Fruity Nutty Brussels Sprouts

I highly recommend these to anyone who is a bit sketchy about Brussels sprouts but is still interested in trying them :)

I used hard apple cider in these on a bit of a whim... I was going to do my usual 1/2 wine-1/2 veggie broth dealy but realized at the last moment that I was out of white wine and vegetable broth! Wow.. not sure how that happened.. those are a staple in my house like cereal would be in a normal person's house! heh.. The apple cider was lovely but I think it made these just a tad too sweet. Next time, I'll try it with half cider-half broth and see how that works out.

These would make a wonderful addition to a Christmas dinner table since the colours were all so festive. They are lovely any time Brussels are in season, though :)

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 apple, cubed, skins left on (I used a honeycrisp but you can use whatever you have. I'd like to try this with something on the less-sweet side like a Granny Smith)
Lemon juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
10-12 Brussels sprouts (I really didn't count; just trying to come up with some sort of measurement!); cleaned and cut in half (quartered if you have huge ones)
1/6 cup hard apple cider (or 1/12 cup [good luck measuring that!] cider and 1/12 cup veggie broth)
1/8 cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup walnuts, chopped

Method:
1. Chop up the apples and then toss them with the lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and apples along with salt and pepper to taste. Pour in the cider/apple juice/wine/broth and cook for about 10 minutes or until the sprouts become tender (stir occasionally).

3. Stir in the cranberries and walnuts. Cook until warmed through and then serve immediately.

Reference:
Based on the recipe North Georgia Brussels Sprouts that I found on Georgia Peach's blog, Vintage Victuals.
My changes:
*Left out the bacon
*Used hard cider in place of apple juice
*Added cranberries and walnuts

Who needs salt?

This is a really great roasted veggie recipe. It's fairly low-fat (11g total; 1.5g sat. fat. - at least according to the original recipe) in addition to being low-sodium, vegan, and gluten-free. Oh yeah, and fricking delicious! ;)

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 cup cauliflower florets, cut up into bite-sized pieces
1 cup halved Brussels sprouts
1 cup broccoli (I'm not sure that's such a "winter vegetable" but DH went with all the carrots and I needed something to add in!)
1/2 medium sweet potato, diced
1/2 cup onion, cut up into large dice
1/2 parsnip, cut into sticks
5 or 6 small mushrooms (button, cremini, or baby bellas), halved
1 clove garlic
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, stripped from stem
1 tsp. fresh thyme, stripped from stem
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
Pinch dried lavender
Pinch dried tarragon
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1-2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

Method:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

1. Toss the Brussels sprouts, broccoli, parsnip, sweet potato, cauliflower, and mushrooms in a large bowl along with 1 1/2 tbsp. oil, the garlic clove, rosemary, thyme, lavender, tarragon, and a couple grinds of fresh black pepper.

2. Spread the veggies out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes at 450, turning 3 times with spatulas. Save the bowl! You'll need it in step 4.

3. Turn up the heat to 475 or 500 (I left mine at 475) and roast for an additional 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. You can add the sliced green onions at this point if you like.

4. Grab the bowl you used earlier and add the parsley, lemon juice, and the remaining olive oil. Throw in the roasted veggies and toss it all together. Serve hot on a bed of rice, quinoa, couscous, or pasta (rice or quinoa would be gluten-free; couscous and pasta are wheat-based so they would cancel out that but you can find GF pastas if necessary).

Reference:
Based on the recipe "Herb-Roasted Winter Veggies" from the January 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine.

How I made it my own:
I added in the 'shrooms, parsnip, onion, green onion, lavender, and tarragon. I also used plain olive oil mixed with a clove of garlic in place of garlic-infused olive oil (which I'm sure is fantastic but in this economy [and on my teacher salary], I'm using what I have already! lol)
Oh yes, due to an unexpected lack of carrots, I also subbed in broccoli :)

Brussels Sprouts Amandine

I was one of those strange children who actually liked Brussels sprouts when I was growing up! :) They were actually one of the things I looked forward to at Christmas because I knew they would be served with the large turkey dinner! I never claimed to be 100% normal...
My parents started making this jazzed up version of my favourite mini cabbages a few years ago and I decided to treat them, and my in-laws, to it at Thanksgiving this year.

Ingredients:
Brussels sprouts
1 tbsp. slivered almonds
1/2 tbsp. margarine or butter (I like to use Earth Balance so they're vegan)
1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Method:
1. Cook Brussels sprouts until crisp-tender. Allow to cool a little and then slice.

2. Melt the margarine in a skillet and add the almonds. Cook and stir until golden. Add the Brussels sprouts and lemon juice. Cook until sprouts are warmed through.