Brussel Sprouts, Edamame and a Few other things

Hello y'all! I hope you ended the week on a good note and are getting some rest and relaxation this weekend. Spring break for local the school system is this week, so I am excited about less traffic during my morning commutes! 

 This past week I discovered my love for Brussel Sprouts. Now y'all stop rolling your eyes haha!I had not cooked/eaten brussel sprouts as an adult. 

Growing up back home, I remember that my parents would buy this 'special' pickled salad at the 'fancy' grocery store for special get togethers. This salad which we called 'repollitos' (spanish for small cabagge) was only served at the adult table not at the kids/teen table. But I remember sneaking one once. They were pretty tangy and a bit spicy. I don't think I liked them.

 Unfortunately (or fortunately) by the time I made it to the adult table, the store quit selling it so I never got a chance to decide if I liked it or not. So every time I walk past them at the store, I remember my old family get togethers and wanting to be an adult. All for the darn 'repollitos' haha!

 I was finally lead to buy a bag and give cooking them a shot. I knew for sure that I didn't want to pickle them so I decided to roast them instead. I cut them up in halves and added half a small onion sliced. Poured a little coconut oil, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and roasted them for about 25 minutes. It looked a little like this:

 OMG! The house stunk so bad!!!! Since its still chilly down here, all our doors and windows were shut. I totally forgot to turn on the vent so it was horrible for a couple of hours! Lots of matches lit and several candles burning later we were all good! WHEW! However, they tasted like heaven! So delicious, I am so obssesed.

 My favorite way to eat them is to squeeze a little lemon juice and sprinkle a little feta on them!YUM! I think that from now on, I will cook them on the grill so all the scents can just disappear outside! I mean there's only so much blaming of the dogs you can do haha 

 Another thing that I have discovered lately that is unusual for me is edamame. Yes, I know edamame is controversial and yes I have read about it. Yes, I buy it non GMO and organic. No, I don't plan on making it a regular part of my meal plan.To sum up my view on them I will quote the great Mark Sisson(Btw I love his Is it Primal posts): 

'While I wouldn’t make it a regular part of my diet, edamame appears to be relatively benign as an occasional snack. Just don’t eat bucketfuls, don’t make it baby’s first food, and don’t get into edamame pancakes or some silliness like that'. 

 The reason I enjoy them is because it takes me a while to eat one serving. It works for me, having to peel the pods to get the bean makes me eat slower and feel fuller. Crazy, I know! Now the true reason I HAD to write about edamame is because they made me remember one of my aunts who passed a few years ago.

 She would have deemed edamame in the pod as 'food for fools'. She did not care for those, because it meant to her that it was food that was not worth the trouble. She loved to eat, a lot. Among her other food for fools were pistacchios, bone in chicken wings, fish ( back home whole cooked fish is the norm as it is cheaper than buying the fish portions like we do here but picking through the bones sucks),some stuff I don't know the english word for and soup.

Soup was not hard to eat, but she claimed brothy soup was not worth the effort because she got real hungry soon after. Bless her heart, she was a big eater and loved her hearty meals!If it didn't include rice, beans and tortillas she was not calling it a full meal lol.So while I will only eat edamame a couple of times a month, I will forevermore think about my aunt whenever I do.

 In other news, I am hosting our Easter Meal this next Sunday. I decided to offer cooking it for two reasons. First, I wanted to take some of the burden from our usual hostess and Second I wanted control over what will be served. I feel like that sounds horrible but It will just makes it so much easier for me somehow. Control freak much? lol. I have not settled on a menu yet, so you might get an update later this week. I know we are having ham and I may be considering one more protein. As far as side dishes, I am switching out the sweet potato souffle and mashed potatoes for a baked sweet/regular potato bar. I will have several topings available,  both sweet and savory, and everyone can add what they want to theirs. I'll have my sweet potato plain thank you very much! I am making the ever popular canned green bean casserole because its been requested but I will have fresh veggies roasted or raw as well. Just got to figure out what I want to make. I am working saturday but will be off on Sunday. I want to try to be able to prep ahead as much as possible. 

 It is going to be a busy week for sure. How is next week looking for you? Until next time, Stay Strong!