Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Toasted Pecans, and Dried Cranberries

This post is sponsored by Alessi Foods, however, I am sharing my own thoughts. All opinions are my own.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! As the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder, I am craving all of the fall and winter flavors and getting more and more excited for the upcoming holiday season. And what’s more perfect for the holidays than a delicious roasted brussels sprouts dish? My favorite winter vegetable paired with the seasonal flavors of dried cranberries and toasted pecans and the most delicious Alessi Organic Balsamic Vinegar, does it get any better?

I love Alessi’s fresh, high-quality, and authentically Italian products. Their Organic Balsamic Vinegar and Himalayan Pink Salt and Black Peppercorn Grinders are just a few of my favorites. They also have delicious pastas, sauces, olive oils, and the list goes on and on. You can use the code STACY for 15% off your Alessi Foods order, AND orders over $20 ship free!

So let’s get to that brussels sprouts recipe, shall we?

Here’s What You’ll Need:

-32 oz brussels sprouts
-1/2 cup raw pecans
-1/4 cup dried cranberries
-4 pieces thick cut bacon
-2-3 tbsp Alessi Organic Balsamic Vinegar
-Alessi Himalayan Pink Salt, ground
-Alessi Black Peppercorns, ground
-2 tbsp avocado oil

Instructions:

1. De-stem and halve the brussels sprouts, toss with the avocado oil, Alessi Himalayan Pink Salt and Black Pepper, and spread out on a baking sheet.

2. Cut the bacon into pieces about 1” thick, and mix with the brussels sprouts.

3. Cook the brussels sprouts and bacon in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until the brussels sprouts are slightly browned and crispy and the bacon is cooked.

4. In the meantime, toast the pecans in a pan on the stovetop over medium high heat for about 3-5 minutes. You'll start to smell them toasting and want to remove them before they start to burn.

5. Mix the toasted pecans and dried cranberries into the cooked brussels sprouts.

6. Drizzle the mixture with the Alessi Organic Balsamic Vinegar and season with some more Alessi Himalayan Pink Salt and Black Pepper.

7. Serve and enjoy!

Whether you’re whipping this up for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or Christmas, this one is sure to be a crowd pleaser! And if anyone is meat-free, you can easily skip the bacon! Trust me, it’s still delicious. My family is half vegans/vegetarians and half meat eaters, so I like to make half and half. Let me know where you’ll be serving this dish and what you think in the comments below, and don’t forget to use the code STACY for 15% off your Alessi Foods order!

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with Green Valley Foods

This post is sponsored by Green Valley Foods, however, I am sharing all of my own thoughts. All opinions are my own.

We’re coming up on the new year which means fresh starts and new year’s resolutions. One of the resolutions at the forefront for a lot of us is being more health conscious. And again at the forefront of ignored resolutions is that very same one getting pushed to the wayside. We go through all the excuses - it’s hard, it’s expensive, it’s time consuming. But really, it doesn’t have to be!

That’s why I’ve teamed up with Green Valley foods to show you how easy AND affordable eating organic can be. I whipped up these delicious vegetarian stuffed peppers that are also gluten free and super quick and easy to make. The whole family will love them, and they’re so simple that the kids can even get in on the fun of helping to make them.

So why Green Valley? They’re the obvious choice because all of their products are USDA organic, non-GMO, BPA-free, gluten free, and made in the USA. You can pick up the corn and black beans for this recipe at your local grocery store and not have to worry about any of it going bad because they’re both shelf stable. They’re also very affordable making it easy and reasonable to eat organic. You can even order them on Amazon. It really doesn’t get much more convenient than that!

So let’s get to it!

Here’s what you’ll need:
-4 bell peppers, halved and de-seeded
-1/2 red onion, chopped
-15.5 oz bag Green Valley Black Beans -15.25 oz can Green Valley Corn
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
-2 tbsp taco seasoning
-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese plus more -1 green onion, chopped

Instructions:

1)  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. On a parchment lined baking sheet, bake the halvedpeppers for 15 minutes.
2)  In the meantime, strain the black beans and corn.
3)  Mix together the beans, corn, diced tomatoes, red onion, taco seasoning, and cheesetogether in a large bowl.
4)  Remove the peppers from the oven, and fill each pepper with the mixture.
5)  Top each pepper with a sprinkle of cheese, and return them to the oven for 15 minutes.
6)  Remove the peppers, and top each with green onion.
7)  Serve, and enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below, and make sure to head over to http://www.welcometogreenvalley.com to learn more about all of Green Valley’s organic products.

