Tag: air fryer

Categories
Air Fryer Main Dish Side Dish

It’s time to sprout a new opinion of the old Brussels

Parmesan Brussels sprouts are a great side dish or vegetarian main dish, with a great combination of herbs and spices and a lightly salty cheese.
Parmesan Brussels sprouts are a great side dish or vegetarian main dish, with a great combination of herbs and spices and a lightly salty cheese.

As a child, I remember Brussels sprouts as being held up as the epitome of gross vegetables on every kids’ show I watched. The mere mention of the little green vegetable made actors and cartoon characters wrinkle their noses in disgust.

As an adult, I love Brussels sprouts. I figured it was just due to kids not liking vegetables and me having a better palate now that I’m grown up, but then I came across a 2019 report from National Public Radio that explains that Brussels sprouts actually are tastier than they were when I was in grade school.

According to the story, a seed producer in the Netherlands set out to breed a much less bitter version of the plant in the 1990s, and once they perfected the new sprouts, consumers couldn’t get enough. Demand for Brussels sprouts have reached an all-time high.

So, if you’re wrinkling your nose at this week’s recipe, thanks to bad childhood memories, don’t. It’s time to give Brussels sprouts a try once again.

The recipe I tried this week comes from the blog “TropRockin.com” by Tammy Camp. You can find the original post at https://www.troprockin.com/air-fryer-brussels-sprouts/. I tripled the spices and doubled the cheese in my version. I also added oven directions in addition to the author’s air fryer directions.

Print

Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

Parmesan Brussels sprouts are a great side dish or vegetarian main dish, with a great combination of herbs and spices and a lightly salty cheese.
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Keyword air fryer, Brussels sprouts, garlic powder, paprika, parmesan cheese, thyme

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts halved
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

  • Clean and trim your Brussels sprouts, and then dry them as much as you can with a paper towel.
  • In a bowl, stir the oil, paprika, garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper until everything is well combined. Add your halved Brussels sprouts to the bowl and stir until they are evenly coated in the seasonings.
  • If you want to make these in an air fryer, preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees. Place your sprouts in a single layer and cook for eight to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through, until they reach your desired tenderness. Drop the temperature to 320 degrees, sprinkle the parmesan cheese on the sprouts, and cook for another two minutes to melt the cheese.
  • If you’re making these in the oven, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and place your sprouts in a single layer on the sheet. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until they reach your desired tenderness. Sprinkle the parmesan over the top of the sprouts, and cook for another couple of minutes until the cheese is melted.
  • Serve immediately.

These were delicious. I like to roast my Brussels sprouts until they’re starting to get a little crispy around the edges and are fork tender.

And, after this great meal, I’d like to personally thank the Dutch horticulturist who saved Brussels sprouts’ reputation and put them back on menus all over the world. Generations of children (and adults) are in your debt.

This piece first appeared in print on Dec. 21, 2023.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Air Fryer Bread Breakfast

This easy air fryer recipe will totally ‘bagel’ your mind

Baking in an air fryer is much easier than it sounds, especially with a simple bagel recipe that uses only a couple ingredients to create soft, yummy bread in only 10 minutes.
Baking in an air fryer is much easier than it sounds, especially with a simple bagel recipe that uses only a couple ingredients to create soft, yummy bread in only 10 minutes.

Three years ago, I shared a recipe in this space for an easy homemade pizza dough.

If you remember that recipe, this week’s experiment is going to look very, very familiar, as it starts with the exact same basic ingredients. That’s why I knew it would turn out well, and I definitely wanted to try it.

I also wanted to try it, because it gave me an excuse to use my air fryer in a little different way. I have really been wanting to experiment more with baking in it, and this let me give it a try.

Plus, I have a strange addiction to bagels, and the promise of being able to bake a small batch in only 10 minutes was enough to get my attention.

This comes from the blog “Adventures of a Nurse.” You can find the original post at https://www.adventuresofanurse.com/air-fryer-2-ingredient-weight-watcher-bagels/. I didn’t add any ingredients outside of topping my bagels with everything bagel seasoning.

