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I always enjoy posts made by Kelly over at The Gouda Life. Recently I saw her tweet about a guest post in Aritzia Magazine that looked right up my alley. Anything that involves crispy Brussels sprouts and bacon is fine by me.

My sister and I agree that this dish is a lot like colcannon. It’s also a great way to get a good amount of veggies into you in a very delicious way. I think this would make an excellent dinner for someone who doesn’t eat large meals or a great side for someone who feels they need a little more protein. The original recipe included chickpeas but I didn’t find they added to the recipe at all and therefore removed them below.

Cauliflower Puree with Crispy Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

4 slices thick-cut bacon
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (small pinch)
2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan
2 cups Brussels sprouts, outer leaves and tough stem removed and cut into thin horizontal rounds
fresh lemon juice, to garnish
olive oil, to garnish
black pepper, to garnish

Cook bacon however you like best. (I like it cooked on a rack over a cookie sheet, at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes; flip it halfway through). Set aside to cool.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop in the cauliflower florets and garlic. Turn down to a simmer and cook until for tender, six to seven minutes. Reserve a cup of the cooking water, strain the florets and dump into a food processor or blender with the olive oil. Blend until smooth, adding reserved water if it’s too dry. Return to the pot, add nutmeg and Parmesan cheese, and stir to combine. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Cover and keep warm over very low heat.
Drizzle a skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring every minute or two, until lightly browned and crisp around the edges. Sprinkle with a bit of salt.
Scoop the cauliflower puree into a serving dish and top with crumbled bacon, crispy sprouts. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, and a generous amount of fresh-ground black pepper.

This is a very decadent and crowd pleasing appitizer. It would be perfect for a dinner party as something to snack on while waiting for dinner and would also be good for a potluck!

Cheesy Pull Apart Bread
1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread
12 ounces Provolone or fresh mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup butter
1 bunch finely diced green onion
1-2 clove garlic minced – depending how much your enjoy garlic

¼ cup parsley chopped finely

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust.

Place loaf on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Gently open up the cuts and push the cheese between them.

Combine the butter and garlic in a glass dish and melt in the microwave for one minute.
Push the onions and parsley between the cults along with the cheese and drizzle the the garlic butter over bread and also between the cuts. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Options – 2 tsp poppy seeds mixed in with the right before it goes on the bread. And or sautéed mushrooms.

It’s been a rough day… and there are only a few things that make rough days bearable. Wine, good workouts, and freshly baked cookies.  Some days require cookies! I found the recipe for these cookie bars here and think they turned out perfectly! I will definitely make them again. They are thick and chewy and if you catch one out of the oven – gooey. They are a wonderful alternative to individual cookies since you just dump the dough in a pan and bake. No rolling, no batches, no waiting… just bake and cut. Super simple and quick!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2 1/8 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position.

Line a 9X13-inch baking pan with foil, letting the excess hang over the edges of the pan by about 1 inch so you can grab those edges and pull the brownies from the pan after they have baked.

Spray the foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.

Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 24-28 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature.

Remove the bars from the pan by lifting the foil overhang and transfer them to a cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

Happy St Paddy’s Day everyone.

It’s not often I write about specific products on my blog but for this one I am making an exception. The lime infused olive oil from Emulsify is absolutely stunning. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy all of their products but the lime olive oil is sooooooo good. It takes this avocado toast recipe up a notch, from delicious to irresistible.

Avocado Toasts

1 avocado

Juice of half a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

2 slices of bread

Lime infused olive oil

While the bread is toasting mash the avocado in a bowl along with the lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the avocado mixture over the toast and drizzle lightly with lime olive oil.

These cookies are both vegan and gluten-free. A few months ago I came across a similar cookie at Bread & Sons on Bank St. and ever since then I have been on a mission to replicate it. I looked at about 5 different recipes to try and figure out the right amount of each of the ingredients to use. I am pleased to announce that I have come close enough to the real thing I feel no need to continue experimenting. This is a damn good cookie and it is loaded with oatmeal and flax to boot! I like to keep them in the freezer at work so I have treats on hand whenever I get a craving.

I went to my local health food store to get the organic cane sugar, fair trade organic chocolate chips, flax seeds, and soy milk (you can use almond too).

Note – this recipe requires a coffee grinder. Even if you buy the flax ground you still need to grind up the oatmeal. I tried to use my food processor but it just didn’t do nearly as good of a job.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup canola oil (or any kind of veg oil)
1/4 cup soy milk (I used vanilla)
3/4 cup raw cane sugar
½ cup flax seed
2 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp quick oats
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Grind the flax, oatmeal, and chocolate chips in batches in a coffee grinder. I ground the chips mixed with some oatmeal and didn’t let them get ground too small, there were still a few chunks left in the grinder. Mix the oatmeal, flax and chips in a large bowl with baking soda and sugar. In a small bowl mix the soy milk, oil, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and combine.

Taking one tablespoon at a time, roll into a ball and put on a silpat covered baking sheet. Using a drinking glass with a wide and flat bottom smush the ball down to about ¾ of an inch.

Bake at 350 degrees 10 to 12 minutes or until just golden brown on bottom. Let cool on sheet slightly, be careful they are brittle and crumbly when hot out of the oven. Move to a wire rack to cool once they have hardened enough to be moved. Store covered. Makes about 24 cookies.