Brussels Sprouts Gratin

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw my announcement a few weeks back that I'm now an Affiliate for BreadSRSLY!! Y'all know how much I love their gluten free sourdough. It's frequently featured in my daily meals (like this, or this, DEFINITELY this or that) and in past recipes like my Parmesan Garlic Croutons, Mom's Caesar Salad and this Ham, Leek & Sourdough Dressing. I can't wait to start dreaming up even MORE delicious ways to enjoy this bread. First up: this creamy, crunchy Brussels Sprouts Gratin!

I actually first made this back in December for my 30th birthday weekend trip to Sonoma. I made this up as I went that weekend and after tasting the result, I knew it was only fair to you to recreate the recipe (and this time take notes). 

 'Gratin' is a French technique that simply means a dish with a browned crust of breadcrumbs. You know what makes a breadcrumb topping even better? Bacon. That's the start of this magical dish. 

The brussels sprouts are first roasted and then tossed in a bechamel sauce. Keeping with French techniques (they sure know what they are talking about), a bechamel is simply a white sauce made from a roux and milk. Don't let the fancy French words scare you! Roux = butter and flour. I'll break it down for you in the recipe, don't you worry.

To bring it all together the brussels tossed in the bechamel go into a baking dish and then are topped with breadcrumbs and bacon. Is your mouth watering yet? After a quick pop in the oven this side dish is ready to enjoy!  

Would you like to give BreadSRSLY a try? Use the code 'myengineerednutrition' with your order on their website and receive 10% off your order! 

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 25 min

Servings: 6

Ingredients: 

Bechamel:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp gluten free flour, Bob's 1-to-1
• 1 c reduced fat milk, 2%
• Salt & Pepper

Gratin:

• 6 oz BreadSRSLY sourdough bread, 3 slices toast
• 6 cups brussels sprouts, cut into quarters 
• 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 slices bacon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. While the oven is preheating, toast your bread and prepare brussels sprouts by cutting them into quarters. Toss sprouts with 1 tsp olive oil, juice of one lemon and salt. Roast on a baking sheet in the oven for 10-15 minutes, giving them a toss halfway through roasting. This will give the sprouts a nice roast, but won't cook them all the way through.
2. While the brussels are roasting, put the toasted bread into a food processor and pulse until breadcrumbs form. I personally like my breadcrumbs on the larger side, but you can go as large or small as you choose. On a different baking sheet, spread the breadcrumbs out in an even layer and toast in the oven (at the same time as the sprouts is fine) for about 5 minutes, just so they become a bit more dried out. 
3. Remove breadcrumbs and brussels sprouts from the oven and set the aside. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
4. Cook 3 slices of bacon until crisp. I fried my bacon in a skillet on stove top, but you can also do this step in the microwave. Blot with paper towels to remove excess grease and chop into smaller pieces. Combine breadcrumbs, bacon and remaining 1 tsp of olive oil in a bowl and toss.
5. Next we make the béchamel! Warm your milk in a small sauce pan over medium high heat. While that is warming, in a sauté pan or a separate sauce pan (something with taller sides so that the sauce doesn't slop all over your stove!) melt the butter over medium high heat. Once melted add the flour, salt and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste begins to bubble. We want the butter+flour mixture to become a golden color, which will happen after about 2-4 minutes of cooking, but we don't want to let this burn. Pour in warmed milk and continue to stir the sauce. Raise to high heat and bring sauce to a boil. Lower heat and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes while stirring. 
6. In a large bowl combine roasted brussels sprouts and béchamel sauce. Toss so that the sprouts are evenly coated. Transfer into baking dish and top with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. To finish the gratin, raise heat and broil for 5 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information (1 serving):

180 calories - 6.5 g Protein, 24 g Carbohydrates, 7.5 g Fat

Super Bowl Snacks: Healthy Eats for the Big Game!

Avid football fan or not, I'm going to bet you have a Super Bowl Party to attend this weekend. And let's be honest, unless you are a fan of the two teams playing, this Sunday is much more a gathering for good food, ranking your favorite commercials during the Super Bowl and of course, watching the Halftime Performance. 

