RECIPE: Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

One of the greatest challenges for me in beginning the Body Chemistry Diet is to find enough recipes featuring a limited number of fresh ingredients that taste good.  I like to eat, but I really, really don't like to eat food that doesn't taste scrumptious.  Problematically, the list of acceptable vegetables is more than half made up of things I've never tried before.  Rutabaga?  Jicama?  Really?! 

It's not that the proponents of this diet are intentionally trying to make the process of cooking and eating a tasty meal difficult.  Truly good, healthy food just happens to be hard to acquire.  A diverse diet is even harder to manage.

Luckily for me, I was raised to eat whatever was on my plate (thank you, Mom!).  I don't mind trying new things, especially when said "new things" fit under the category of "things I can photograph and blog about."  Thus, my last trip to Wally World saw me picking up a couple more items to check off of the list: radishes, turnips, and Brussels sprouts.

Now, the only time I've ever consumed Brussels sprouts has been as a topping on salads I didn't select myself and couldn't inconspicuously dispose of politely in company.  It's not that I hate the taste ... but they always seemed to get stuck in my teeth.  I don't need that, and nobody else wants to look at me with a big clump of green hanging out between my front chompers.

I did, however, recently see a delectable-looking recipe for oven-roasted Brussels sprouts on a food blog that I follow (The Garden of Eating), and Martha Stewart featured a similar recipe on her Thanksgiving special.  How could I resist?  I made a few alterations to TGoE's recipe, meaning I substituted sprouted-grain Ezekiel bread for the breadcrumbs, upped the garlic a little, and left off the pepper (which is unnecessary, really).  The end result was a surprisingly buttery, delicious treat that you can really sink your teeth into--without spoiling your waistline.

I approve!

INGREDIENTS

1 pound (or one sizable package) Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh Ezekiel-bread-crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Sea salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Foil the bottom of a baking sheet or, if you lack foil, pull out the cooking spray and give it a light dusting.  Place the halved Brussels sprouts in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, shaking to coat them evenly, and then spread them out, cut-side-down, on the foiled baking sheet. 

Roast for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees, checking occasionally to make sure they're cooking evenly, until the sprouts are tender when stabbed with a fork and browning slightly.

While the sprouts are baking, grab a small saucepan and melt the butter.  Add the garlic to the butter when hot, and saute lightly for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from the heat and add the breadcrumbs and parmesan, mixing evenly.

Remove the sprouts from the oven and sprinkle the breadcrumb & cheese mixture over them.  Return the sprouts to the oven and cook for another 6 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are turning golden.

Serve warm.

VERDICT: I found this recipe delectable, and even my skeptical housemate was won over by their melt-in-your-mouth buttery goodness.  There was no ugly drama of sprouts stuck in teeth, even!  I will probably never eat them any other way, now.