The Smiling Onion

Vegetarian and Gluten-free Cooking

Subscribe

Shredded Brussels Sprouts Pizza with Goat Cheese & Olives

By 2 Comments

One of life’s little miracles is looking in your fridge and discovering you have everything you need to make a perfect pizza. While I’m pretty down with most pizza toppings (provided they are vegetarian), there are definitely some pizza sweet spots that result from the right toppings combo. You know – like red pizza with green peppers, black olives, and spinach or spicy tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil. These tried and true topping trinities (say that 10x fast) are just so…pizzalicious.

Well, I’m adding another trinity – or actually “quintity” (not a real word, unfortunately). Shredded brussels, freshly grated parm, kalamatas, goat cheese, and parsley pesto. When I made this for the first time, my husband legit freaked out. I kind of did too. Will you? Let me know in the comments.

[Read more…]

Brussels Sprouts Tacos

By Leave a Comment

This is one of those recipes where the ingredients are surprisingly simple – there’s no magic spice mix, exotic herbs, special vinegars, or complex sauce. But the flavors and textures are unreal. So what’s the secret?  I’d say it’s probably the cooking method for the brussels sprouts, which actually happens to be easier than most – no blanching – but which yields an EXTREMELY flavorful result. You’ll be shocked that the only added seasonings are sea salt and chives! Of course, once you have your flavor-packed, browned, crispy brussels, it doesn’t hurt to pile them on top of a corn tortilla, add some toasted pumpkin seeds, a simple crema, a light sprinkle of feta, and a squeeze of lime. The flavors jive so well you’ll want to eat these every day.

I actually created this recipe way back in January, but thought it would be a perfect Cinco de Mayo post. (Yay for planning ahead!) What I didn’t count on, however, was that every time I came across these photos sitting in my Google Drive, I’d want to eat these tacos immediately. So be warned: they are addictive!

[Read more…]

Buttery Brussels (Vegan)

By Leave a Comment

I’m not sure what it is about Thanksgiving season that has me creating vegan twists on the classics left and right – but here’s another vegan recipe for your Thanksgiving table. Or any table, for that matter. I don’t know about you, but brussels are one of my all-time favorite vegetables year-round and this is one of my favorite ways to prepare them!

Before I describe this recipe, let me just rant about brussels for a second. Has anyone noticed that they’ve gone from being everyone’s least favorite vegetable to something frequently found (and ordered) at chic bars and small-plates places? What happened? I think the answer has to do with the fact that brussels can be just about the absolute worst tasting thing in the world or they can be the best bite you’ve ever had, depending on how they’re prepared. And they are finally being prepared properly more often than improperly! Sure, you still get your occasional mushy, sulphuric, boiled-to-death old-school brussels, and sometimes you’ll get the super undercooked and tummy-ache fueling version, but more often than not, you get something much more akin to truffle fries, if truffle fries were made out of cabbage.

I have a bunch of favorite ways to prepare brussels – from boiling them until tender and then adding copious amounts of olive oil and parmesan, to roasting them in chili glazes. But my absolute favorite is the boil and sauté method. The brussels get nice and tender (which makes them easier to digest and brings out the sweeter side of their flavor profile), and then they are quickly pan-fried/sautéed in oil or butter and delicious spices for a fabulous crispy exterior and a supremely addictive flavor.

[Read more…]