We got some surprise Brussels sprouts in our produce basket this week. And while I have a bunch of sprout recipes still waiting to be tried, this one looked particularly well-suited to breakfast. And since that's the meal that I tend to have the most trouble planning for, I figured this would be the best way to use them up.

The original recipe just called for onion, Brussels sprouts, and potato. I only had about half the quantity of sprouts called for though, so I upped the amount of potato somewhat and added a carrot to balance things out. I think next time I'd add a bell pepper as well. But it was still very good as-is.

Brussels Sprouts and Potato Hash

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 450g potatoes, diced
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 250g Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced
• 1-2 carrots, grated
• 3/4 tsp. dried thyme (or 2 tsp. fresh)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 4-6 large eggs

Directions

1. Melt the butter with the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook until softened (4-5 minutes).
3. Add the potato and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown (~15 minutes).
4. Add Brussels sprouts, carrots, and thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables caramelize (~15 minutes longer).
6. Add stock and cook until liquid is absorbed and vegetables are tender (~5 minutes).
7. Meanwhile, fry eggs in a little butter until desired doneness is reached and season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Serve hash topped with eggs.

A nice quick side dish from Vegetable of the Day, this was a hit with everyone. We made a half batch due to not having enough sprouts for a full one, but this recipe is for the full quantity.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Olive Oil and Lemon

Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan (p.32)

Ingredients

• 500g brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
• 1½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat oil medium-high heat in a large skillet.
2. Add sprouts, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until sprouts are tender and browned, ~7-8 minutes; reduce heat if needed to avoid burning.
3. Stir in lemon juice and cook for 1 minute. Serve.

I wanted to do something with Brussels sprouts for Christmas this year. There are, of course, lots of great options to choose from, but I liked the look of this one from the Dish of the Day cookbook. It was fairly simple and easy to put together and the chestnuts made it feel extra festive.

Although I liked the idea of combining sprouts and chestnuts, I was only lukewarm on some of the other details of the recipe, so I made a few changes based on what appealed to me and what I had on hand. Instead of using three different types of fat (olive oil, butter, and walnut oil) -- all added at different points during cooking -- I just used a single Tbsp. of bacon grease. And since I was a little low on red wine vinegar, I used a touch of balsamic vinegar as well. Other than that, I stuck to the recipe though. And everyone seemed to like the results!

Vinegar-Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. bacon grease
• 450g Brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 90g chesnuts, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Heat bacon grease over medium heat.
2. Add sprouts, sprinkle with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sprouts have browned a bit (~4 minutes).
3. Add chicken stock and chestnuts, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, partially covered, until sprouts are tender (~20 minutes).
4. Add sugar and vinegar along with a little water if the pan seems dry and cook until the liquid has reduced and sprouts are well-coated (2-3 minutes).
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Alex does not like brussels sprouts, but she does like Caesar salad, so maybe she'll like these? Well, not so much as it turns out, but she dislikes them less than most preparations, at least. And symbol and I enjoyed them!

The recipe is for 2 pounds of sprouts; we made it with one pound. Quantities have been adjusted accordingly.

Caesar Brussels Sprouts

Cook's Country December/Janary 2019, by Ashley Moore (p. 9)

Ingredients

• Dressing
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • ½ tbsp mayonnaise
  • ½ tbsp worchestershire sauce
  • ½ tbsp roman mustard
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 anchovies, minced
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
• Sprouts
  • 1 lb brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
  • 1 + 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • ⅛ C panko
  • ¼ C grated parmesan

Directions

1. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Combine sprouts, 1 tbsp oil, and the salt in a large skillet. Cook, covered, over medium heat, until sprouts are bright green and begin to brown on the underside, ~10 minutes.
3. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until they are deeply browned and can be easily pierced with a paring knife, ~10-15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl or plate and buffer.
4. Combine panko and remaining oil and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, ~3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan.
6. Toss sprouts, dressing, and panko together and serve.

I ended up with a surprise pomegranate in one of my recent produce baskets, so I picked out this meal to use it up since I also had some pork chops in the freezer that I was hoping to find a use for. The pork chops and brussels sprouts were both quite good, and a few accordion potatoes rounded out the meal.

I appreciate how quickly and easily this meal came together and that it only requires the use of a single pan. I ended up having to substitute pine nuts for the pistachios. I normally keep a bag of pistachios on hand in the freezer, but I must've used them all up at some point and forgot to get more. I think the pine nuts worked well, but pistachios would've been even better.

Sadly, the Kidlet wasn't a big fan of the brussels sprouts -- which actually ended up being a combination of brussels sprouts and cabbage for us because I didn't have as many sprouts as the recipe called for -- but she was a fan of the pork.

