Fun in the Kitchen!

After trying my hand at making some black bean burgers the other day, I guess I had just caught the Betty Crocker-bug! On Saturday, I bought some Brussels sprouts on a whim - that's right, those strange little green cabbage-like veggies that all children mysterious despise. Here's what I did with them!

Balsamic-Glazed Brussel Sprouts
(Recipe adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian)
Ingredients:
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 lb Brussels sprouts
-3-4 small red-skin potatoes
-4-5 cloves garlic (leave as whole cloves!)
-2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
-Salt and pepper
-1 can water-packed tuna
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. In a saute pan, begin heating the oil over medium-high heat. Cut the tough stem bottoms from the sprouts and then cut them in half. Cut the potatoes into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces. Add the sprouts and garlic to the pan and cook until just beginning to brown on the leaf edges and soften.
2. Transfer sprouts and garlic to baking sheet. Toss with the potato pieces. Bake for 30 minutes or until the sprouts and potatoes are nicely browned. Remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic. Sprinkle with S+P. Toss to coat.
3. Transfer veggie mixture to bowl. Top with tuna. Enjoy!

After my protein post, I got to thinking about the quinoa that has been hiding out in one of my kitchen cabinets for a while. I had recently come across a breakfast quinoa pin on pinterest(!) and knew that it could possibly be the next best-thing that ever happened to breakfast (after oatmeal of course!). Quinoa is not only a whole grain but it contains 4 grams of protein per 1/2 cup serving! It wasn't quite as earth-shattering as I had hoped, but it definitely has potential!

Breakfast Quinoa
(Adapted from this recipe from... ahem... Martha Stewart)
Ingredients:
-1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
-3/4 cup milk
-3/4 cup water
-1-2 tbsp maple syrup
-Sprinkle of cinnamon
-1 banana, chopped
-2 tbsp raisins
Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, heat water, milk and quinoa to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes (or until almost all of the liquid is absorbed). I had to periodically stir it to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan/boiling over.
2. Once the quinoa is finished, add the rest of the ingredients and serve! Yum!