Until recently, Brussels sprouts were not something I was eager to eat. Truthfully there aren’t many vegetables I’m afraid of, but when it came to The Sprouts? I simply saw no reason to even put them in the shopping cart. Why bother if I’m only going to have to bribe or threaten myself in order to choke them down later.
But then I figured out how to cook these guys and oops! I accidentally fell for them. It was love at first bite.
So last week I had some in the fridge that I was planning to slice up and saute per usual, but on this particular evening I happened to be running a bit short on time and was in no mood to monkey around with the food processor and all its various attachments. I decided instead to just slice them in half and roast them in coconut oil, figuring that we were use to them now – how bad could roasting them be?
Well! As it turns out, Roasted Brussels Sprouts aren’t so bad at all.
Want to see for yourself? You’ll need:
1 1/2 – 2 lbs of Brussels sprouts
2 – 3 Tbsp coconut oil (olive oil works too)
Salt
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. (If you’re using olive oil you can pre-heat to 400 and shorten the roasting time.)
Rinse sprouts of dirt and debris and remove any yellow or withered leaves.
Trim the stems if you like and then start slicing sprouts in half.
You don’t have to trim the stem, I don’t every time… but if you do, be careful not to chop it entirely off.
Slice away too much and it’s reminiscent of tearing the binding off a book – as soon as you start flipping them around you end up with the pages of your Brussels sprouts novel all over the pan.
Veggies prepped and waiting, melt a couple tablespoons of coconut oil in the microwave.
Two photos, thirty seconds and one round trip to the microwave later –>
and it’s time to oil those green suckers down. Pour oil (coconut or otherwise) over sprouts,
and then give’em a good swirl.
A large bowl comes in handy here as to avoid a “man overboard” situation whilst swirling. For those of you that are somewhat less rowdy, a smaller bowl accompanied by a large spoon should easily suffice.
If you opted for the coconut oil version, let the record state that one should not move at a snails pace at this stage of game. Unless your kitchen is warmer than 70 degrees, the oil will likely re-solidify once it starts to cool down. This isn’t a huge issue as the oil will liquify again as soon you get them in the oven – but still; I like to at least attempt to get them as evenly coated as possible during Swirling Mode. But if a giant hunk of coconut oil in your pile of Brussels sprouts excites you? Then hey, by all means take a nap between pouring in the coconut oil and moving them to the pan.
Coconut oilers observe: they’ve got that glazed look in their eye as I transfer them the roasting pan and sprinkle with salt.
Do yourself a big flavor favor here and be generous with the salt! It’s your key to success with this cooking method.
Salted up and oiled down, pop those suckers in the oven for about 50 minutes. Get them out to flip over and stir around once every 10 – 15 minutes or so.
The smoke point for coconut oil is 350 degrees, so you don’t want the heat any higher than that. If you choose to roast with olive oil you can cook them at 400 degrees and they’ll be ready sooner – just be sure to check on them frequently, especially toward the end.
And now for A Couple of Nerdy Facts About Brussels Sprouts while we wait for them to cook. (i.e., stuff I looked up to help you work up the nerve to try the scariest of the scary vegetables):
Did you know?
Brussels sprouts contain Sulforaphane, a compound “that exhibits anticancer, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial properties”. Three cheers for Sulforphanawhatevahyacallit!
You should avoid boiling them if you can, because boiling pretty much ruins those properties I listed above. Boiled sprouts remind me of those cringe-inducing slimy suckers everyone is so afraid of anyway – so just roast, steam or stir fry them instead.
They contain loads of vitamins, minerals, fiber, folate, yadda, yadda – all the stuff that’s practically a given with food grown from the ground.
Every time you eat a Brussels sprout at the exact same moment someone throws a penny into a fountain, a fireman safely rescues a kitten from a tree.
Alright so I made that last one up, but who cares – it’s time to eat!
You know they’re done when the insides are all brown and some of the outer the leaves are blackened and crispy.
This dish has been appearing as the side lining act of my Dinner Time Show fairly regularly. Both salty and sweet – their savory little heads just melt in your mouth and can quite easily make you roll your eyes into the back of your head. What girl could resist!
Fear not my friends – give them a try! The kittens will thank you later.
