Hello!
Do you like Brussels Sprouts? Not many people do! I know I was one of them. It took my Husband about 15 years for me to like them. Finally after several fail recipes, I discovered a couple of years ago a way to make sprouts taste good! Well good for me that is! My Husband on the other hand, after all his years of trying to get me to try a sprout, doesn’t like Brussels Sprouts unless they are cooked one way. He doesn’t like them roasted, he doesn’t like them sautéed and he doesn’t even like fresh ones. So what kind does he like? The frozen ones with the cheese. What? They don’t even taste the sprout, just the cheese. I tried them and honestly that is what turned me off from sprouts to begin with. Me I like them one way and that is shaved and sautéed. Yummy!!!
So today I am sharing with you my Fall Harvest Brussels Sprouts. Oh man, it is loaded with flavor, fun and pizzazz. Ok I maybe getting a little excited right now. Sorry about that, but these sprouts are good!! They are made with shaved Brussels sprouts from Trader Joe’s, grated carrot, matchstick sliced pears and for fun candied pecans and dried cranberries. This dish has so many flavors going on, its crazy!!! Crazy good that is!
I started the dish with some olive oil and garlic to give it a nice savory flavor and to sweetened it up I added pear, but to get everyone to like it, I added the candied pecans. The pecans make it fun! Sometimes you get a hint of sweet candy and other times you don’t. This is how you get the kids to eat the sprouts, but not the Husband! He wouldn’t even try it!! The man doesn’t know what he’s missing!
I think most people don’t like sprouts because of the bitterness of them. I stopped the bitterness by adding orange juice right at the end!! The orange juice sweetened it right up and the sprouts are not bitter at all. I learned that trick by watching the Urban Peasant on PBS about 20 years ago. It’s a shame I didn’t like sprouts back then, but I did really try. As you get older you tend to want to try new things and experiment with what you can create. At least that is how I am. Just look at all these flavors below!
I was originally going to serve my sprouts with boneless pork chops, but when I went to get my pork, it was two days past expiration and I was a little leery of using it. I will use things if it is a day or two past expiration, but not meat, that kind of scares me! So what did I serve the sprouts with? Nothing! I made it a fend for yourself night and I ate two big cups of it, then headed to Panera Bread to try a cup of their Autumn Butternut Squash soup. The soup was good, but the fat was horrible in it. Now I’ll just have to make my own. Another fruit my Husband won’t eat. Yup, butternut squash is a fruit!
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 3 cups Brussels sprouts, shaved
- 1 cup carrot, grated
- 1 small pear, cut into thin matchsticks
- 2 tbsp. orange juice
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 2 tbsp. candied pecans, chopped small
- In a large frying pan, over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Add Brussels sprouts, carrots and pear. Cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are the tenderness you like. Just before you take it off the stove, add the orange juice. Give it a mix and pour into a bowl. Mix in dried cranberries and pecans and salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm!
I’m glad I have some left over because after writing this post I want some! They are great warmed up the next day and it even goes wonderfully in eggs. I know that sounds weird, but trust me it’s good!!
If you don’t like Brussels Sprouts, give them another try. It took me three tries to like them and now I love them! Same thing happened to me with sweet potatoes and black beans and now I can’t get enough. Yummers!
Have a super great day!
Toodles,
Jennifer
