Roasted Garlic Brussel Sprouts

Inspiration: The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something.

That’s how I felt before the creation of this deliciously tasty treat.

One of my absolute FAVORITE things to eat is Roasted Broccoli. I could literally eat it every day. I do not like it raw, steamed, boiled, etc. But roast it with olive oil until it is golden brown and it takes on a whole new personality. For the most amazing broccoli recipe in the world, check out this blog, The Amateur Gourmet. It is here that I fell in love with the idea to roast every kind of vegetable I could.

This recipe may seem very similar to the broccoli recipe (which is why I call it an “inspired”), but I have changed up a few things to add a little of my own flair. It is great as a side dish for a meal or can be eaten alone as a snack by itself. I typically roast veggies a few times a week, whether it is broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, etc. Brussel sprouts are now one of our family favorites. Oddly enough, I grew up hating those little green sprouts. I guess you have never tasted a good sprout until you have had it eaten it smothered in garlic with delicious crispy brown edges. Soooooo good….

Another cool tidbit about brussel sprouts is that they are a vegetable from the cruciferous family, as is broccoli. Is it any coincidence that these veggies that are amazing for us come from a food group that was named after the cross they represent in their flowers? I think not. A lot of good stuff comes from the cross :) Check out more about the healthy benefits of cruciferous veggies HERE.

I hope this recipe will inspire you to go out and roast some veggies this week. You won’t regret it!

Roasted Garlic Brussel Sprouts

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1215 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients

  • 3 cups or 1.5 pounds brussel sprouts, washed and dried completely
  • 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup shredded Manchengo Cheese (optional)

Instructions

  • 1) Preheat the oven to 450°
  • 2) Slice 3 cups of Brussel sprouts in half. If you wash them first, make sure they are completely dry. This is important so that they turn out crispy.
  • 3) Peel 4-5 garlic cloves and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Finely mince garlic with large knife that has a big flat blade on it. Be kind to your fingers.
  • 4) Once you have minced the garlic as fine as you can get it, take the flat blade of the knife and push the garlic into the cutting board as you drag the knife in one direction. Pick up the knife and drag it across the garlic in the opposing direction. Chop a little more in between the smushing process. You are trying to create more of a paste using the garlic and salt. This will help the garlic coat the sprouts easier.
  • 5) Place Brussel sprouts in a bowl with garlic paste, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Toss to completely coat the sprouts.
  • 6) Pour the entire mixture out on a foil lined baking sheet.
  • 7) Put sprouts in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until they begin to turn brown and crispy on the outsides.
  • 8) Before removing from the pan, toss with 1 more tbsp olive oil and the juice of a lemon. 9) 9) If using the cheese, grate 1/4 cup-1/3 cup manchengo on top and let melt.
  • 10) I dare you not to eat a few before you put them on a plate. Soooooo good!! I love to eat the little crispy flakes that fall off by themselves on the baking sheet. It's like a delicious garlic veggie chip. A guilty pleasure you don't have to feel guilty about!
http://www.tiffanystrimtreats.com/2013/05/01/roasted-garlic-brussel-sprouts/

 

CONTINUE HERE FOR PICTURE TUTORIAL:

Preheat the oven to 450°. Slice 3 cups of Brussel sprouts in half. If you wash them first, make sure they are completely dry. This is important so that they turn out crispy.

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Peel 4-5 garlic cloves and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt.

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Finely mince garlic with large knife. Be kind to your fingers.

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Once you have minced the garlic as fine as you can get it, take the flat blade of the knife and push the garlic into the cutting board as you drag the knife in one direction. Pick up the knife and drag it across the garlic in the opposing direction. Chop a little more in between the smushing process. You are trying to create more of a paste using the garlic and salt. This will help the garlic coat the sprouts easier.

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Place Brussel sprouts in a bowl with garlic paste, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Toss to completely coat the sprouts.

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Pour the entire mixture out on a foil lined baking sheet.

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Put sprouts in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until they begin to turn brown and crispy on the outsides.

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Before removing from the pan, toss with 1 more tbsp olive oil and the juice of a lemon. Grate 1/4 cup-1/3 cup manchengo cheese on top and let melt.

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I dare you not to eat a few before you put them on a plate. Soooooo good!! I love to eat the little crispy flakes that fall off by themselves on the baking sheet. It’s like a delicious garlic veggie chip. A guilty pleasure you don’t have to feel guilty about!

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These also go great as a side dish for dinner!!

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Enjoy!!

