Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with Turkey Bacon & Walnuts

This recipe can turn anyone into a fan of Brussels Sprouts.  It’s the one time I’m ok with my children fighting; when they’re fighting over these.  🙂  I’ll be making 2 huge batches of these for our 2 Thanksgiving celebrations.

10 Cups Brussels Sprouts, cut in half (one stalk)
8 slices Turkey Bacon, diced
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until coated with balsamic vinegar. Spread on a sheet pan and bake at 400 for 40 minutes, turning them at about 20 minutes, or until sprouts are brown and bacon is crispy.

Nutritional Info:

1 serving is 2 cups
Calories: 161 Carbs: 19 Fat: 7 Protein: 10 Sodium: 431 Sugar: 6

Butternut Squash Tart

This rich tart is traditionally made with ricotta cheese and butter, so I decided to replace the ricotta with cottage cheese, reduce the butter and use egg whites and it’s turned out really well!  I have made it twice now with both thyme and fresh sage, and it’s great either way.  The first time that I made it was for a girls’ night out, and it was actually used as a dip ~ but the second time I made it, I used a pie dish and cut it into 6 pieces.  I ate a piece for breakfast the other day.

3 cups cubed butternut squash (I used 1 medium sized squash).  You can buy pre-cut butternut squash in the produce section of some grocery stores, like Trader Joe’s.

1/4 cup Almond Meal or bread crumbs
1 Egg & 1 Egg White, beaten
2 cups of 2% cottage cheese
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp fresh sage or thyme
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel and cube squash and steam until tender and let it cool.  Remove all excess water from squash by wrapping it in a clean kitchen towel and squeezing all of the water out, this might take a while!  Spray a 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray and sprinkle with almond meal to coat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the whole egg, egg white and cottage cheese.  Stir in the grated parmesan cheese, sage or thyme, and nutmeg. In another bowl, smash the drained butternut squash with salt, and then incorporate into the cottage cheese mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the pie plate, and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle a light coating of almond flour over the top and dot with pieces of butter (1 tbsp, cut into small cubes). Bake until set, about 45 – 50 minutes. Allow to cool, and cut into 6 slices. Serve warm or at room temperature.