Shaved Brussel Sprouts Escovitch Slaw

I don’t know where this idea came from but I am glad it found me. I will absolutely be making this again. This was an easy and quick side. It is light and flavorful and complemented the patties that I made very well. I did not measure anything. Start with a small amount if you’re unsure because you can always add more. Taste until you can get jiggy with it.

Shaved brussel sprouts

thinly sliced red onion

thinly sliced jalepeno or habanero

Pinch of salt and pepper

A bit of sugar

Splash or two of red vinegar

Splash of worcestershire sauce

Splash of lime juice

Dash of clove

A couple of dashes of all spice

In one bowl, combine the sugar, vinegar, lime and Worcestershire sauce

In another bowl, add shredded vegetables

Add liquids to the bowl

Add the spices

Using tongs, gently toss together

Taste and adjust as needed

© 2019 by Alexa Mason. All Rights Reserved

Gorgonzola Chicken Pizza with Shaved Brussel Sprouts and Sun-dried Tomatoes

I was craving pizza and I knew it was an activity that my kid would enjoy. So, I grabbed a bunch of ingredients and surprised him after his summer program. He made a pepperoni pizza. I made a pizza topped with chopped chicken, shredded Brussel sprouts, gorgonzola, sun-dried tomatoes and a balsamic reduction. It is SO good.

I contemplated buying pizza dough but I wound up making the dough as I usually do. I amped it up by seasoning the dough with garlic and herbs. A nice béchamel serves as the perfect anchor for the cheese and toppings.

 

Pizza Dough:

 

• 4 cups of flour
• 2 packets of yeast (I use Hodgson Mill Fast Rise Yeast)
• 1 ½ c warm water
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Italian herbs
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¼ olive oil

Pizza:

For a medium (thick) white sauce:

• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup milk
• Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic and Italian herbs

 

Toppings:

• 2-4 shaved Brussel sprouts (I use a mandolin slicer)
• 4-6 sliced grape tomatoes
• 2 tbsp of sundried tomatoes, sliced
• 2 chicken thighs, sautéed and chopped
• Generous handful (to taste) mozzarella
• Handful (to taste) italian blend cheese
• 1/4c to 1/2c of gorgonzola
• Balsamic
• Olive oil to coat the crust

 

Directions:

1. Prepare your dough
2. Proof your yeast with the warm water
3. Add the seasonings and oil
4. Slowly add the flour
5. The dough will be a little sticky but your fingers should be mostly clean to the touch
6. Knead once or twice then add to a greased bowl and top with a greased plastic wrap
7. Allow to rise for about an hour
8. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F
9. Punch it down and knead once or twice
10. You can use it all or divide, the recipe yields about 2lbs of dough (I used half for my pizza and half for my son’s)
11. Roll out your dough and spread it in an ungreased cast iron skillet, pizza stone or cast iron griddle
12. Use a fork to puncture the center of the dough, leave at least ½” space for your “crust”
13. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the crust starts to rise then remove

 

For pizza:

1. Slice your chicken and cook it on high heat, season with salt and pepper
2. Remove from heat to rest
3. Slice your Brussel sprouts, tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes
4. In a small pot, melt your butter and add flour
5. Add milk and whisk to remove lumps
6. Season to your preference

 

7. Spread the white sauce on your dough
8. Top with some cheese
9. Top with tomatoes and Brussel sprouts
10. Top with chicken and sundried tomatoes
11. Top with cheese
12. Brush crust with olive oil
13. Put back into oven until its bubbling and the crust is brown

 

14. In a small pot, bring a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to a boil
15. Add a half tsp of sugar and stir
16. Bring to a simmer until it coats the back of a spoon
17. Remove from heat! (Overdone balsamic reduction is no good. Trust me!)
18. Remove your pizza from the oven
19. Drizzle with the balsamic reduction

 

 

 

© 2018 by Alexa Mason. All Rights Reserved

Zucchini Ricotta Pizza with Shaved Brussel Sprouts, Tomato and Feta

This pizza is packed with veggies, herbs and several different kinds of cheeses. You can find a simple pizza dough recipe here. If you have a pizza stone, by all means use that. I do not have one so I tend to just use my cast iron griddle and cast iron pans to make my pizzas.

Please be careful as there is a lot of putting in and taking out of the oven. You need to move pretty fast once you start the baking process so I strongly recommend prepping everything before you begin.

 

Balsamic reduction is a favorite of mine when it comes to tomatoes and Brussel sprouts, so I whipped up a small amount to drizzle over the pizza. That seriously took the whole dish to the next level. You can adapt this to use up whatever veg you have on hand. Season and adjust ingredients to suit your taste! At the base, it’s a simple dough and a simple ricotta mixture, feel free to customize and build upon it.

