Friday

Hashed Brussel Sprouts with Toasted Coconut Flakes


I’ve got to admit that the only reason I brought home the pack of brussel sprouts from the grocery store was to experience first-hand how bad those things really are! What can I say…years of reading blogs and magazines and books mentioning how yucky they taste and even watching ads and movies that show how people (adults and kids, alike) find ways of hiding the brussel sprouts on their plates, I was very sure that the pack of broussel sprouts was going to be money down the drain. Little did I realize I was in for a pleasant surprise :)

Since I have never cooked or tasted these cute-looking vegetable, I confided in my buddy Google to give me ideas and tips on how to prepare a brussel sprouts dish. As usual, I found more than what I was looking for (cheers to the army of brussel sprouts’ lovers out there!) and settled for a recipe that required almost no effort. Well based on most of the articles I read, the key to cooking these miniature cabbages was to not overcook them and as a novice with brussel sprouts, I took in that repeated tip readily.

Out of the many cooking ways that were suggested, I chose to sauté my sprouts and I think the thing that made my dish good was the way I selected to cut ‘em sprouts – by hashing them! So I hashed those babies and sautéed them with olive oil, chopped onions and garlic, some red pepper flakes and salt to taste…all along keeping in mind not to overcook them.

And here is my own twist to the recipe: I added a couple of spoonfuls of coconut flakes that I had dry-roasted at the beginning to the sautéed brussel sprouts and mama mia…simply loved the dish! (The taste was pretty similar to the regular cabbage.)



This is a classic example of how a person should not take in everything he/she sees and hears without finding out the truth for his/herself. Hmmm….cooking can be enlightening at times :D

Orchard Chicken Salad Sandwich


I believe in this special notion about making sandwiches…from a single-filling sandwich (strawberry jam sandwich) to a multi-filling sandwich (the anything-goes-in sandwich!), anyone is capable of creating their own signature sandwich.

I know many eateries have taken sandwiches to a whole new level but the fact is, it cannot get simpler than it already is…choice of ingredients for filling stuffed (overloaded, mostly!) between two parts of bread! Some people prefer to focus on the type of bread that holds together all that filling and others fancy focusing on the inside :) Whatever the choices, once put together, a sandwich can be as satisfying as you wish it to be.

This time around for me, I wanted my sandwich filling to be something refreshingly satisfying. So I first made the Orchard Chicken Salad, inspired by a salad dish I had ordered in a restaurant some time back. I mix some cut pieces of fresh grapes, green apples and pears with coarsely chopped chunks of roasted chicken breast. I then add some low fat Miracle Whip, mustard cream, ground pepper and a drizzle of fresh lemon juice to the chicken and fruits mix and gently stir to get all the ingredients fully incorporated.

That’s the salad…light meal on its own or here, the filling for my dinner sandwich. Taking a bite off my Orchard Chicken Salad sandwich - generously spread filling on lightly toasted Oatnut bread (bread with oats and crunchy hazelnuts), made me a very happy girl :)

As a filling breakfast, a hearty lunch, a light dinner or a simple supper, sandwiches are my all-time favorite meal!
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