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The Undercover Cook
Full-time mom & marketing manager in search of interesting food choices, smarter eating and the latest food trends even when time is in precious short supply.
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Category Archives: seasonal recipes
Brussels Sprout and Avocado Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing
It is that time of year again…time for the office potluck Thanksgiving Dinner. Ever year the cooks in our mist pull out the stops and create carb-heavy, delicious, tempting dishes while the non-cooks at the office bring in bags of rolls straight from the supermarket deli. We always end up with way too much of both.
This year I decided to break the rules and bring something unique, healthy and totally low carb. I found a fantastic looking recipe for a Brussels Sprouts Salad on the cover of Whole Living Magazine this month and decided to go for it.
I changed the recipe slightly from what was featured in the magazine by adding red cabbage for color and modifying the dressing recipe slightly. The result was a tasty fresh salad that was a refreshing accompaniment to all the typical rich Thanksgiving fare. The salad was really easy to make though pealing apart all those brussels sprouts did take a little more time than I expected. (If you are pressed for time you could just shred them like the red cabbage instead of taking the time to peal off the leaves.)
I am happy to report that the salad was a hit at lunch. Give it a try and see if you gain a new appreciation for these little cruciferous vegetables as well.
Brussels Sprout and Avocado Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing
Prep: 15 minutes - Makes: 6-8 side salads
- 1 to 1.25 lbs fresh brussels sprouts, trimmed and leaves separated
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 avocado, pealed and pit removed
- 2/3 cup toasted pecans
- Lemon Dijon Dressing (recipe below)
Toss together brussels sprouts, red cabbage, avocado and pecans and Lemon Dijon Dressing. Serve and enjoy.
Lemon Dijon Dressing
Prep: 5 minutes + 4 hours to chill (to allow flavors to meld together)
4 tablespoons olive oil- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon country Dijon mustard
- 1 clove of garlic, pressed through a garlic press
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- salt and pepper
Whisk together olive oil, Dijon, country Dijon, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours to allow flavors to meld together. Whisk again before tossing with the salad.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy!
Spicy Sesame Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup with Wild Rice
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Posted in low carb, salad, seasonal recipes, vegetarian
Tagged Christmas Salad, Thanksgiving Salad
2 Comments
Spider Cakes (Golden Butter Cakes with Peanut Butter Icing)
Just when you think a week can’t get any more hectic my child’s school goes and throws a bake sale fundraiser into the to-do list. The request was for something yummy, individually portioned and bug-themed to be brought to school last Wednesday morning. (Wednesday? Really? If you want people to get really creative ask for bake goods on a Monday not a Wednesday….I am just sayin’….)
Anyway, since (a) I absolutely love love love my child’s preschool and (b) I am a huge fan of the anti-bug misting system for the playground (the reason for the fundraiser) and most importantly (c) I really don’t want to be seen as the slacker parent, I decided I had to come up with something. However since it was the middle of the work week and I was leaving to go out of town the next day it was going to have to be easy.
I settled on Spider Cakes because this time of year little plastic spider rings are easily accessible and make a perfect bug-themed topper. For the cake I made one of my absolute favorite recipes, Desert Island Butter Cake from the All-Butter Fresh Cream Sugar-Packed Baking Book by Judy Rosenberg. This is an incredibly simple, limited ingredient recipe. And the only thing I really changed about the recipe was to turn it into cupcakes instead of using a springform pan.
For the icing I wanted something kid-friendly, in an earthy color and very simple to make, so I went with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing. The recipe came from Sky High Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes. (This is another one of my go-to recipe books that I use all the time!) The only thing I changed was to decrease the sugar and bump up the peanut butter to make the icing just a bit less sweet.
For the bake sale I made 2 batches of the cupcakes (for a total of 24 cupcakes) and 1 batch of the Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing (which left me with a little icing to spare). I found little individual white cupcake boxes at a big chain arts and crafts store which made for an excellent presentation. The cupcakes turned out to be a huge hit and sold out early at the bake sale. I am calling this one a total bake sale success!
