Roasted Brussel Sprouts

My journey with brussel sprouts started about a year ago when my neighbor brought me a large stalk of them she had purchased at the farmers market and couldn't finish off. At the time, I had no idea what to do with them. Enter Google. :)  So many recipes I found seemed to want to cover them with sugar or a creamy sauce, but I really wanted something that would show off their actual flavor (since I didn't know what that was).  I decided to stick with a more basic recipe and just roast them...and they were fantastic!  I was delighted to see them back out at the farmers market last week.  Whether you buy them by the stalk or pre-cut, I hope you enjoy them as much as me.  Don't be afraid to let the outer leaves get nice and dark.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cut large sprouts in halves or quarters.  Toss in a bowl with olive oil, sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper.  Spread onto a baking sheet.  Bake about 10 minutes or until you see the outer leaves start to turn dark and crispy, giving the pan a toss every few minutes to turn some of the sprouts over.

Guacamole

I LOVE guacamole!  Until about a year ago, we used to make it with the store-bought seasoning packets when I finally realized it wouldn't be that hard to make it from scratch.  After experimenting for a while, this has become our winner recipe.

• 3 avocados
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried cilantro
• 1 small tomato, diced (optional)

Peel and remove pits from the avocados, saving one of the pits.  Mash avocados in a bowl until there are no large chunks left.  I usually use a potato masher or a fork.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Place the pit in the bowl with the guacamole and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.  The pit will help keep the guacamole from browning as quickly.

Baked Apple Chips

These are such a great snack!  They disappeared so fast that I'll be making a double recipe from now on! They are easy to make but require a lot of baking time. Baking them in the oven doesn't quite compare to using a dehydrator if you have one, but this was a decent substitute to satisfy me.  Mine turned out a bit chewy in the flesh and crispy on the edges, and that is fine with me.  If you really want them crispy I'd suggest turning them over after the 2 hours and putting them back in for additional baking time.

2 apples
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp gr. cinnamon
parchment paper

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Core apples and slice paper thin (use a mandolin to slice the apples if you have one--it will make the job go quickly). You do not need to peel the apples. Technically, you don't even have to core the apples if you don't have an apple corer, but I prefer not to be eating the seed bits. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out apple slices in a single layer. You may need two baking sheets depending on the size of your apples and your baking sheet. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over apple slices. Bake for 2 hours or until golden and edges are crispy. Let cool and enjoy! You can store any leftovers, but be warned they will lose some of their crispiness in a Tupperware.

Caramel Corn

This caramel corn is such a tasty treat!  The coating has great flavor and the baking method makes it deliciously crunchy.  A large bowl of this disappears quickly whenever I make it!

10-12 cups popped popcorn
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda


Put the popped popcorn in a roasting pan, removing any kernels that didn't pop so that you don't crack your teeth on them later. Put the roasting pan in the oven and preheat to 250 degrees (this step is not essential, but it helps to get the popcorn warm while you make the caramel so that you can coat the popcorn without the caramel cooling off too quickly).  In a medium size sauce pan, heat the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup on medium heat.  Bring to a boil for 1 minute.  Add salt and baking soda, then stir until mixture becomes foamy.  Remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn.  Stir to coat the popcorn with the caramel sauce as evenly as possible, but don't worry if it doesn't look even because it will spread more thoroughly as you continue to bake and mix it.  Return the roasting pan to the oven and bake for 2 hours at 250 degrees, removing the pan to stir every 30 minutes.  Lay out a long sheet of wax paper on a flat surface. When popcorn has finished baking, spread it out evenly to cool on the wax paper, breaking up any large clumps. Store in an airtight container once cooled.

Chex Mix

I love a good batch of chex mix! My mother-in-law gave me this recipe and it works great to create that savory flavor that I love. The recipe fills a large roasting pan so make sure you have a large pan for cooking and an appetite for snacking!  It's perfect for having around during the holidays or football parties.  You can be creative with the snack ingredients.  This has been my favorite combination. Regular cheerios or bagel chips are yummy too.  I like the multi-grain cheerios because they add a little sweetness to the mix. *Make this gluten-free by eliminating the wheat chex, pretzels and cheerios and using gluten free-pretzels or bagel chips instead. Also double check that your seasonings are all gluten-free.

Snack Ingredients

• 1 box corn chex
• 1/2 box rice chex
• 1 box wheat chex*
• 1 lb pretzels*
• 1 lb mixed nuts
• 4+ cups multi-grain cheerios*

Coating Ingredients

• scant 2 cups vegetable/canola oil
• 2 Tbsp worchestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp seasoned salt
• 1 Tbsp garlic salt

Mix the snack ingredients in a large roasting pan.  In a liquid measure cup, combine worchestershire, seasoned salt, and garlic salt. Add enough oil to reach the 2 cup measure.  Whisk ingredients together until they are combined.  Pour over snack ingredients and mix gently until the snack mixture is evenly coated.  Bake at 250 degrees for 1-2 hours until golden and crispy, removing from oven every 30 minutes to stir.

Salsa

I love chips and salsa. Who doesn't? In an effort to try and get some of that freshness that salsa always seems to have in the restaurants, I decided to try making my own and it's become a regular in our home. It's super quick to make, and it's pretty easy to keep the ingredients on hand. I will warn you that the quality of tomatoes you use makes a difference in the flavor. I tried to get away with buying the value brand and we could definitely tell the difference. Now I just watch for when the better brands are on sale and stock up. I make this in the blender, but I'm sure a food processor would work well (we just don't have one). I would rank this as medium in spiciness but you could certainly make it more mild by leaving out the tabasco or add some jalapenos to make it hotter.  Fresh cilantro makes it better too, I just don't always have it on hand.

1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz)
1 can Rotel (or any brand tomatoes with green chiles)
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 heaping tsp dried cilantro
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp minced garlic
few splashes of tabasco

Blend briefly to mix well, but don't over blend or it will liquefy too much. *Gluten free dieters: make sure your spices do not contain gluten.

Black Bean Corn Salsa

This is a salsa recipe I created after browsing through several similar recipes online. I only add a small amount of onions and peppers for those of us in my family who can't eat much of them, but it's still enough to give it some flavor. :)  I'd suggest adding more.

Combine the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl:

• 1/4 green pepper, chopped
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 pearl onion, chopped
• 1 large tomato, diced

Combine the following ingredients in a small bowl. Then add to vegetables and mix well. Serve with tortilla chips.

• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tsp tabasco
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic