A simple fall meal for a peaceful weekend

A simple fall meal for a peaceful weekend

• 10.10.2014

"Omigod, I made THE BEST Brussels sprouts the other day!" is not a common phrase. I feel a little weird saying it, actually, but it's true!

I never minded Brussels sprouts in the past, but when I was a kid my mom always made them steamed, like broccoli, and served them with butter and salt. Simple, not too interesting. And the boiling/steaming definitely gives them a slightly different flavor than roasting them or sauteing them.

But I've been so drawn to them this week, along with the fun types of squash we've been getting in our CSA this early fall season. I was inspired to put together a delicious, almost entirely locally sourced meal!

I was just inspired by these pretty veggies this week!

I do a lot of cooking on Sundays. Some food prep for the week (I make a batch of these egg breakfast "muffins"!), making sure we have "leftovers" for lunches, etc. But it's also nice to put together a special dinner just for us. I really like trying new recipes and new flavors. So last weekend I did some Googling for interesting Brussels sprouts recipes, using ingredients I had on hand, and found several new ones with something in common: slightly spicy, maybe slightly sweet, baked or fried.

Fried Brussels sprouts?!? I had never heard of such a thing. I wasn't feeling up to it, but I combined some of the flavors in this crispy fried Brussels sprouts recipe with this one, sprouts fried with honey and sriracha, plus this way-too-many-steps-as-usual,-Martha Martha Stewart recipe. I came up with a super simple, delicious, almost entirely locally sourced ingredient recipe that paired perfectly with some of those lovely Sweet Dumpling squash!

Not pictured: fresh cilantro. But the garlic, peppers, cilantro, and Brussels all came from our CSA!!

Slightly Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

• 1-1.5 lbs Brussels sprouts
• 1-2 spicy peppers (I used 2 since mine weren't very hot at all)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• Salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Chop Brussels sprouts how you like. I cut off the ends and the very outer layer, but I keep most of the outer pieces since they crisp up nicely.
3. Mince peppers and garlic. Chop fresh cilantro.
4. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and toss till sprouts are covered. Pour into baking dish.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until sprouts are a little crispy and roasted on the outside.

It's really very simple, as recipes go, but it is a few more steps than I sometimes put into weeknight veggies for dinner. But those extras (fresh lime juice, fresh minced garlic, ya know) really made a difference for some amazing, unique flavors.

They turned out sooooo good!

And I mentioned they paired well with roasted Sweet Dumpling squash (just roasted with some water in the oven, then served with plenty of grassfed butter, sea salt, and pepper), and simple roasted chicken.

A must-try for a tasty, special seasonal fall meal!