Tis the Season for............................................Brussels Sprouts!!!!

I was talking to my mom a few nights ago and I told her that one of the BEST things that I made for my post-Thanksgiving meal was some roasted Brussels sprouts. She reminded me that she was not a fan, but I assured her that I would dazzle her taste buds with these when I got home for the holidays.

My preferred method for cooking those lovely spouts: roast them!! I have to catch myself sometimes because I will stand over the pan and eat all the Brussels spouts before I get them on my plate. I guess there are worse things to get caught eating right off the pan :)

So let me start with a basic roasting recipe and then share with you what you can with them after that. Shall we? Let's!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound (or two bags) or Brussels spouts
1/4 cup diced shallot (should be roughly one small shallot)
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt (if you're cutting back on salt leave this out)
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (optional, but recommended)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash Brussels sprouts thoroughly. Cut off the end of the sprouts and pull off one layer the outer leaves. Cut each sprout into thirds. Wash again. Place in a bowl. Add the diced shallot and garlic, and mix. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and mix again. Spread the spouts evenly on a baking sheet (you may want to use some non-stick foil if you have some to save on the clean up time). Roast for 35-40 minutes. While roasting, you may want to move some of them around to make sure they are cooking evenly.

Right after they are done, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top. And ENJOY!!

So now what? Well, I've had sprouts with breakfast, lunch and dinner!! Yes, breakfast!!!

Let me show you!!

I made a Brussels sprouts and sweet potato hash! I actually used turkey bacon :) AND I made it with some Brussels sprouts that I had already prepared. I also added a few red pepper flakes for a little heat.

This was my breakfast for three mornings :)

While in New Orleans for a conference, I had this tasty meal.

Ingredients include: fingerling potatoes, Brussels sprouts, banana peppers, alligator sausage, corned beef and scrambled eggs. I had this two mornings in a row for breakfast. Yea, it was that good. When I got home I had to recreate it some kind of way. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Instead of the alligator sausage and corned beef, I used some dark meat turkey and I had a little Sriracha so I put that on top. If you have any left over turkey (or other meats) during this holiday season you should DEFINITELY give this a try. Just take some leftover potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and meat, and saute that with a little onion/shallot and garlic in olive oil. Then prepare some eggs to your liking and put that on top and voila!

And that my dear readers is a showcase of Brussels sprouts season. Add some to your next meal :)

SALUD!