Cheers to the New Year! What is everyone’s festive plans for celebrating the start of 2015?! How about bringing a colorful plate of this Sweet And Spicy Brussels Sprouts Recipe or Peanut Butter & Chocolate Protein Balls (pairs super well with red wine!!!) to the party? Brussels sprouts are kind of tricky too. My husband used to never love them. I think he always had sauteed Brussels sprouts overcooked. Overcooking them will leave them looking grey and soft with a strong flavor some dislike. But cooking them perfectly still crisp and crunchy leaves them vibrant green in color and a glorious nutty flavor! Add a hint of sweet and sour into the mix and you have a match made in heaven!
For New Year’s this year I think we are keeping it very low key. Really all I want is to catch up on some much needed sleep. I might set my alarm for 11:59 pm, wake up and see the ball drop, nurse little c, then pass out again. I think back to 10 years ago and we were at an L.A. parting all night then waiting at 2am for a cab ride to our hotel. And that does not interest me one bit this year. We are traveling next week to VA to see my side of the family for a late holiday celebration so I think innately I am saving up my energy for that!
It is so beautiful to decorate a table setting with a festive colorful dish filled with delicious vegetables. I have tried many Brussels sprouts recipes to get my hubby to like them and this Sweet And Spicy Sauteed Brussels Sprouts recipe is the first one he has liked. This dish mixes sweet cranberries with hot and spicy red pepper flakes to provide the perfect savory taste. Toasted pine nuts finish it off by adding even more crunch and texture to the already amazing vegetable!
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 3 cups of Brussels sprouts, halved
- 2 Tablespoon. olive oil
- ¼ cup of a shallot, diced
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- In a small saucepan, toast pine nuts over low heat for about 3-5 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil, Brussels sprouts and shallots over medium-low heat for 5 minutes covered or until slightly browned. Stir in salt, pepper, cranberries, red pepper, thyme.
- Cover and heat an additional 5 minutes or until tender and slightly browned.
- Serve as is or sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before plating.
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