Print

Air Fryer Bagels

Baking in an air fryer is much easier than it sounds, especially with a simple bagel recipe that uses only a couple ingredients to create soft, yummy bread in only 10 minutes.
Course Bread, Breakfast
Keyword air fryer, bagel, easy baking, easy bread, non-fat Greek yogurt, self-rising flour, Weight Watchers

Ingredients

  • 1 cup self-rising flour plus more for your work surface
  • 1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • Your favorite bagel seasoning

Instructions

  • In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and yogurt. Mix with a spoon until the dough forms into a rough ball.
  • Coat your work surface with a generous amount of flour, and turn the dough out onto the surface, kneading a few times to bring it together. Add more flour if it’s too sticky to work with.
  • Separate the dough into four balls and then roll each ball into a rope about one inch in diameter. Join the ends together to create a bagel shape, and place them into the basket of your air fryer.
  • In a small bowl, beat the egg well, and then brush the tops of the bagels liberally with the egg. Sprinkle on your desired seasoning, turn your air fryer to 350 degrees, and bake for 10 minutes or until the bagels are browned to your liking.
  • Eat immediately or store in an airtight container.

These were delicious. They were definitely not traditional bagels as far as texture goes, but they had fabulous flavor and were a lot less work than bagels normally are.

I do think you could mix in some other ingredients, too, like dried fruit or nuts or something along those lines. You could easily make them sweet or savory, depending on your mood.

I also liked that the recipe only made four. That cut down on the amount of time it took to make them, and I didn’t have to worry about having a dozen or more bagels for just Joey and I to try to eat by ourselves.

I still regularly use my flour/yogurt pizza dough to make all kinds of great pizzas at home, but I have to say this is my new favorite use for this ingredient combination. It’s made me wonder what else this easy miracle dough could accomplish.

This piece first appeared in print on Sept. 7, 2023.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Air Fryer Snack

Scuttle your other snack plans in favor of this crispy crab

With just three ingredients—olive oil, salt and pepper—and an air fryer imitation crab can be transformed into a crispy, chip-like snack.
With just three ingredients—olive oil, salt and pepper—and an air fryer imitation crab can be transformed into a crispy, chip-like snack.

Decades ago, a friend of mine introduced me to what my young brain was sure had to be one of the fanciest home-cooked meals one could create.

He boiled some fettuccine noodles (far past al dente), added a jar of pre-made alfredo sauce and mixed in the coup de grâce: imitation crab.

I know. I know. I really needed to get out more.

My tastes have become just a bit more refined than they were in my younger days. That probably has something to do with having an adult paycheck, too, although I can’t prove it.

I couldn’t remember the last time I decided to invest in some imitation crab until last week, when I saw a video of someone creating what appeared to be an interesting, crispy snack with their air fryer. I had to give it a try.

The recipe I tried comes from the blog “Airfryer Masterchef.” You can find the original post at https://airfryermasterchef.com/air-fryer-crab-sticks/. I did change anything, since these were already so simple.

Print

Air Fryer Crab Sticks

With just three ingredients—olive oil, salt and pepper—and an air fryer imitation crab can be transformed into a crispy, chip-like snack.
Course Snack
Keyword air fryer, football snack, imitation crab, simple snack

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces leg style imitation crab
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions

  • Carefully unroll each “crab leg” into a thin sheet (just do a little feeling, and you’ll find the seam to unroll them).
  • Cut the sheets into about one-fourth-inch strips and place them in a bowl.
  • Once the crab is all sliced, drizzle on some olive oil (you want just enough to give each strip a very light coating) and sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste. Mix the strips to evenly coat them in oil and seasoning.
  • Preheat your air fryer to 320 degrees and place a single layer of strips in the basket (you may need to do several batches). Fry for 15 minutes, stirring once during cooking.
  • Once the strips are browned and crispy, remove them from the air fryer. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.

I thought these were pretty good and definitely an interesting way to eat imitation crab. They really just eat like potato chips as far as texture goes.

Joey was in the complete opposite camp. He tried several strips, hoping he might develop a taste for them, and he eventually announced he was out on the experiment.

I would say that if you can’t really stomach imitation crab in its normal form, you probably won’t like it in this one.

I do wonder if these would be improved with a little Old Bay seasoning instead of just salt and pepper. That’s probably what I’ll try with my next batch, since I still have some crab hanging out in my refrigerator.

I had to laugh, because after looking up what imitation crab is made of, I found an article that described it as being equivalent to a “seafood hot dog.” I guess it’s not quite as fancy as I once thought it was. I’ll just have to stick to making snack food with it instead.

This piece first appeared in print on Jan. 19, 2023.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Exit mobile version