-9 minutes
Total Time: about 12-14 minutes
Special Tools:
Foil lined baking sheet
Ingredients:
2 cups of brussels sprouts leaves
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of melted ghee
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1/4 tsp of paprika
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Lay your b. sprout leaves out on the foil lined baking sheet. Note: Discard any that are yellow or wilted.
3. Pour the oil and ghee all around. Rub each leaf to coat well.
4. Mix your seasonings in a small bowl and then sprinkle them over the leaves.
5. Bake in the oven for 7-9 minutes or until most of the leaves are brown and crispy.
6. Pour into a bowl and enjoy while cooking (or whenever you feel like snacking!)
I did it! I finally found a way to cook brussels sprouts and not have my husband turn his nose up at them. I don't know what's wrong with him, I LOVE brussels sprouts and I can eat them prepared just about any way possible. My two favorite ways to date have been at two restaurants, The Front Porch here in Tallahassee, and Flip Burger in Atlanta. Sadly, the Front Porch doesn't have their sautéed maple bacon b. sprouts on the menu all the time, so if that's what you're after, then check the menu before you go! Worth the wait though, I promise. Anyway, back to the way I am preparing them these days so the hubs will eat one of the world's healthiest foods! I've found that if I send them through the food processor using the slicing blade, they come out in a combination of cute slivers and shredded-like slaw. Then I just mix them in a bowl with some ghee, olive oil, and spices, bake for about 15-20 minutes then voila! He loves them! I guess the thin stringy texture has a less bitter taste than biting into a half of one.
Note: As you prepare the brussels sprouts to go into the food processor, you'll lose some of the outer leaves. Don't fret! Save them for making brussels sprout chips! I have kept mine in a plastic resealable bag for up to two weeks before using them and they were still crisp and delicious.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25-30 minutes
Special Tools:
Food processor
Large mixing bowl
Foil lined baking tray
Ingredients:
1 lb of brussels sprouts
3 tbsp of melted ghee
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp of coconut aminos
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1/2 tsp of fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp of paprika
1/2 tsp of ground ginger
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the bottoms of the brussels sprouts off and discard. *Save the leaves that come off to make chips later!
3. Stack 3 or 4 sprouts on top of each other in your food processor feeder tube and turn the processor on. This ensures you get slices and not just all tiny shredded pieces. Repeat until all the b. sprouts have been sliced.
4. Whisk together all of the remaining ingredients into a large bowl.
5. Dumb the b. sprouts into the bowl and toss to combine and then spread them out on a foil lined tray.
6. Place in the oven. Take them out every 5 minutes for 20 minutes and move them around to make sure it all cooks evenly.
