Sheena over at The Little Red House blog in a post about a couple of her favorite brussels sprouts recipes including an amazing looking Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Avocado, and Lime dish insisted as a public service that we all stop boiling our brussels sprouts because "boiling does nothing for their flavor, it decreases nutritional benefits, and it turns them into a bowl of mush."
I agree with the mush part as I have liquified many a brussels sprouts in my day. No amount of herbs, seasonings or cheese can fix a bland veggie mush.
I have never roasted brussels sprouts before, so because of Sheena, I roasted about a dozen sprouts at 400 degrees for 20 minutes bathed in some olive oil, sea salt and slivers of sweet onion and OMG! I will never go back to boiled brussels ever again.
Once you experience roasted brussels sprouts, you cannot go back to boiled. It's just not possible!
I could eat these awesome roasted brussels sprouts on their own, but I got fancy and made a simple dish which is vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free.
- I shredded the brussels sprouts by simply cutting them in strips sideways from head to tip.
- In a wok on medium heat, I sauteed a quarter of a sliced sweet onion in one tbsp of Earth Balance Soy-free butter until the onions wilted.
- I tossed the sliced brussels sprouts in the wok with the burnt onions from the pan as these crispy bits made for a nice tasty crunch in my dish.
- Next, 2 tbsps of pecans were added into the wok, and everything was mixed together for about a minute.
- I took the wok off the heat, and quickly mixed in a handful of pea shoots I got from Trader Joe's, then put my brussels sprouts on a nice platter. The pea shoots do not need to be cooked. The shoots are delicate so the heat from the brussels sprouts will cook the shoots a bit. Slightly crunchy pea shoots makes for a fun texture.
My roasted brussels sprouts dish did not make it to leftovers. So good!
