I am participating in a recipe challenge with a few San Diego food bloggers. We all received ingredients from Melissa’s Produce to come up with a recipe. We each got a box including: Dutch Yellow Potatoes, Cleaned and Cut Leeks, Baby Brussels Sprouts, Ojai Pixie Tangerines, Steamed Red Beets, Steamed Fava Beans, Dried Chanterelle Mushrooms and Red Quinoa. I love participating in these kind of food challenges. It always feels like Chopped right in my own kitchen.

I knew immediately that I wanted to make something with the brussels spouts and the red quinoa. And seriously, what goes better with brussels sprouts than bacon?! The recipe is pretty simple to make but it does take a few steps. I chopped and cooked the bacon in one skillet while the quinoa cooked in its own pan. Then I sliced the brussels sprouts in half so they would cook faster and not be too chunky in the dish. I crisped the brussels in the toaster oven with onion, salt and pepper. Then I combined all the ingredients with together.

For the challenge we were to use 3-4 of the ingredients so I came up with a really tasty crostini to pair up with the quinoa. I don’t think I have ever had leeks but they were nicely cut and cleaned in a ready to use bag. I sautéed the leeks with some olive oil and salt until a little crispy. I set those aside and sliced my beets and bread. I topped the bread with a little olive oil and broiled the bread in the oven. I added a thin layer of cream cheese with a few sliced beets and topped it with the leeks. I seasoned the crostini’s with salt and pepper to finish.

These were the perfect sides to the grilled rib eye we had for dinner. I love getting a little creative in the kitchen and trying out new recipes to see how they taste. This is usually only done on Sundays at our house. There is something about chopping vegetables and cooking with healthy ingredients that is just so comforting. I hope you like these recipes! Let me know what you think in the comments. And be sure to check out the other recipes from my fellow San Diego food bloggers below.

Leeks & Beets Crostini

Bacon & Brussels Quinoa + Leeks & Beets Crostini

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Ingredients

• 1 package of Melissa’s Produce Cleaned and Cut Leeks
• 1 package of Melissa’s Produce Steamed Red Beets
• 1 olive loaf
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of cream cheese
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Saute leeks with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper until almost crisp
2. Cook beets according to package (microwave or steam) and slice
3. Slice bread into thin pieces
4. Brush olive oil to sliced bread
5. Broil bread until just browned
6. Top bread slices with a thin layer of cream cheese, 2-3 sliced beets, a tablespoon of leeks
7. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top

Bacon & Brussels Quinoa

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Ingredients

• 1 package of Melissa’s Produce Baby Brussels Sprouts (cut in half)
• 1 Cup of Melissa’s Produce Red Quinoa (cooked)
• 1/2 Package of Bacon
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of coriander
• 1/2 cup of chopped white onion
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Instructions

1. Cook Quinoa according to package directions
2. Add cumin and coriander before simmering
3. Chop bacon into 1 inch pieces and sauté
4. Bake the brussels sprouts with onion, olive oil, salt and pepper at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. (I used a toaster oven)
5. Add the bacon to the brussels sprouts
6. Place the quinoa in a serving dish
7. top with bacon and brussels