Bacon Brussels Sprouts

I'm back!! It's been rather eventful....I became a Mom at the end of April! A beautiful and amazing experience...that is ongoing. Even through the endless diaper changes. My parents were with me for the first month and a bit for the first bit of the Chinese confinement period. And then my husband's parents were with us for the rest of the 100 days of rest, renourishment and replenishment of the body. So, I haven't cooked much. But....we're on our own as a family now and it's back to feeding ourselves. A slight challenge when you have to work around 3 hr feeding/nap schedules. I need quick and easy meals...so a quick starter is my favorite Brussels Sprouts recipe with an addition: bacon! 

Warm Brussels Sprouts & Kale Salad

I burned the last batch of brussel sprouts I made so this is a redemption effort. Still not the way I like it because it didn't char as much as I like this time. I used my favorite brussel sprouts recipe and then mixed it with sauteed kale in a kind of salad. It's served over quinoa rice and topped with the pre-seasoned New Zealand rack of lamb that you can quickly throw in the toaster oven and make.

Brussel Sprouts
Fish sauce
Sugar
Grapeseed oil
Kale
S&P

Sautéed Pepper Leaves

I saw a bag of green pepper leaves at the local Chinese market and wanted to see what it tasted like. I've been told the dark leafy greens are packed with nutrients and vitamins....which we can always use...so had a go at it.

 

I sauteed some onions in a wok first...then added the pepper leaves. There were still some baby bell peppers attached to some. Really cute. (I had removed the harder stems and the seeds from the baby peppers first.) As the leaves cooked down, I used fish sauce to season it. The whole thing smelled really good.

 

And taste-wise...there's a slight bitterness to it...which my husband didn't like. But I thought the seasoning from the fish sauce added enough sweet and saltiness to make the dish quite tasty. =) I'll have to cook this a few more times...maybe it'll grow on my husband. 

Green & Purple

I had some lovely purple cabbage in the fridge drawer that needed attention...and some brussel sprouts though not quite enough for a few people to eat. So I had the thought of combining it all...because isn't brussel sprouts just like mini cabbages? And I used my trusted fish sauce brussel sprouts recipe.



It was super tasty as expected! And the rich dark colors looked amazing together! Oh, I do want to point out that I cooked the brussel sprouts separately as I was afraid the purple colour from the cabbage would make everything purple at the end. Enjoy!

Christmas Roasted Veggie Medley (fake)

Yes this is a "fake" roasted veggie medley because only one of the ingredients was actually roasted. I pan seared the brussel sprouts in my favorite way. Then I heated leftover roasted beets in a pot with some frozen corn niblets. Tossed everything together and voila! The perfect dish to bring to a Christmas potluck or for Christmas dinner. =)

Brussels Sprouts
Fish sauce
Olive Oil
Sugar

Roasted beets
Frozen corn

I accidently got some burn marks on the beets and corn in the unattended pot, but hey, now it looks convincingly roasted to match the brussel sprouts! It's the colours of Christmas, it's healthy...and delicious.

Brussels Sprouts

The number of times I've eaten Brussels sprouts in my entire life can be counted on one hand. Usually a bad stomach ache followed one of those unfortunate meals. Can't say I enjoyed it. So when I saw a recipe that called for the hearty sprouts with fish sauce (a seasoning I like), I thought maybe I could give it another chance.

Brussels sprouts
Olive Oil
Fish Sauce
Sugar

Key is to get a nice char on the cut side. And Omigoodness....it was so good! Definitely having this again. =)

Date Chicken and Napa Salad

My Hubby requested date honey glazed chicken for dinner last night. While thinking about what greens to pair that with, I saw a head of napa cabbage sitting in the fridge. It was too hot to eat steamed napa...which is usually how Asians eat it. (That or boiled in a broth for noodles.) Could it be a salad too I wondered...cabbage is cabbage isn't it? A quick search on Google confirmed napa salads do exist, though they were all eaten with raw, wax covered instant noodles and msg seasoning. No thanks. When I think of raw cabbage, I think of kimchi...so this napa salad will be kimchi inspired!

	Napa Salad: Napa cabbage Carrots Fish Sauce Sugar Garlic Olive Oil Vinegar Crushed Chili Powder
	Marinade for the pan seared chicken thighs: Cumin Black pepper Soy sauce Paprika Date honey (drizzled after pan searing)

(Hubby even had third helpings of the napa salad!)

Essential Korean Ingredients

If you've ever wanted to know, and I did, here are the essential Korean cooking ingredients:

http://www.maangchi.com/guide/essential-ingredients