Annie’s Great Bunny Bake Off Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Skillet

I’ve been a huge fan of Annie’s Homegrown products for years now, so when I heard that they now make Certified Organic versions of all of my favorite refrigerated doughs and baking mixes, you know I was all in! These products taste AMAZING, and they make baking fun and easy whether you want to make the mixes and doughs as is or play around a bit. Plus all of their products are made with only the best ingredients, meaning they use unbleached flour, and there’s no hydrogenated oils or high-fructose corn syrup here!

To celebrate the upcoming holiday season and these delicious baking mixes and doughs, they’re hosting their first annual Great Bunny Bake Off! I am beyond excited to be partnering with them to share this with you guys, plus you get a fun and easy recipe made with Annie’s Organic Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough!

The official #BunnyBakeOff is live NOW over on Instagram and runs through 12/13. Pick up one of Annie’s delicious baking mixes or refrigerated doughs, and play around! Make the most delicious and fun recipe you can think of, post it to Instagram tagging @annieshomegrown and using the hashtag #BunnyBakeOff, and you’re entered! Plus you have the opportunity to be regrammed my @annieshomegrown on Instagram. There will be three grand prize winners who will each receive an entire year’s worth of Annie’s products (valued at $366)! Plus the first 100 people who post their recipe to Instagram will automatically receive a free product coupon for any Annie’s baking product just for sharing. Does it get any better? For more on the official rules, head over to Annies.com via this direct link: http://bit.ly/2fEhhea

Now onto the recipe. I don’t even know if I can express my love for chocolate chip cookies, but let’s just say it HUGE. So when I saw chocolate chunk cookie dough that’s both organic and made with great ingredients, it was clearly my go to for the Bunny Bake Off! This cookie dough is phenomenal in and of itself, but I say go big or go home when there’s a year’s worth of Annie’s at stake! And what’s the only thing better than a dessert? Two desserts disguised as one. That’s where this chocolate chip cookie cheesecake skillet comes in.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

-Two 12 oz package of Annie’s Organic Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough
-8 oz organic cream cheese (room temperature)
-¼ cup coconut sugar
-1 egg
-5 oz plain unsweetened yogurt (Icelandic or Greek ideally)
-1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large, greased skillet, mix together the separated cookie dough pieces and spread to cover the entire bottom of the skillet.
3. In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, yogurt, coconut sugar, egg, and vanilla using a hand mixer until well mixed.
4. Pour the mixture over top of the cookie dough, spreading it evenly.
5. Put the skillet in the preheated oven, and bake for 45-55 minutes until the top layer is well browned and the cookie is cooked through.
6. Let cool for 30 minutes to an hour, slice, and enjoy!

I’m pretty sure you can’t even realize how much you need this cookie cheesecake combo in your life until you’ve had a slice. Trust me, there’s no going back! I topped mine with a scoop of organic ice cream and sprinkles, but feel free to play around! It’s also pretty darn good on its own. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Good Clean Summer Love Pasta Salad with Love Beets and Organic Girl

I don't know about you guys, but I LOVE me some beets and organic greens! So when Love Beets and Organic Girl let me in on their #GoodCleanSummerLove campaign, I was SO excited to play around!

Before we get into the recipe deets, let me tell you guys about this amazing contest. One lucky winner is going to win an entire year's supply of Love Beets and Organic Girl (insert heart eyes and hand raising emoji here)! I'll put the full details on how to enter at the bottom of this post, so make sure you check it out!

So back to the eats. Beets and greens scream summer to me (hence the campaign I'm guessing), and of course they both go great in a salad. But I decided I wanted to kick it up a level. What else screams summer? Grilling, corn, and pasta salads. So why not bring them all together? Trust me you want to bring them all together...

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 lb pasta, cooked (I used sprouted penne, but lentil or whole grain pastas are also great)
-2 cups Organic Girl pepper greens
-4 Love Beets organic cooked beets, chopped
-1/4 cup Organic Girl pomegranate balsamic dressing
-3/4 cup feta
-2 ears of corn
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1/4 cup pine nuts
-Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Preheat your grill to medium high heat.
2) Remove the silk from the corn and pull down the husks. Coat the corn in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Replace the husks back up around the corn.
3) Grill the corn for about 20 minutes, rotating 1/4 of the way every 5 minutes.
4) Once cooked, shave the kernels off the cob using a knife.
5) Toast the pine nuts on the stove top until just golden brown (about 3-5 minutes).
6) In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, beets, pepper greens, corn, pine nuts, and feta.
7) Add in the dressing (and salt and pepper to taste) and mix completely until evenly distributed.
8) Serve and enjoy!

This pasta salad is literally like summer in side dish form. It's perfect for a picnic, bbq, or even as a meal through out the week. Let me know what you think in the comments, and make sure to check on the contest rules below.