I get a kick out of eating Brussels sprouts.  In my mind, they are famous for being the most disgusting vegetable someone might ever threaten a child (or picky adult) with having to eat.

When I discovered that Brussels sprouts are not disgusting or gross, there was only one logical conclusion that I could make about myself:

I like Brussels sprouts, therefore, I am a bad ass.

Before I continue to congratulate myself on my vegetable badassery, allow me to whisper the secret to enjoying Brussels sprouts if you don’t already know it.

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You just have to know how to cook them!

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The first time I ate and enjoyed Brussels sprouts, they were sliced and sauteed with garlic and onions.  For a while I thought that was the only way to make them in order to taste good.  Fortunately, I realized that actually enjoyed the taste of Brussels sprouts, so I stopped dragging the food processor out each time and just started slicing them in half and roasting them in coconut oil.  Brussels sprouts soon became a regular around here and the rest is history.

It’s been a long time since I’ve made sliced Brussels sprouts, but I’ve been hauling the food processor out pretty regularly lately to make chick pea chocolate chip cookies and so I decided it was time to revisit some old friends.

Or more accurately, slice my friends heads apart.  Because that’s what friends are for.

(If you don’t have a food processor you could accomplish the same effect with a large knife and a little bit of time.)

This time I decided to cook them with bacon instead of my standard garlic, carrots and onions –

because bacon.

When you cook them in bacon you can skip the cooking oil – bacon comes with it’s own cooking fat built right in!  How convenient.  Just start your bacon (I used 6 slices with 1.5 pounds of Brussels sprouts) and once some fat has rendered off, add your shredded sprouts, season with a salt and garlic powder if you like, toss them around until they are soft and wilty and delicious and drool worthy.

One perk to slicing them is how quickly they cook.  They take a little longer to prep, but you win that time back during the cooking process because they’re ready in 15 minutes in a large saute pan on the stove top, as opposed to 40 minutes in the oven.

If you’ve never had Brussels sprouts before, try them with bacon.

If you’ve had Brussels before, try them with bacon.

(And if you are a vegetarian, they are still plenty delicious with garlic, carrots and onions.)

I made these one morning last week and we enjoyed them as a ready to go side dish/snack for a few days –

and with bacon, they are especially well suited for breakfast.

Add Brussels sprouts to your grocery list and go ahead congratulate yourself for being a vegetable bad ass.  You’ve earned it.