Brussel Sprouts Made Tasty

Shredded Brussel Sprouts with Hazelnuts and Cranberries

No, the title of this post “Brussel Sprouts Made Tasty” is not an oxymoron.  Of course, if I was reading this headline even a year ago I would have thought it was for sure.  Either that or some nutritionist was trying to make me feel guilty for not eating those cute little green balls of cabbage.  But for me, that’s where I drew the line for my affection toward brussel sprouts.  You know, like those miniaturized versions of big dogs – cute to look at, but not for me.

Craig always liked brussel sprouts, and I would occasionally break down and steam some for him.  He’d drizzle them with some butter and add a touch of lemon juice while I performed some overly dramatic pantomime of a slow gagging death by brussel sprout.

While at the farmer’s market last year, I saw the cutest pile of itty bitty baby brussels sprouts.  I thought to myself – how can I let something this small and cute get the better of me.  I am far too old smart to be done in by this little vegetable.  So I bought a bag of them and pondered what to do with them.  Steaming them wasn’t going to cut it, and I didn’t think that roasting them in the oven would produce something tasty.

I broke out the food processor and shredded them into a pretty pile of light green confetti.  How could something so festive looking not taste good?  I busted out a saute pan, some butter, cranberries and nuts.  The rest, as they say is history.  Now, when I make these I use different kinds of fats and whatever nuts I have on hand.  When I made this last batch, I had duck fat on hand….talk about yummy!

Relationship Advice

Craig is a creature of habit.  When he saw the pile of brussel sprout confetti, he crinkled his nose and swore he wouldn’t like it.  “I only eat my brussel sprouts steamed!”  So I told him if he didn’t want any it was fine by me…it just meant more for me.  After watching me devour my pile of confetti (remember, I never liked brussels sprouts), he dug in and starting humming.  Sometimes they just need a little nudge to venture into unfamiliar territory.

Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients

Directions

Heat duck fat in medium size saute pan over medium high heat.  Once hot, add brussel sprouts.

Stir brussels sprouts to coat in duck fat.  Keep stirring sprouts so that they don’t burn.

Once edges start to brown, add in dried cranberries and nuts.

Stir again to thoroughly coat contents of pan.  Brussels sprouts should have golden brown spots and be a bright green.  They should still be slightly crunchy.

Sprinkle contents of pan with salt.

Serve while hot.

Technorati Tags: Easy Cooking, Easy Recipes, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Healthy Recipes, Side Dish, vegan recipes, vegetable recipes

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