Wednesday, January 13, 2010

My Go-To Veggie: Sprouts

Growing up I always heard how horrible Brussels Sprouts were . . . they are the butt of all the veggie jokes. Poor lil' sprouts . . . probably have a self esteem problem. Likely because people boiled them to death, which doesn't do much for their natural strengths. Actually, I cannot remember my Mom ever once making them for us. hmm . . .wait . . .lemme think . . . nope! not once! Mom, what did you ever have against Brussels Sprouts? I'm here to tell you . . . don't believe everything you've heard . . . Brussels Sprouts CAN be delicious! I promise . . . stay with me . . . When roasted until carmelized (and until the outer leaves are crispy), they are super yummy.

Brussels Sprouts are part of the cabbage family and when you roast them, the inside gets sweet and yummy and the sugars on the outside naturally carmelize. The loose leaves get crispy and when salted, remind me a little of popcorn.

Tigger, the teenage food vacuum, will fight me over the crispy leaves. And he always eats them first when they're on his plate. They're that tasty.

Ingredients:
Brussels Sprouts* (I'm not good at knowing how much--a few handfuls per person)
1 Tbsp Olive or Veg. Oil
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Fresh or Dried Thyme

*Grocery stores tend to over-water the brussels sprouts so when you bring them home, if you're not going to use them right away, stick a paper towel in with them to soak up the moisture.

Cut the bottom off the sprouts and then slice each in half:

Place the cut sprouts and any loose leaves on a cookie sheet and drizzle a tablespoon of oil over top:

Toss with your hands then sprinkle with course kosher or sea salt (sticks better), a few grinds of black pepper and a generous sprinkle of dried thyme (fresh thyme leaves are MUCH better--but I save that for when I'm cooking for company--yes I even make Brussel Sprouts for company):

You'll want to turn the sprouts over so they're cut side down so they can carmelize:

Roast in a 400 degree oven for 12-18 minutes. You'll want to check at 12 minutes and make sure the leaves are browning--if they are getting too black, they're ready; otherwise give them a few more minutes. They should look like this:See those brown, carmelized and/or crispy bits? yup those . . .

that's the good stuff!

I'm tellin' ya, they're tasty! Easy enough for weeknight and unexpected enough for a dinner party (throw in some crumbled bacon and a drizzle of balsamic to really fancy them up). They are my "go to" veggie.

You're welcome.

8 comments:

  1. I've never had them, but always heard "bad" things about them :) Thanks for sharing, I'll definately give them a try!

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  2. Those actually look tasty..I've only ever had them bland..steamed or boiled or something..But I might just have to try this..

    Thanks dude!

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  3. I can't eat anything that smells like a fart. Sorry. :)

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  4. Gosh...why is it that Alycia always has to crack me up?!! Gotta love her!

    I wanna try these...when can you make 'em for me? ;)

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  5. Yeah, I guess we are kind of a fan of stinky foods at our house :)

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  6. These look super yummy, but I'm not sure I can get past the trauma from my childhood of mushy bland green blobs of yuck.

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  7. I can honestly say I've never tried them! I know my hubby & daughter would gobble them up, so I'll give them a try sometime!

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  8. Yummm, looks like a great snack and a healthy one at that.

    Your blog is so cute btw, no following :-)

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