Knock-Your-Socks-Off-Sides

Dinner tonight was 2 sides. I bought a bunch of Brussel sprouts on Sunday, but I didn’t want to roast them, which is what I usually do with Brussels. So I came up with this, inspired by a side dish I had at The Bear Cafe a while back.

1. Warm Brussel Sprout Slaw with Almonds

First I shredded the sprouts in the cuisinart (I didn’t have the slicer attachment, so I used the grater attachement, which worked fine). I kept the machine on while I dropped in the sprouts.

When they were all shredded, I heated up a pan and sauteed some garlic for a few seconds, then added the shredded Brussel sprouts with some salt and pepper. At the same time, I roasted some raw, sliced almonds in a clean, dry skillet over high heat. After a few minutes, they start to become fragrant—at this point be careful to keep the nuts moving in the pan or they will burn. When they have a nice brownish color, remove from the pan. At this point they can be salted if you’d like.

Toss the sprouts in the olive oil and when they cook for a few minutes, add the almonds and season again with salt and pepper. I would have wanted to add some lemon juice, but I didn’t have any, so I used a splash of sherry vinegar.

2. German Potato Salad with Sardines

This was inspired by my training for the New York City marathon and the fact that I want to up my omega-3/fish intake to promote joint health. I happen to LOVE sardines, and I thought that this would work, which it did. Also, remember those potatoes from the Costco trip a few weeks ago? We still have some left, which I wanted to use.

I cut the potatoes into small pieces and steamed them for a few minutes until they were just done. In the mean time, I mixed up a drained can of sardines with about 2 or 3 T of whole grain mustard, olive oil and about 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar. When the potatoes where done, I tossed them into the dressing with some freshly ground pepper and chopped parsely.

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