Oil-free Breaded Brussel Bites

I have been informed that the super bowl is coming up. I even know the Atlanta team will be playing in it! I just can’t remember the name of the team. You know why I care about the super bowl? Delicious delicious snacks. Now I’ve been known to eat an entire pan of plain roasted brussels sprouts, but I decided to get fancy and bread and bake them. I was inspired by Hot For Food’s deep fried brussel tots, and figured I could make an oil free version that wouldn’t give up any of the fantastic flavor. Oh my goodness, they turned out amazingly, and were even omnivore roommate approved. 

You could dip them in a cashew cheese sauce, bbq sauce, or do what I did and go with plain marinara and add them to pasta, kind of like brussels parmesan. I will soon be using the same recipe on broccoli and cauliflower to see how it turns out, but until then, snack on. 

Do note, that that this recipe takes a touch longer than most of my shares. It’s definitely a weekend or special occasion recipe. Like for when sports ball is played by the best sports ballers ever. 

Oil-Free Breaded Brussels Bites

Servings: 1 - 6 depending on how much you like to share

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Total start-to-finish Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 lb fresh brussels sprouts

• For nut parmesan (may substitute 2 cups bread crumbs instead):
• 2 cups cashews or pepitas or a mix
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• salt, optional

• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 1 cup flour of your choice
• ~ 1 cup unsweetened plant milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 420 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Cut the ends of the brussels sprouts and cut them in half, trimming away any of the outside leaves that are going brown or otherwise funky.
3. Lay cut side up on a silpat or parchment paper, and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until starting to brown up around the edges. You’re going to bake them again, so they don’t need to be one hundred percent done. Just starting to crisp up. 
4. Meanwhile, make your batter. Add flour into a wide shallow bowl, and slowly mix milk into the flour until it’s the consistency of pancake batter (only just pourable). If it gets too watery to stick to the brussels sprouts, add more flour. Whisk together until there probably aren’t any more lumps. We all know you missed a few, but it is what it is. 
5. If making nut parmesan, combine nuts, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, paprika, and mustard powder (and salt if using), into a food processor until it’s the consistency of course grits, with no huge chunks of nuts. Taste and adjust seasonings until it’s delicious and strong tasting. Mix breadcrumbs in and pulse a couple of times to combine, then spread out on a plate.
6. Dunk each brussels sprout into the batter, tap a couple of times against the edge of the bowl to get rid of extra batter, then role around the breadcrumbs and parmesan until it’s covered. You want to be kid of gentle so you don’t dislodge the leaves of the sprouts. Lay cut side down back on the silpat or parchment paper, making sure the breaded sprouts aren’t touching. 
7. Once all the sprouts are battered and breaded, return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the breading gets nice and golden, with some brown spots. Let cool briefly, then enjoy with your favorite dip or as a pasta topper. 

Tofu Scramble Breakfast Tacos

Breakfast tacos have to be in my top 10 comfort foods list. They're spicy and savory, and with crispy charred corn tortillas, you can't go wrong. Buuut eggs are pretty bad for you. Forget the egg industry hype, and the low-carb propaganda, scientific studies have shown that even one egg a day is associated with increased risk of both cardiovascular disease and diabetes. And chickens in egg factories live pretty horrific lives. 

Tofu, on the other hand, eaten a few times a week, is pretty great for you, especially if you're vegan and crave the versatile flavor-absorbing texture tofu can provide. So enter the quick and easy tofu scramble. If you have very little time, leave off most of the veggies, and just add spinach to wilt after the tofu is almost done cooking. That won't take more than 10 minutes. But if you have a little more time, and your knife skills are sharp, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes take the scramble to the next level. 

So next time you're craving breakfast for dinner, reach for the better alternative to eggs, and chow down on this breakfast taco with southwestern flair. 

Tofu Scramble Breakfast Tacos

Servings: 2
Total Start-to-Finish Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 onion diced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 1 small box of baby bella mushrooms thinly sliced
• 1/8 cup diced green chili peppers (optional)
• 1/2 box quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1 lb firm tofu
• 2 Tbs nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp powdered tumeric
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder or more to taste
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• pepper and optional salt to taste
• 2 cups spinach or frozen kale
• cilantro or parsley for garnish (optional)
• 12 corn tortillas

Directions:

1. Add onion, pepper, and mushrooms to a pan on medium heat with a thin layer of water in the bottom to keep from sticking. Saute, adding more water if necessary, until vegetables have softened, and mushrooms have lost most of their liquid.
2. Add chili peppers, tomatoes, crumbled tofu, and spices and stir, cooking until the tofu has released its liquid, and most of the liquid has cooked off. 
3. Meanwhile on a bare gas stove burner, heat tortillias until just blackened around the edges. Alternatively, microwave tortillas in a wet towel until warm. 
4. Add greens and stir until the greens are wilted.
5. Add scramble to tortillias, top with cilantro or parsley, and enjoy! It's also good with a squeeze of ketchup, if that's your thing.