Butter Brussel Sprouts with Pine Nuts

December post! This year has gone quick. The countdown has truly begin for Christmas. Over the weekend, we started getting our house ready for festive celebration.

I have started a love affair with brussels sprouts. My grandmother would probably be really proud of me. I used to hate this vegetable, but it was only this year, that I discover the texture and flavour of this fibre rich vegetable.

This time round, I sautéed it with butter and salt. Toss through some pine nuts and a side dish done.

Butter Brussel Sprouts with Pine Nuts
350 grams brussel sprouts (ends removed and halved)
1 tablespoon of butter
salt
handful of pine nuts.

Melt butter in pan. Add brussel sprouts and cooked till done. Toss through pine nuts and salt.

Almond and Garlic Stuffed Mushrooms

I would call this a "work in progress" recipe. Since I have been trying to work with almond meal and not breadcrumbs, I decided to make a stuffing for mushrooms. Nutty flavours with some chives and garlic could do the trick I thought.

The result is "ok". I like the texture of the crumbs, but wondered if I could put in maybe chill or even fresh chopped almonds to add another dimension to the texture.

I paired it with some grilled lamb chops and salad. Simple week night dinner.

You can tell that I'm still trying to work out in my head how can I better improve on this dish without the use of breadcrumbs or bacon. Any suggestions? ;)

Almond and Garlic Stuffed Mushrooms
6 mushrooms cups
1/2 cup of almond meal
1 tsp of garlic
small bunch of chives chopped
2 tsp of sesame oil
salt and pepper

Mix almond meal, chives, garlic, oil and seasoning together. Spoon into mushrooms and bake for 10-15 mins in a preheated oven.

Sesame Hummus

I am such a big fan of dips! Come to think of it, dips are not what I was used to growing up in Sunny Singapore. Along with cheeses, I believed I learned "the art of eating dips" when I was in university attending late night classes. I recall that at break time, we would usually have some crackers/dips with cheese as our dinner!

The other thing about dips I like is that it seem to make everything taste better. Wanting to eat more vege sticks? Dip into some salsa or hummus. A plain wrap? Add a tsp of dip and we can call it gourmet!

Once again, I was experimenting making hummus and decided that sesame oil and sesame seeds can be used instead of the paste. I love the aroma of the hummus and it just seem to make it a tad special. Perfect for morning tea!

Sesame Hummus (Serves 4)
1 can of chick peans drained and rinsed
1 tsp of sesame oil
2 tsp of toasted sesame seed
squeeze of lemon
salt/pepper

Blitz all in the food processor. Serve with crackers and vege sticks.

Crispy Roast Potatoes

How many times did we have soggy roast potatoes? I tried tossing them in oil first before putting it into a very hot oven, I tried mixing it up with other veges- a bigger no no! One would think that potatoes are easier to roast than chicken no?

This time, I did research! Yup. Like a determined student preparing for her thesis. I read up. From Jamie Oliver to Donna Hay ... and cooking websites. This method seems to be the one with the most success. I think I didn't do too badly except..just except. I forgot to turn them.

which means, the potatoes are HALF crispy. Ha.

It's ok..more to prac for next time.

Crispy Roasted Potatoes 
4 potatoes chopped
2 tablespoon of oil
salt

Boil potatoes till just done. Drain. Return to pot with lid. SHAKE it HARD.

Meanwhile, preheat oven 180C. pour 2 tablespoon of oil into a baking tray enough to just fit the potatoes. When the oven is preheated. put the tray in the oven for 5 minutes.

Take the tray out, toss potatoes through with the oil. Put the tray back in the oven. TURN the potatoes at the 15 minutes mark. Serve with a sprinkle of salt.