Why is it always a Hail Mary come Monday night? Wait, why am I even bothering to ask??? All I can say is that if this keeps up, I'll have to prey for loads of veggies "on their way out" every single night. With the end of our wonderful CSA last week, we'll have to be as diligent as ever when shopping in the coming months to continue the inspiration! On to tonight's dinner...
First off, the brussels sprouts practically dissolved in my mouth before my teeth had the chance to grind down on them. Following a recipe from "the angry vegan neighbor" Monty (thanks buddy!), these puppies were coated in a little olive oil, salt, pepper and pepper flakes, then brushed with a little maple syrup. I swear if my Mom cooked brussels this way when I was a kid, there wouldn't have been the song/dance of filling my mouth up, only to dump them in the toilet when I had to "go to the bathroom." About 35 minutes on 400 deg (or keep going if these aren't good and golden), and these will be the star of your future meal! The addition of the baby carrots I was given from last week's work food shoot carried the sweet tones right through the warm part of the meal.
The salad was absolutely delicious, using shaved (very thin, using a mandolin) golden, white and pink heirloom beets, shallots and a small, spicy pepper left over from the CSA. These veggies were placed atop a small pile of greens, with one of Bryan's yummy salad dressings, this time using a healthy amount of rice vinegar to cut through the sweetness of the beets and roasted veggies.
So to answer the question posed in the post, I have to say that the roasted wins the race tonight folks, undisputed. Those brussels easily edged out a victory with their savory/sweet undertones, and have forever allowed me to turn a corner on these funny, dreaded veggies from my past!
2 comments:
Wow -- I was just this morning thinking about how I would incorporate brussel sprouts into my Thanksgiving menu. This is what I'll do! Any idea for another vegetable I could include with them other than carrots, which we will have in another dish?
I'm so glad to find a way to cook brussel sprouts! The maple syrup sounds key here, but I also like the touch of red pepper.
Nancy: re Thanksgiving veggies, and speaking of roasting, I plan to oven-roast green beans. So easy and yet so good. My kids love them this way. After tossing them in oil and salt and pepper, cook them at 400 for about 20 minutes (turning halfway through) until nicely browned.
Our family always served celery sticks and olives too -- something cold and crunchy as a contrast to the rest of the meal.
Great looking plate, Nicole!
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