For those of my readers who know me well, (all ten of them), they know that I have an obsession with mustard. Some may say that it is an unhealthy love affair, but I’m OK with that. Spicy, sweet, smooth, grainy–if it’s mustard, I love it. Now that I have “graduated” I am trying to learn to fend for myself in the kitchen. That being said, when I had a hankering for mustard the other night, it resulted in mustard-covered brussels sprouts and a caprese panini…with mustard, obviously.
Mustard-Caramelized Brussels Sprouts Ingredients:
– Brussels sprouts (I used about 12)
– 1 Tbsp olive oil
– 1 Tbsp grainy mustard
– 1 Tbsp white vinegar
– Salt & Pepper to taste
I began by slicing my brussels sprouts in half, like so:
While doing this, I heated 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. I then placed the sprouts round side up in the pan, and covered it with a lid. This kept the heat inside of the pan and allowed them to caramelize–I left them for roughly 5-7 minutes, or until they were soft to the touch.
After they were soft, I removed the lid and turned them over to see the browned flat sides. I reduced the heat to low and left them for a minute to make sure they were cooked through on the backsides. While doing this, I combined my mustard and vinegar, and then doused the sprouts in the mixture. Due to my mustard obsession, I used a bit more than a Tbsp. Promptly remove the sprouts from the heat and place them in a bowl. If you are a cheese fiend like me, you may want to top them with a bit of freshly grated parmesan.
Caprese Panini Ingredients:
– 1 whole wheat flat bread (Trader Joe’s has great options)
– 3-4 tomato slices
– 7 spinach leaves
– Fresh mozzarella cheese
– 2 turkey slices (optional)
– Mustard (duh)
First off, I had to heat up the panini maker. I then proceeded to spread all of my ingredients in front of me, and stack them in my preferred order: mustard, cheese, turkey, tomato spinach.
Once I had a neat little tower on my flatbread, I placed it in the panini maker and let it sit until it had grill marks on each side, and I could hear the melted cheese sizzling.
Once my panini was finished, I cut it in half and sat down with my brussels sprouts to enjoy a mustard-covered weeknight meal.
Bon Appétit!
Chronicles of a Twenty-Something 