The original recipe calls for cooking the pork chops in oil, but I had a jar of bacon grease in the fridge, so I ended up using that instead. I highly recommend this approach if you have any bacon fat kicking around. And I bet lard would also work great. If you don't have either of those, then I'm sure any neutral oil will do just fine.

One-Pan Pork Chops and Brussels Sprouts

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country October/November 2019

Ingredients

• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, divided
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. ground cayenne or Kashmiri chilies
• 4 bone-in pork chops (~250g each)
• 2 Tbsp. bacon fat
• 680g brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 1/4 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar¹
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. fresh pomegranate arils/seeds
• 2 Tbsp. pistachios, toasted and chopped

directions

1. Grind 3/8 tsp. of the salt with 1/4 tsp. of the peppercorns and mix in the ground chilies.²
2. Pat the pork chops dry and sprinkle them with the salt mixture on both sides.
3. Melt the bacon fat in a large pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the pork chops (cook in batches if necessary) and cook until nicely browned on both sides and cooked all the way through (10-12 minutes), flipping every 2 minutes. Internal temperature should register 60°C (140°F).
5. Remove chops from pan and set aside. (Optionally tent with aluminum foil to help hold the heat.)
6. Pour off all but 2 Tbsp. of fat from the pan.³
7. Place the brussels sprouts in the pan cut side down.
8. Add the water and remaining 3/8 tsp. of salt.
9. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 4 minutes.
10. Uncover and cook for another 5 minutes.
11. Give sprouts a good stir and cook for 1-2 minutes longer.
12. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar, remaining 1/4 tsp. of pepper, pomegranate, and pistachios.
13. Serve sprouts and chops together along with your favourite starch (rice, potatoes, etc.).

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¹ Whoops! I just realized that I totally misread this line of the recipe and only put 2 teaspoons of vinegar rather than 2 tablespoons! Oh well... it was still tasty. ^Back
2 The pork chops were great with just the little bit of salt, pepper, and cayenne called for in the recipe, but it occurred to me while doing this write-up that it might be fun to experiemnt with a more complex spice rub like the one I used for my barbecued chicken a while back. I believe that rub was concoted with pork in mind, in fact. I'm not sure how it'd do in a pan on quick-cooking chops as opposed to on the grill on slow-cooked ribs, but I'd be interested to find out! I think my main concern would be burning the sugar. But I'm sure that the right pan at the right temperature could help avoid that. ^Back
3 If you're not confident eyeballing the amount of fat left in the pan, you can always pour off all the fat and then measure out 2 Tbsp. to add back in. ^Back

This was originally written as a Brussels sprouts recipe. But I didn't have any Brussels sprouts and I did have a lot of cabbage...

I ended up using about half of a large cabbage in place of the Brussels sprouts. I also doubled the bulgur and added a drizzle of pomegranate molasses just before serving.

Surprisingly the Kidlet liked this one! I mean, she wasn't super enthusiastic about it, but she ate it all. Whereas she said the maple-roasted apples and onions were weird and not good. Go figure!

Pomegranate Cabbage

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

• 1kg cabbage, shredded
• 3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. + 1 Tbsp. lemon zest, divided
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 c. bulgur, cooked
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 c. pomegranate arils
• 1 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
2. Toss cabbage with garlic, oil, 1 tsp. lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a roasting pan.
3. Roast at 220°C (425°F) for 20 minutes.
4. Stir/toss the mixture and continue roasting for another 10-20 minutes.
5. Mix in bulgur, lemon juice, and remaining 1 Tbsp. of lemon zest.
6. Sprinkle with pomegranate arils, drizzle with pomegranate molasses, garnish with parsley, and serve.

I needed something quick and easy for dinner and this fit the bill. I was able to toss everything in the InstantPot and set it to cook while I went out to pick up the Kidlet from school. Next time I think I'd add a bay leaf to the pot (and hopefully actually remember to serve it with lemon wedges), but other than that it was pretty good. I know it might be veering away from the "Spanish" theme a bit, but I also think a cinnamon stick would be nice in this.

The original recipe calls for artichoke hearts, but since I didn't have any on hand and TF finds them completely inedible anyway, I swapped them out for Brussels sprouts instead. I think the Brussels sprouts work decently well here, but they ended up overcooked and much softer than I would've liked. Next time I might steam them separately and then just toss them in at the end.

