Household Blog

I fully admit that I’m a woman given to superlatives, but there it is: these are the best Brussels sprouts I’ve ever eaten. Anywhere. Happy accidents are, well, happy. And tangy, and sweet, and just a little spicy.

It all started with a trip to the grocery store. Damon and I have been planning our annual vegetable gardens for the year, and he has been seriously excited about growing Brussels sprouts for the first time ever. Have you seen how they grow? They look like one of those wacky lollipop displays where all the lollipops are sticking out of the display column, only green, and instead of lollipops it’s little tiny cabbages, and at the top there’s this unruly bunch of leaves that make the whole thing look sorta Fraggle-ish. Anyhoo. I saw in the market that they had Brussels sprouts for sale on the stalk!!! I thought for half a second about the look on Damon’s face and had to get them. And I was right—he lit up :)

Enter part two, wherein we try to figure out what the heck to do with the sprouts. Having a grapefruit on hand that was getting a bit soft, here’s what we came up with. And we both agreed, these are the best Brussels sprouts we’ve had, ever, anywhere.

So without further ado…

Best Ever Brussels Sprouts with Grapefruit

• 24 oz. Brussels sprouts, cut in half
• Safflower oil (or other high heat oil)
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 Tbsp agave nectar
• Juice of one ripe grapefruit
• Sea salt to taste
• 1/2 c. pecans, barely toasted and coarsely chopped

Pour a glug or so of safflower oil into a broad-bottomed skillet, enough to coat the bottom. With the pan still cold, add in the garlic and crushed red pepper, stirring it in the oil. Heat the pan over Medium-high just until the garlic starts to cook and become aromatic.

Add the Brussels sprouts, stirring once to coat them in the oil, sprinkle with a little salt, then let them rest in the pan without stirring for 5 to 10 minutes, to get a nice browning on them.

Add grapefruit juice and agave syrup, and cook 5 minutes more or until tender  but still bright green, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add salt to taste, if necessary, and toss with pecans. Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6.

This dish is so good I made it two nights in a row, the first night with just eggplant, then again last night I used eggplant, zucchini, sweet bell pepper and onions. I could easily see this being adapted for fall and winter veggies too. So easy. Just chop, stir bake, and serve over rice, millet, quinoa—your grain of choice.

You can substitute your favorite hot sauce for sriracha or use honey instead of agave nectar, just do so to taste as they have different potency.

Spicy Summer Vegetables

• 1.5 pounds vegetables, chopped into largeish bite-sized pieces
• 6 oz. (3/4 cup) tomato paste
• 1 to 2 Tbsp. Sriracha (depending on your heat tolerance)
• 2 Tbsp. agave nectar
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 heaping Tbsp. dried oregano, or 3 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano

Preheat oven to 400. In the bottom of a large bowl, combine everything but the veggies. Add vegetables and mix well. Spread mixture onto a cookie sheet and bake until fork tender. Serve over your grain of choice—rice, millet, quinoa, buckwheat, etc. Garnish with sesame seeds. Rub your belly for joy.

Serves 4 as a main course, 6—8 as a side dish.

I was craving hearty vegetarian comfort food the other day and this just hit the spot.

Spicy Tempeh Noodle Bowl

For marinade:
8 oz. tempeh, chopped into small pieces
1 T. ume plum vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1/2 T. Sriracha!!! (it’s just so fun to say!)

For peanut sauce:
3/4 c. warm water
1/4 c. peanut butter
1 1/2 T. fish sauce
1/2 t. ume plum vinegar
1/2 t. soy sauce

8 oz. gluten free spaghetti or linguine (I like Tinkyada)
1 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 to 2 T. agave syrup (to taste)
handful of sprouts

In a bowl, combine the marinade ingredients and stir in tempeh till it is thoroughly mixed. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the peanut sauce ingredients until smooth. The goal is to have a thick but pourable sauce, the consistency of heavy cream. Add more warm water if necessary. Set aside.

While cooking the pasta in a pot of salted water, heat some vegetable oil or butter (a tablespoon-ish amount) in a deep skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the tempeh mixture and cook for a couple minutes until thoroughly heated through, then add the ginger and cook, stirring constantly for another minute. Add the peanut sauce and simmer 3 – 4 minutes. It will be slightly thickened. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, cook and drain the pasta. Toss pasta with the tempeh sauce mixture and add a handful of sprouts, if desired. Serve. Enjoy. Rub your belly in contentment.

Serves 2 to 4

What are your favorite tempeh recipes?