Tag Archives: olive oil

Chorizo Brussel Sprout Hash

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I’ve been on a runny egg kick the last couple of weeks.  Any chance I get to cook I want to make sure I can have a runny egg with it, whether it be poached, sunnyside up, or a good ol’ fried egg!  And not just an egg with toast and bacon; I want a flavorful meal and my runny egg to add a little velvety sauce on top.  And that’s why I decided to make a hash!!!  Yes, I went there!

Ingredients
3/4 lb. chorizo, diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 red potatoes, diced
3/4 lb. brussel sprouts, shaved
2 tbs. olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions
On medium high heat, heat up the olive oil in a cast iron skillet.  When the skillet is hot, brown the chorizo.  When the chorizo is browned, take the chorizo out and set aside.  Keep the oil/fat in the skillet.

Next, add the potatoes and stir occasionally.  If you stir prematurely the potatoes will stick to the bottom because the potatoes will not brown/caramelize.  This takes a long time, anywhere between 15 minutes to 30 minutes depending on how big your potatoes are cut.  When your potatoes have browned, add the onions and brussel sprouts and stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Take off the heat when the onions are translucent and the brussel sprouts have wilted a little bit. Then add your chorizo and juices.  Mix well and then serve a fried egg on top!

Cook’s Note
I find that the chorizo I buy is spicy enough for my family, especially since I cook everything in one pan and  some of the chorizo spices get incorporated into the potatoes.  If you don’t find it spicy enough, definitely add cayenne or even hot sauce.

I would not recommend this to babies or even toddlers.  My 3 year old finds the chorizo too spicy.  You can switch out the chorizo with bacon instead if you want to make it more toddler friendly.  Or you can just get rid of the meat and make it a brussel sprout hash to make it a friendlier baby led weaning recipe.

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Spinach and Bacon Quiche

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This is a great go to recipe in our home.  When my son was first learning how to eat, this was a major hit with him.  My daughter tried it tonight, and she too loved it (although I was picking out the bacon pieces).  It’s a great dish to sneak in some good spinach.  Most of all, I love how I can make it for dinner and then reheat it for breakfast and lunch.  How can you not enjoy pie dough for all three meals?!?!

Ingredients
Pie dough for a 9″ pie or tart pan
6 oz. bag of baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 minced garlic
1 tbs. olive oil
~5 cooked bacon strips
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. pepper
A dash of nutmeg
1 cup cheese (cheddar or gruyere)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

You will need to blind bake your pie crust.  This means slightly baking your pie crust, that way your crust and filling will finish at the same time.  To do this, line your crust with parchment paper (or foil) and fill with pie weights (or dry beans you have lying around).  Pop it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, remove the weights and poke the dough all over with a fork.  Then pop it back into the oven for another 10 minutes.

While your dough is baking, cook your bacon strips.  You can do a quick short cut and buy microwavable bacon too.  Just make sure your bacon is pretty crispy to give your quiche more texture.  I feel like soggy bacon gives you a more ham-type texture.  When your bacon is done, finely chop and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add the olive oil.  Saute your shallots until they become translucent.  Add half of the baby spinach and cover it for 2-3 minutes to allow the spinach to wilt down.  Then add the rest of the spinach and cover again for 2-3 minutes.  Add the garlic and mix for another minute or two, then place mixture in a bowl and set aside.

In a bowl, thoroughly mix the milk, heavy cream, eggs, pepper, and nutmeg.  Set custard aside.

When your pie crust is done blind baking, add the spinach mixture and evenly spread.  Then add the bacon and cheese.  Slowly add your custard mixture making sure things don’t overflow.  Place in the oven for 30-40 minutes (your quiche should be firm, but jiggle a bit).  Allow your quiche to cool for 10 minutes and serve.

quiche2You can omit the bacon if your baby isn’t ready to eat it (which I would do with Sammy).  I also didn’t add any salt because I feel like you get enough saltiness from the bacon.  So if you omit the bacon, you may want to add salt (unless you are baby led weaning, in which case you are probably becoming very familiar with your salt shaker by now).  Like I said earlier, such a great go to dish!

Turkey Meatloaf

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So with Sammy getting the hang of eating solids, we decided it was time to venture out from fruits and veg into meats. This Ina Garten recipe was a hit when Oliver was her age, and so tonight it was Sammy’s turn (she was a bit skeptical, but ate it with a little mash and steamed carrots).  I halved the recipe because no one wants meatloaf for days.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup of chopped onions
1 tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. of fresh thyme
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/6 cup of Worcestershire sauce
3/8 cup of chicken stock
3/4 tsp. tomato paste
2 1/2 lbs. of ground turkey
3/4 cup of plain bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
~1/2 cup of ketchup

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Warm the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook until the onions are translucent.  Mix in the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste.  Take mixture and put in a bowl and let it cool in the freezer for about 5-10  minutes.  You don’t want to put your hot mixture in with your cool turkey because you will end up cooking some of the turkey.  Plus you don’t want to burn yourself doing the next step.

In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, turkey, bread crumbs, and egg. Mix well, but don’t over mix the turkey.  Once combined, put mixture on a baking sheet (I usually line mine with aluminum foil so there’s less clean up) and form mixture into a loaf shape.  Then take the ketchup and spread it evenly on top using an offset spatula.

Place in the oven for about 45-50 minutes, or until you get an internal temperature of 160°F (I always go by internal temperature).  Serve immediately and the next day the leftovers can be used in sandwiches.