Kale, Brussels Sprouts & Cherry Salad

One of my favorite childhood stories about my husband is the time he filled his plate with Brussels sprouts because he thought they were cute, only to be taken aback by their less-than-pleasant taste.

Despite his disappointment, he knew he had to follow his family's rule of "take what you want, but eat what you take." So he "tried to swallow one whole to get them off my plate. And I choked and almost died!"

Instead, he sneakily stuffed the Brussels sprouts into his pants pockets. Later that night, he launched his dirty clothes down the laundry shoot — Brussels sprouts and all. They were only discovered days later when my mother-in-law did the laundry.

While Brussels sprouts may be an acquired taste for some (my husband enjoys them now) my boys are not big fans — yet.

This salad, which is from a Six Sisters Stuff menu plan, is my latest attempt to win them over. Alas, I still have some work to do.

I and my husband, on the other hand, loved this side dish. It has subtle sweet and savory flavors and holds up very well for a few days in the fridge.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Kale, Brussels Sprouts & Cherry Salad
Inspired by this recipe from Six Sisters Stuff

1 bunch purple kale, finely chopped
1 pound Brussels sprouts, finely chopped
1 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 green onions, finely diced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese

Mix kale, Brussels sprouts, cherries and almonds in a large bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil and salt and pepper until blended and smooth. Stir in green onions.

Pour dressing over greens and stir to combine. Sprinkle with cheese and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Fudgy Greek Yogurt Brownies

When we have a large container of plain Greek yogurt sitting in the fridge, I usually put it in smoothies for my kids to use it up.

Recently I started looking around for other ways to use Greek yogurt. Thankfully, Bon Appetit has compiled a round-up of easy dessert recipes with yogurt.

I haven't made brownies from scratch in a while, so that's what I decided to try. These are dense, chocolatey and well worth the little bit of effort the recipe requires. Bonus: Your kids will tell you they love you when you present them as an after-school snack.

Need more brownie inspiration? Try our Double Peanut Butter Cup Brownies or Mo's ROLO-ver and Die Good Brownies.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Fudgy Greek Yogurt Brownies
Inspired by a recipe from Bon Appetit

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet, dark or milk chocolate chips, divided
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plain Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

Set a saucepan of water to simmer on the stove. Combine butter and 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a medium stainless steel bowl. Place the bowl on top of the saucepan and stir the butter and chocolate until melted and smooth.

Remove bowl from heat. Whisk in sugar, cocoa, vanilla and yogurt until smooth.

Add wet ingredients to the bowl of flour and fold in until incorporated. Add remaining chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of browning comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.

Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Ham, Asparagus & Gruyere Quiche

This is my all-time favorite quiche recipe. I've been using it ever since we moved to Peoria. I discovered it one Easter while looking for recipes for left-over ham.

It reminded me of the quiche Lorraine my mom made a few times when I was in elementary school and studying different cultures. I was reporting on France and had to bring a dish from that country.

In many ways, this meal also reminds me of an Italian "pizza rustica" that my family makes for Easter. It is filled with sausage, prosciutto, eggs and mozzarella cheese.

This quiche has a rich flavor from Gruyere cheese but a light, airy texture. I was craving it recently so I bought a small spiral sliced ham and some asparagus. You can use store-bought refrigerated pie crusts or make your own from scratch. Both work equally well, but be sure to pre-bake the crust so that it doesn't get soggy.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Ham, Asparagus & Gruyere Quiche
Inspired by this recipe from Simply Recipes.

1 pie crust
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
10 ounces asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups (about 8 ounces) Gruyere cheese, grated and divided
1/2 pound ham, diced
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
Fresh ground pepper

Roll out pie dough and fit into a 10-inch pie plate. Press down into bottom. Chill in freezer while oven preheats to 350 degrees.

Line pie crust with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cool for 5 minutes and then remove weights and parchment. Poke bottom of crust all over with a fork and return to oven for 10 minutes or until lightly golden.

Transfer pie plate to a wire rack to cool while you make the quiche filling. Raise oven temperature for 375 degrees.

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until shallots are translucent but not brown. Add asparagus and cook and stir for another 10 minutes, or until asparagus begin to brown.

Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese into bottom of pie pan. Spread asparagus and shallot mixture on top of the cheese. Sprinkle ham evenly over the vegetables. Top with the remaining 1 cup cheese.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, cream and eggs. Season with ground pepper. Slowly pour egg mixture into pie plate, evenly covering the cheese.

Place quiche into oven. Position a baking sheet on the rack below the quiche to catch any drippings. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until quiche is set in center and lightly browned on top. Cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap and refrigerate. This tastes delicious served warm or cold.

One Bowl Banana Chip Muffins

If you like to bake with your kiddos as much as I do, you know how nice it can be to use a recipe that only needs one bowl and a wooden mixing spoon.

My boys and I came up with this recipe to satisfy their craving for a "good snack" (i.e., something with chocolate in it) after school and to meet my goal of giving them something healthier than store-bought granola bars.

These muffins use apple sauce instead of oil or butter. After a few positive in-home tests, I decided to see what the middle school students we work with through the Junior League of Peoria's Kids in the Kitchen program thought of these treats.

The goal of Kids in the Kitchen is to empower kids to make healthy meals and snacks on their own, like these sweet potatoes topped with black bean and tomato salad. So a bowl and a spoon was as complicated as we wanted to get with our foray into baking.

As you guys know, I love to bake with bananas and I knew the pre-teens in our cooking group liked banana bread. This recipe was a hit with them. You can read more about it and see photos here.

The muffins are moist and flavorful and they freeze well.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

One Bowl Banana Chip Muffins

2 medium ripe bananas
1 cup apple sauce
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with liners or coat with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mash the banana with a fork. Add applesauce, vanilla, cinnamon and egg. Mix until smooth.

Add sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Add chocolate chips and mix well to incorporate.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring up, scoop mixture into muffin cups.

Bake for 15 minutes or until muffins rise and are golden brown on top. You also can test for doneness by using a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin. It should come out clean.

Remove muffins from oven and let cool 15 minutes before eating.