Crispy Brussel Sprouts with Avocado

There's a restaurant in Swarthmore that serves an appetizer called crispy broccoli. You would think a broccoli appetizer would be boring, but you'd be wrong about this one. Since we're in Durham this year, no crispy broccoli for me. So, I thought I'd try to make a version of it at home as a side dish. 

Notes: You think you don't want avocado with your vegetables, but oh you do. That's the part that makes the crispy broccoli appetizer interesting! It's a great mix of textures and the smooth avocado pairs great with the earthy brussel sprouts. 

When you make oven-baked fries, you sprinkle them with flour or cornstarch to get them to crisp up on the outside. I tried that with the brussel sprouts, but I'm not sure it made a difference. They basically has the same texture they always do when I roast brussel sprouts. I went ahead and included that step anyway. 

If you don't roast your veggies, you're missing out. It's one of the most flavorful preparations. If you have a veggie hater in your life, serve them roasted veggies and they might change their tune. 

Ingredients:

1 package/bunch of brussel sprouts

1-2 avocados

1 lime, juiced

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon flour or cornstarch

Salt and pepper

Olive oil for drizzling

Directions: Heat the oven to 425. While the oven is heating, put your baking sheet in the oven so that it gets hot. 

While the oven is heating, trim the ends off brussel sprouts and remove the smaller outer leaves. Slice them in half. Put them in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on the flour or cornstarch and mix with your hands until no white remains on the sprouts. 

When the oven is hot, take your baking sheet out and brush it with olive oil. Put the sprouts cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.

While the sprouts are in the oven, prep the avocado. Mash it in a bowl, add in the soy sauce and lime juice, and season with a little salt. Taste it before you add more salt (since soy sauce can be salty). 

To serve, spread some avocado on the plate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Pile the sprouts on top of the avocado and enjoy!

Baked Veggie and Black Bean Tostadas

Remember when I made pork cube steak tacos? Well, I still have a bunch of corn tortillas to use up. They come in a big package. I've had tostadas in the past, but I've not tried making them myself. They're much easier than I thought--especially if you bake them!

Notes: Think of tostadas as an open-faced taco. They are hard to eat, but they're delicious.

Typically tostadas are fried, but I didn't want to mess with cooking oil. I also didn't want to make them less healthy. So I baked them. As long as you oil them lightly, baking works just fine.

I think next time I would season the tortillas. Maybe just with some salt and a little chili powder.

You can use whatever kind of mushrooms you want. I just happened to have a mix of white and shitake on hand. Frankly, you can use whatever veggies you want. The tostada is versatile!

Ingredients:
1 pint sliced white mushrooms
1 pint sliced shitake mushrooms
1 bunch asparagus cut into bite-sized pieces
1 15 oz. can black beans
2 tablespoons cumin (divided)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (divided)
2 teaspoons chili powder (divided)
Salt
Butter
Hot sauce (to taste)
6 corn tortillas
Cooking spray or olive oil
Shredded cheese for topping (optional)
Avocado (optional)

Directions: Heat oven to 400 and line two baking sheets with foil. Lay out 6 tortillas (3 per sheet) and set aside.

Drain (but don't rinse) the black beans. Add them to a bowl and season with hot sauce, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and hot sauce. Mash the beans into a paste and set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt a small amount of butter. When the skillet is hot, add the mushrooms and brown. Season with the rest of the cumin, chili powder paprika, salt, and hot sauce. Add in the asparagus and cook until tender-crisp (about 4 minutes).

Spray the corn tortillas with cooking spray lightly on both sides (or brush both sides lightly with olive oil). Bake for 5 minutes. When the 5 minutes is up, take them out of the oven and flip them over. Layer each tortilla with mashed beans, cheese (if you're using cheese), and then the mushroom/asparagus mixture. Return to the oven and bake for five more minutes.

When they're done, top with mashed avocado if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Q.E.D.: Scott's Tuna Salad in Avocado Boats

Readers of this blog will recall that my husband Scott basically doesn't know how to cook save for a few dishes. Tuna salad happens to be one of them. His tuna salad is one of our typical summer lunches, but I asked him to make some for dinner so we could try the avocado boats. Delicious!

Notes: Not only is this Q.E.D., it's no-cook. You don't even need to look at your oven. Perfect for a hot summer evening.

These would be lovely on top of a bed of greens. To serve it that way, just scoop the avocado flesh out of the peel first. Run a spoon around the edge so you can scoop it out whole. Then (carefully) put it on the greens and mound the tuna on top. A little drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice and you'd be all set.

This is a light meal, so it's perfect for a night when you're not that hungry or you had a late lunch.

If you wanted to serve 4 people, the recipe can be easily doubled.

Ingredients (serves 2 people):
1 large (or 2 regular sized) cans of tuna (in water)
3 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
3-4 tablespoons mayonaise
2 ripe avocados
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Put the tuna in a mesh strainer and rinse. Press out as much of the liquid as you can.

Scrape the tuna from the strainer into a bowl. Add relish, mayo, celery seed and stir to combine.

Slice the avocados in half and mound the tuna salad into the holes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy your no-cook Q.E.D. meal!