Worried about how you are going to stay on track with healthy alternatives during Gametime? Fear not, My Engineered Nutrition is to the rescue! I've gather my FAVORITE healthy recipes perfect for watching Big Game. You'll be a hit at your Super Bowl Party if you bring one of these dishes...and no one will be the wiser that it's healthy!

APPETIZERS

Brussels Sprout Chips

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

Gametime Guacamole

Avocado Lime Dressing

MAINS

Buffalo Chili

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Bison Sliders

BBQ Chicken Pizza on Cauliflower Crust

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Brussels Sprout Chips

Yum

Why are chips so addicting? Why is it that you can never just have one?

It's the salty, crunchiness of the chip that makes them just so damn tasty and addictive. 

With a little extra effort, these brussels sprout chips provide a guilt-free alternative to the not-so-good-for-you bagged chips you find  in the grocery store and at nearly every party. For the longest time I never attempted making brussels sprout chips because...well, they seemed like more effort than what they were worth. 

Boy, was I wrong. 

I PROMISE that these are so worth it. So much so that you won't want to share. But, I urge you to share (maybe the second batch) at your next party! These would be a perfect snack to nibble on while watching football this fall or as a great snack for a cocktail hour with friends. 

Brussels Sprout Chips

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 2

Note: This recipe is EASILY scaled, just keep the ratio of 3 cups brussel sprout leaves to 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients:

• 3 cups brussels sprout leaves, yielded after separating
• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 
2. To separate leaves, but bottoms of brussel sprout off and discard. Carefully separate the outer leaves from the sprout until you are just left with the sprout core. Transfer the leaves into a mixing bowl. You can keep the sprout core for a different use - I usually slice in half and roast separately like normally done with brussels sprouts. Continue to separate the sprout leaves until you have 3 cups of leaves. Toss brussels sprout leaves with olive oil, salt and garlic power.
3. Spread brussels sprout leaves in a single layer on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until leaves become golden brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately. 

Nutritional Information (1 serving)

52 calories - 1.4 g Protein, 3.6 g Carbohydrates, 3.6 g Fat

Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Yum

Fall is in full swing! My favorite seasons for cooking? Fall and winter. I love roasting and warm, slow cooked meals. I love the rich flavors and fragrant spices that fill your house as you are cooking. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Cliche as it may be, I LOVE fall.

One of my ultimate Fall favorite side dishes? Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts. 

Now, this certainly isn't a dish you can only eat in the fall and winter months, but it sure does hit the spot on evenings when the air is cool and crisp. This is a quick and simple side dish and honestly, what can be better than Brussels sprouts and bacon?  

Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts  

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups Brussels sprouts
• 3 slices of bacon
• 1 tbsp shallots, minced  
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, minced   
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare Brussels sprouts by cutting off their bottoms (discard) and slicing in half. For the extra large sprouts I usually cut these into quarters to assure they cook evenly. Transfer cut sprouts to large mixing bowl. Toss with shallots, thyme, salt and pepper.
2. In a large skillet, fry bacon until crispy. I've found the best way to do this (without burning your bacon) is to begin by arranging your bacon in the skillet prior to turning on heat. Place skillet over medium-high heat and cook bacon until crispy, ensuring to flip bacon halfway through. This should take about 5 minutes.
3. Once your bacon has cooked, removed slices and place on a paper towel lined plate. Set aside. Next, CAREFULLY pour rendered bacon grease over sprouts and toss to evenly coat.  
4. Transfer sprouts to a baking sheet, spreading them out into a single even layer. Roast in 400°F oven for 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Halfway through roasting, give the sprouts a toss on the baking sheet so that you have even browning on all sides.  
5. While roasting, chop the bacon into small pieces - real deal bacon bits! Once sprouts have roasted, sprinkle bacon on top and serve. 

Nutritional Information (1 serving)

130 calories - 5 g Protein, 8 g Carbs, 8.7 g Fat, 3.3 g Fiber