Spider Cakes
Makes: 24 cupcakes
- 2 batches of Golden Butter Cupcakes (recipe below)
- 1 batch Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing (recipe below)
- 24 plastic spider rings
Bake Gold Butter Cupcakes and let cool completely. While cupcakes are cooling prepare Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing. When cupcakes are fully cooled top with icing. Garnish each cupcake with a plastic spider. Enjoy!!
Golden Butter Cupcakes
Prep time: 8 minutes – Bake Time: 22-25 minutes – Makes: 12 cupcakes
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
Preheat over to 350°F. Place muffin liners into muffin tin and set aside.
Place eggs and sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on high to beat the eggs and sugar on high speed until mixture is thick and pale yellow (about 4 minutes).
Add sifted flour to the egg mixture. Fold it in gently with a rubber spatula until it is almost but not fully incorporated.
Slowly fold in melted butter. Gently stir until the batter is fully mixed.
Pour batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake in the center of the oven for 22-25 minutes or until fully cooked (a knife inserted in the center comes out clean). Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before adding frosting.
Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing
Makes: enough to top 24-28 cupcakes
- 10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter*
Place cream cheese and butter into a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to beat them together until light and fluffy.
Add confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Blend on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the peanut butter and blend until thoroughly mixed.
*Note: this is one of the few times you will see me recommend against all natural. Regular hydrogenated peanut butter works better than all natural peanut butter in this recipe because the oil won’t separate out.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy!
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Mini Sweet Potato Pound Cakes with Drunken Cream Cheese Icing
Last night I happen to catch an episode of Cupcake Wars just as I was trying to decide what to make to take to my office holiday party. Have you ever watched this show? Three up-and-coming cupcake shop owners are given cupcake challenges and then race to clock to make the unique and tasty cupcake combinations. The challenges can get a little outrageous (use vegetables in your cupcakes, make your cupcakes a tribute to Elvis etc) resulting in cupcakes flavors that are definitely out-of-the-box.
Anyway, I was suddenly struck with the desire to make cupcakes. Not just plain yellow or chocolate cupcakes but festival, seasonal, one-of-a-kind cupcakes. Game on!
I took my inspiration for the cupcakes from a recent Southern Living recipe for Sweet Potato Pound Cake. I tweaked the recipe a little bit for flavor and came out with beautiful Sweet Potato Pound Cake Cupcakes, or as I like to call them – Mini Pound Cakes.
However a truly inspired cupcake needs a truly inspired icing to finish it off so I wasn’t done yet. I decided to top my Mini Sweet Potato Pound Cakes with Drunken Cream Cheese Icing to really take the cupcake experience over the top. With a little brown sugar and a dash of Bailey’s Irish Cream, I had the perfect icing for my special little cupcakes.
The cupcakes (I mean, Mini Pound Cakes!) were a huge hit at this morning’s event. They may just have to make a repeat performance after Christmas dinner this weekend. I mean who needs sweet potato pie when you can have Mini Sweet Potato Pound Cakes with Drunken Cream Cheese Icing, right??
Happy Holidays Eatings everyone!
Mini Sweet Potato Pound Cakes with Drunken Cream Cheese Icing
Mini Sweet Potato Pound Cakes (a.k.a cupcakes)
Prep Time: 15 minutes - Cook time: 36 minutes (plus time to cook the sweet potatoes) - Makes: 24 cupcakes
- 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (roughly 3 large sweet potatoes)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Non-stick cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350º. Spray 2 muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray OR line with cupcake liners and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears. Add sweet potatoes and vanilla, and mix well.
Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop batter into prepared muffin pans. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour) before icing.
Drunken Cream Cheese Icing
Prep time: 10 minutes
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 stick + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/4 c brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon Bailey’s Irish Cream
- Praline Pecan Halves (optional garnish, if desired)
Place cream cheese and butter in a medium sized mixing bowl. Use and electric hand mixer to beat cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Add confectioners sugar, brown sugar and Bailey’s to the bowl and continue to mix until smooth and creamy.
Once cupcakes are completely cooled, add icing to cupcakes. Top with pecan halves for garnish if desired.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy!
Simply Delicious Ambrosia
Amazing Strawberry Cupcakes
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