sprouts!

January is the month to put my ducks in a row, as mothers might say. My desk is clean (who knows how long that will last), my calendar updated (online and in my ever-present Filofax), and I ate my first genuinely healthy meal since Thanksgiving....hehehe.

Like most Americans, most of my meals in November and December have either been holiday feasts, or leftovers from holiday feasts. Olive oil was replaced by butter, and, as you may tell from my previous New Years Eve post, I have more than a mild love of cheese.

So, tonight I took an opportunity to prepare an easy meal that is my go-to dinner after a long, busy day at work. It's the easiest thing ever. Baked chicken, marinated in olive oil, lemon, garlic, and mustard, accompanied by brussels sprouts.

This post concentrates on the brussels sprouts, because my they are the recipients of my late-blooming love. My mother was never a fan of brussels sprouts; whenever she doesn't like a vegetable, it's typically because a boarding school cafeteria abused it. So we can single-handedly blame Kent School for my lack of experience with brussels sprouts, collard greens, and cabbage. Unfortunately, my mother graduated still liking cauliflower, as I've had to push the sadly bland albino broccoli around my plate on more than one occasion.

Anyway, back to those sprouts.

It took me a few tries to cook them so that I'd like them: soft, but with enough of a nutty crunch, and the perfect blend of spices to make them more addicting than popcorn.

It turns out, as with many things in life, the simplest recipe proved to be the most delicious. I found a recipe from Martha Stewart, added one twist, and now it's a foolproof recipe that I use "on the reg."

sprouts before....

sprouts after!

Brussels sprouts are one of the prettiest veggies. They have such lovely little blonde ruffles covered in bonnets of deep green. Look at those colors pop even more after spending a little time in the sauté pan!

Ok, here's how you fix 'em!

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts (from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup of EVOO
• 2 lbs of brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• Coarse salt and ground black pepper
• Red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

If you're new to prepping brussels sprouts, just chop off the bottom and slice them in half. Let the larger, outer leaves fall off naturally. Tear off any pesky outer leaves that stick to the sprout. Don't overdo it though; sometimes the yummiest parts are the outer leaves that brown while cooking. 

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Enjoy the scent of olive oil heating up (it's one of my favorite smells!). Add the sprouts, salt and black pepper. Go ahead and toss in some red pepper flakes. Use your judgment here, you know how much your palate likes spiciness. As for me, I love red pepper flakes in my vegetables to give them a kick, but too much heat gives me the hiccups...is that weird?

Sauté these babies, stirring frequently, until they caramelize, about 8-10 minutes.

Now here's the crucial part that softens the sprouts: add 1/3 cup of water and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Now pour two tablespoons of lemon juice (or the juice of a half a lemon if you like a little more tang) over the sprouts and stir to coat. 

And you're done! Serve these suckers immediately out of the pan. They are delightful. Enjoy, and don't let the boarding school veggies keep you down!

Cheers!