Xoxo,

Tiffany

Marsala Truffle Cakes with Blackberry Agave Sauce

I have to say, I love me a good chunk of chocolate. Sometimes there is just nothing else that will satisfy a craving like a dark chocolate treat. Years ago, I was more a fan of milk chocolate, but as I refined my taste to eating fresh and whole foods, I began to see the beauty in dark chocolate. It has a rich deep flavor that is uncomparable to anything else. It is simply and truly divine! A gift from God to humans.

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These truffle cakes will definitely fill any chocolate void that you may encounter. Added bonus: there is no refined sugar. This recipe has all the flavor of a white cane sugar filled treat without the high glycemic side effects. By using a combo of different natural sugars, a unique yet heavenly flavor is achieved. Topped with a dangerously delicious Blackberry wine sauce and Oh Em Gee….

 

Marsala Truffle Cakes with Blackberry Agave Sauce

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 12 Truffle Cakes

Serving Size: 1 Truffle Cake

Ingredients

  • For the Sauce
  • 6oz fresh blackberries
  • 1 cup marsala wine
  • 3/4 cup agave nectar
  • 1/2tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • For the Truffle Cakes
  • 1 bag chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup cacoa powder
  • 1tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp espresso powder
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup marsala wine

Instructions

  • To Make Sauce
  • 1) Rinse 6 oz fresh blackberries.
  • 2) In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup Marsala wine, 3/4 cup agave nectar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla and blackberries to a boil.
  • 3) Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, gently crushing blackberries every 10 minutes or so. Place in the refrigerator and let cool completely. Sauce will thicken in the fridge.
  • To Make Truffle Cakes
  • 1) Melt chocolate chip and coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until smooth. Stir occasionally so the mixture doesn't burn at the bottom.
  • 2) Add 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp espresso powder, 3/4 cup cacoa powder and 1/4 cup marsala wine. Mix until combined.
  • 3) In a mixer, beat 6 eggs and 1 cup coconut sugar until it becomes thick and custard-like in appearance.
  • 4) Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture and blend together for 1 minute.
  • 5) Fill 12 cupcake molds 3/4 full. Place cupcake liners in for easy removal.
  • 6) Bake at 325 for 20-25 min or until just set. A good way to test this is with your finger. Gently press the top of one of the cakes with your finger. It should bounce back up. If the finger impression stays in, or the cake feels loose, it is not quite done yet. Do not overcook them, or you will end up with a dry hockey puck.
  • 7)Take truffle cake out of the wrapper and place on plate. Top with Chilled Blackberry Agave Sauce.
  • 8) If you are planning to eat the cakes after they have cooled or the next day, pop the in the microwave to warm and soften for about 20 seconds just before eating. They are much better warm. Enjoy!

For a detailed picture tutorial, visit http://www.tiffanystrimtreats.com/2013/04/12/marsala-truffle-cakes-with-blackberry-agave-sauce

http://www.tiffanystrimtreats.com/2013/04/12/marsala-truffle-cakes-with-blackberry-agave-sauce/

CONTINUE HERE FOR PICTURE TUTORIAL:

Rinse 6 oz fresh blackberries.

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In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup Marsala wine, 3/4 cup agave nectar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla and blackberries to a boil.
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Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, gently crushing blackberries every 10 minutes or so. Place in the refrigerator and let cool completely. Sauce will thicken in the fridge.

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Get out your bag of Enjoy life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips. These are processed, but contain a very small amount of ingredients which is always great if you have to use a processed product. They contain a more natural form of sugar and are also wheat, dairy, tree nut, peanut, egg, soy, fish and shellfish free. Fish and Shellfish? I didn’t know that was a problem with chocolate chips but good to know!

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Melt chocolate chip and coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until smooth. Stir occasionally so the mixture doesn’t burn at the bottom.

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Add 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp espresso powder, 3/4 cup cacoa powder and 1/4 cup marsala wine. Mix until combined.

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In a mixer, beat 6 eggs and 1 cup coconut sugar until it becomes thick and custard-like in appearance.

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Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture and blend together for 1 minute.

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You should have a nice bowl of delicious chocolate batter. Try not to eat it all before it goes into the oven :)

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Fill 12 cupcake molds 3/4 full. Place cupcake liners in for easy removal.

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Bake at 325 for 20-25 min or until just set. A good way to test this is with your finger. Gently press the top of one of the cakes with your finger. It should bounce back up. If the finger impression stays in, or the cake feels loose, it is not quite done yet. Do not overcook them, or you will end up with a dry hockey puck.

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Take truffle cake out of the wrapper and place on plate. Top with Chilled Blackberry Agave Sauce.

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Mmmmmmmm! You want one really bad right now don’t you ;)

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If you are planning to eat the cakes after they have cooled or the next day, pop the in the microwave to warm and soften for about 20 seconds just before eating. They are much better warm.

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They are also great topped with Zabaglione Cream. Yum!