Spanish Rice with Chickpeas

Slightly adapted from Budget Byte$

Ingredients

• 1 c. long-grain brown rice
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika¹
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried onion
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder²
• black pepper, ~20 grinds
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
• 2 c. cooked chickpeas
• 400mL diced tomatoes
• 1 c. vegetable broth
• 12 Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
• 1/4 c. fresh (flat-leaf) parsley
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Add rice, oil, paprika, cayenne, cumin, oregano, onion, garlic, pepper, and any optional spices to InstantPot or rice cooker and stir to coat.
2. Drain and rinse chickpeas if necessary and add them to the pot.
3. Add tomatoes, broth, and Brussels sprouts.
4. Cover and cook. Use normal cooking cycle for rice cooker and allow to steam for 5-10 minutes after cook cycle ends or 18 minutes on high pressure with a 10 minute natural release for the InstantPot.
5. Fluff rice and sprinkle with parsley.
6. Serve with lemon wedges.

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¹ I actually ended up using some hot paprika I had on hand instead of the smoked paprika. Instead of adding cayenne as well as hot paprika, I just tossed in a little sweet paprika. I think smoked paprika would've been good if I'd had any easily to hand. Next time (since I probably still won't have any smoked paprika) I'd use a mix of hot paprika and ground Kashmiri chilies instead of the sweet paprika. ^Back
2 Next time I think I'd add a clove or two of fresh garlic either instead of or as well as the powder. ^Back

Maple-Bacon Brussels Sprouts

I'm not a big Brussels sprouts person. Neither is TF. But, our most recent produce basket landed us with a pound of them. I spent a while browsing recipes. I wanted something that looked tasty, easy, and didn't require me to leave the house to procure additional ingredients. To that end, I decided to give the Food Network's "Ultimate Brussels Sprouts" recipe a try.

Ultimate Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Mead, Maple Syrup, and Mustard

Slightly adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. unsalted butter, divided
• 4-6 slices smokey tempeh
• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved¹
• 1/4 c. mead²
• 2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Fry the tempeh in 1 Tbsp. of butter. Remove from pan, chop, and set aside.
2. In the same pan, melt 2 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat and add the Brussels sprouts cut side down. Cook until underside is lightly browned
3. Add the mead, mustard, maple syrup, tempeh, and salt and stir to mix and coat well.
4. Roast at 425F for 10 minutes.
5. While sprouts are roasting, melt remaining 1 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat and stir in breadcrumbs. Toast until crumbs are lightly browned.
6. When sprouts come out of oven, top with toasted breadcrumbs and serve.

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Variations

Vegan

• 1/4 c. vegan butter or olive oil, divided
• 4-6 slices smokey tempeh
• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved
• 1/4 c. beer³
• 2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs

Gluten-Free

• 1/4 c. butter, divided
• 4-6 slices smokey tempeh
• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved
• 1/4 c. mead
• 2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. gluten-free breadcrumbs

FODMAP-Friendly

• 1/4 c. olive oil, divided
• 4-6 slices smokey tempeh
• 1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved
• 4 c. coarsely chopped bok choy
• 1/4 c. mead or beer
• 2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. gluten-free breadcrumbs

Toss the bok choy in along with the sauce ingredients just before the dish goes into the oven for roasting.

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¹ Mine came pre-trimmed. If yours are not pre-trimmed/ready-to-cook then get 1.25 lbs. and trim the tough ends off before cooking. ^Back

² The original recipe called for dark ale. I had a bottle of mead on hand though and decided to try it out as a substitute. ^Back

³ Most beer is vegan. However, some may use animal products during processing (which would not be listed on the label since they are not technically ingredients). A few breweries have released this information. Look for Samuel Smith, Black Sheep, MillerCoors, Black Isle, and/or Broken Compass. ^Back

Skillet Bratwurst with Apples & Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

• 1kg bratwurst
• 2 onions, halved and sliced thin
• 250mL water
• 64mL olive oil
• 30mL honey
• salt and pepper
• 500g brussels sprouts, trimmed and quatered
• 3 Gala apples, cored and quartered
• 80mL dried cranberries
• 15mL cider vinegar
• 15mL Dijon mustard

Procedure

1. Combine bratwurst, onions, water, 15mL oil, 15mL honey, 2.5mL salt,and 1mL pepper in a large nonstick skillet.
2. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until the bratwurst is nearly cooked through, ~10 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.
3. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until water has evaporated and onions and bratwurst are well browned, ~7-10 more minutes. Remove to platter.
4. Heat remaining oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add brussels sprouts, 1mL each salt and pepper, and cook, covered, until browned, ~4 minutes, stirring often.
5. Stir in apples, cranberries, vinegar, mustard, and remaining honey and cook until apples are browned and sprouts are tender, ~5 minutes.