 

Ingredients:

 

Simple Pizza Dough

Ricotta Cheese

Milk

Parmesan

Italian Cheese Blend

Feta Cheese

Garlic cloves

Mint

Basil

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Thinly sliced, or shaved Brussel sprouts

Shaved zuchinni

Sliced tomato

Balsamic vinaigrette

Sugar

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat your cast iron (or pizza stone) in the oven at 500 degrees
2. Slice and shave your vegetables
3. In a small bowl, mix the shaved brussels with a little bit of oil (and s&p)
4. In another small bowl, toss the zuchinni with a little bit of oil (and s&p)
5. Slice tomatoes, set aside.
   

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6. In a small bowl, mix ricotta, herbs, salt, pepper, parmesan and grate fresh garlic into the mixture.
7. Slowly add milk a bit at a time and whisk until it is smooth and spreadable

• Taste and adjust seasonings (including herbs) to suit your taste.
• I used a fair amount of dried herbs in this. You can absolutely use fresh if you have them on hand.
  • Set aside.

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8. Prepare your dough.
9. Roll out the dough to suit your baking vehicle (cast iron skillet, griddle, pizza stone, etc).
10. Carefully remove baking vehicle from the oven, sprinkle with flour or corn meal.
11. Carefully place your dough onto it.
12. If you have ‘extra’ dough hanging, carefully roll it up and make a ‘border’ and brush it with oil
13. Gently pierce the bottom of the dough with a fork to ensure it doesn’t bubble up too much when in the oven.
14. Pre-bake the dough for about 3-4 minutes.

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15. Remove from oven.
16. Spread ricotta mixture and make sure you leave about ½” space
17. Sprinkle a bit of the shredded cheese
18. Arrange the zucchini
19. Bake for about 5 minutes

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20. Remove from oven.
21. Sprinkle more cheese.
22. Arrange tomatoes and distribute the shredded Brussel sprouts
23. Bake for about 5-10 minutes.

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For simple balsamic reduction:

• Pour about a quarter cup of balsamic vinegar into a pot over medium heat
• Add about 2 tsp of sugar
• Whisk to combine
• Bring to a boil and then reduce heat
• The liquid will reduce and coat the back of a spoon)

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24. Remove from the oven, sprinkle feta.
25. Turn on broiler and broil until crust browns a bit. Be careful. Your pizza will burn. And you will cry.

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26. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
27. Drizzle with reduction and enjoy!

© 2017 by Alexa Mason. All Rights Reserved

Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing and Crispy Garlic

One of my favorite ways to eat vegetables is RAW! You don’t have to cook everything and they’re just as delish. Last year I came across a recipe that called for shaved brussel sprouts. I was a strictly roasted-garlicky type of girl but that changed that evening.

I grabbed a bag of sprouts at the market last weekend and I was reluctant to just toss them in the oven. This week has been full of balsamic, so it seems, and I continued with this recipe.

It’s pretty quick and you customize it as you wish! Add carrot, nuts, herbs- use what you have! 

Note: I made a small batch, you can easily adjust this to make a larger batch.

 

2 1/2 cups of whole brussel sprouts, shaved on a mandolin slicer

4-5 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp of olive oil

 

Dressing: (again, this was a small batch- if you need help making a larger portion, shoot me a comment)

1/8 cup of olive oil (plus leftover from the garlic)

pinch, each, of kosher salt, pepper and crushed pepper

tsp of dijon

tbsp of honey

2-4 (matter of preference) balsamic vinegar

 

Using your mandolin slicer, carefully shave your brussel sprouts. (If you’re like me and you hate to waste food, pop the stumps into a ziplock bag and toss them in the freezer. Use them the next time you make veggie broth!)

Preheat a pan over medium-low heat, add your olive oil and your garlic.

Stir frequently. Do not take your eyes off of the garlic, it can burn quickly. Browned garlic? Big yes. Burned garlic? You’ll never forgive yourself.

Once the garlic is fragrant and lightly golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon. The garlic will crisp up!

In a small tupperware container, or a Mason jar, add the dressing ingredients (don’t waste that leftover oil from your garlic. It is loaded with garlic flavor, add that in too!!). Shake up thoroughly. Easiest way to make a dressing, hands down.

Pour over your shaved brussels and toss to coat.

Serve  topped with the crispy garlic.

Thank me, later!

 

NOM!

 

 

© 2016 by Alexa Mason. All Rights Reserved