Enjoy!

Xoxo,

Tiffany

 

Grown-up Chicken Fingers with Honey Dijon sauce

Did you know that October is National Spinach month? Yup…me neither. Thank goodness for Twitter :P

What’s the perfect way to honor the month of green leafy goodness?

Grown -up chicken fingers :) These chicken fingers are unique not only for their green appearance, but because they pack a great nutritional punch with high levels of iron and calcium from the addition of spinach powder. This is a super easy powder you can make at home for much cheaper than purchasing online. If you decided to add the chia powder, you are also getting the additional benefits of fiber, protein, magnesium, phosphorus as well as those wonderful Omega-3′s!

I may say “grown-up,” but these chicken fingers are so tasty that your kids will probably be after your food. Run, hide, and snack before they are gone!!!

 

What you’ll need:

2 packages chicken tenderloins (I use Harvestland hormone free, cage free chicken)

1 cup pecans

2 tbsp spinach powder (homemade or store bought)

2 tbsp  nutritional yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp chia seed meal (optional)

2 eggs

2 tbsp olive oil

Brown Mustard and Honey to make sauce (see later on how to make individual portions)

 

Kitchen Equipment:

food processor or Ninja

2 plates

baking sheet lined with parchment paper

multi-purpose plastic mini cups

 

Directions:

Place 1 cup of pecans in food processor with spinach powder, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder and chia powder. Pulse until pecans are small and crumb-like, and all ingredients are combined.

Place eggs and olive oil on one plate and whisk with fork until combined.

Place pecan-spinach mixture on a plate. Put both the plates side by side and get ready to coat the chicken!

Pull out chicken tenderloins. I use Harvestland. It is hormone free, cage free chicken and it very tender compared to most chicken. You can buy them at Walmart.

Coat the chicken in the egg mixture first.

Take chicken out of the egg mixture and place into the pecan mixture. Coat chicken well on both sides.

Place chicken on baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 25 min. Do not over bake or chicken will dry out. Eat immediately or store for later.

To make sauce, combine 2 tbsp mustard with 1 tbsp honey in a plastic mini cup and stir well to mix. I use the Diamond multi-purpose mini cups that are BPA free and recyclable. They can be found near the plastic wrap/paper plates/foil etc isle at Walmart and are less that $3 for a pack of 50. If these cups are not available, make extra sauce in one large container and pull it out when you are ready to snack.

I hate to brag, but these things are awesome! If you are planning snacks for the week, you can put them in a sandwich bag 2 at a time and place all sandwich bags in one large freezer bag. Pull out one bag at a time and let thaw for a snack. Either reheat in the microwave or crisp them up in a toaster oven. Both ways are fabulous. Don’t forget your dipping sauce!

Go and feel good about yourself. You are a guilt free grown-up-chicken-finger-eating snacker :)

Xoxo,

Tiffany

Welcome to my blog!

Hi everyone! Welcome to Tiffany’s Trim treats, your source for guilt free snacking. This is my very first blog on this site so I am really excited to get started with posting recipes and tips on how you can add snack food to your life and have it help you instead of hurt you! If you are like me, you are always on the go, and it is often hard to sit down and have a meal. To make up for this, we tend to snack. This isn’t a bad thing, because small meals throughout the day will actually keep your metabolism running and burning calories. Where we fall short is that many of us allow ourselves to get so hungry that we are willing to eat any snack that is available at that time. Then we end up feeling tired, disgusting, and maybe even ashamed enough to hide the evidence of what we have eaten. I admittedly can raise my hand the highest. Guilty as charged!   

When I first decided to make this blog it was mainly because I was tired of being unprepared and eating junk food all the time. I mean, I knew it wasn’t good for me, but how bad could a little be here and there? The answer is simple: not good. I don’t mean that you can’t have the occasional indulgence, but when I really evaluated my “here and there”, it was usually daily…or multiple times in a day. I got really good at lying to myself as many of us do when it comes to food. Researching info on several foods and their effects on the body made it even scarier. I needed to find a way to enjoy my snacking without all those adverse health effects. I wanted to have my cake, eat it too, and still be alive in 20 years to talk about it.

In the effort to better my eating habits, and hopefully inspire you along the way, I will be posting recipes, tips and fun info on how to add healthy minimally processed ingredients into your daily life.  Check out What you won’t see on this site for more info on the types of items we will not be using due to adverse side effects in the body. We WILL be using plenty of fruits, veggies, nuts, and gluten free items as well as the occasional hormone free meats (this last one is optional in many of the recipes). I look forward to this journey ahead and I hope you all will join me!

XOXO,

Tiffany

To learn more about me, click here

Check out what we won’t be eating and why here

 

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