How to Comment & PB Brussel Sprouts

 I've had numerous people contact me and say they would like to comment on this blog but cannot figure out how. I used another computer to guide myself through it and this is what we have come up with:

Step one: Go to the right hand side of this blog where it says "Followers" and click on "Follow". For some reason, you must follow this blog before you can comment on it. 

Step two: Sign in as a "follower" using whatever email you want to use. If you have a blog, you can use that blog as your "name" and your name will be underlined, the underlined part is a direct link to your own blog. If you do NOT have a blog, sign in using aim, google, or yahoo. This would be your gmail email sign in, your yahoo email sign in, etc. Same name and password. 

Step three: Now that you are a "follower" you can comment. At the bottom of each post, there is a little link that says "0 comments" or "1 comment", click on that, and a large blank box will appear that says "leave a comment". You type in your comment, but wait, there is a part to "sign" it, and this is where you choose the account you are signed into (yahoo, google). The same one you used to be a follower. Hit publish, and voila!

Maybe one day this process won't be so long! When I leave comments on other people's blogs, it is fast and easy because I have this blog so it automatically links my name to this blog. I was unaware that it was so hard for people to figure this out. I know my Dad and Aunt Michele seem to be having the most problems... I hope this helps! If all else fails, you can email me with questions, concerns, comments, and updates at mzader@yahoo.com or continue to email me through facebook, which most people have been doing. 

On to the yummy stuff!

Peanut Butter Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:

brussel sprouts (I bought a large frozen bag and used about 1/3 of it.)

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 cup brown rice

soy sauce

 Do you love brussel sprouts? As a child, I never loved brussel sprouts, but something about the way we cook them these days has me loving them!

 Dethaw frozen brussel sprouts, then slice them in half.

Cook one cup of brown rice per instructions, then put a little bit of the rice at a time in a pan with a little bit of butter or a little bit of oil. "Fry" the rice until just crispy.

 I had to do this 2 or 3 times in order to fry the whole cup of rice. If I had a large, flat pan I could have done all the rice at once. You want a thin layer of rice so that it gets a little crispy. Spread the rice out thin, and flip it with a spatula. It might stick to the bottom of the pan, but those pieces will just be a little crispier. Nothing a little muscles can't scrape off! 

 When you're done with the rice, sprinkle a little bit of (MSG-free) soy sauce or liquid aminos (vegan soy sauce) onto rice, and mix in one to two teaspoons peanut butter (or tablespoons, depends on how much you love peanut butter) into the rice.

Here is my crispy rice with soy sauce and peanut butter (not yet mixed in)

Then put your brussel sprouts into the pan with a little bit of butter, some salt or pepper, some minced garlic if you like garlic, any kind of flavoring you want. The key to cooking brussel sprouts is not to over-cook them! They omit a strong, awful smell when they are overcooked, this means they are oxidizing. You want them warmed and a little soft, but by all means do not cook the nutrients out of them! I sizzled mine in butter maybe five minutes, sprinkling with a little garlic salt and a touch of soy sauce. 

Combine brussel sprouts and rice together and mix well. You want the soy sauce and peanut butter coated evenly over the rice and brussels.

 I love asian peanut sauces and we were craving something asian-flavored. I figured out if you mix soy sauce with peanut butter you get a pretty tasty "sauce"! The brussel sprouts we added because they were the last vegetable we had on hand. We made it not knowing how it would taste. It turned out really good. So good, in fact, that when I came home the next day, The Boyfriend had made round #2 all by himself and it was on the table waiting for me! 

This recipe has protein (peanut butter), vegetables (brussels) and whole grain (brown rice). What a winner! :)