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.

It may not be the prettiest dish in the world, but it is probably on my top ten list of favorite meals, and on the top five list for sheer nostalgia. I grew up eating Cajun’s Delight – apparently one of my dad’s patients gave him the recipe once upon a time. So hearty, warm, it satisfies all the tastes, and the textures, oh the textures! Crunchy, smooshy, gooey, firm… this is the definition of comfort food to me. And it’s pretty good for you, too. Shoot, when I was vegetarian I probably ate this at least twice a month. Now I’ve made a few alterations, improving in my opinion the taste and nutritional value. Got a picky vegetarian in the family? Give this baby a whirl…

Cajun’s Delight

• 1/3 c. dry lentils
• 1/3 c. dry lima beans
• 1 c. dry rice (I like a wild rice blend, like Lundberg’s)
• 3/4 c. celery, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 c. pecans
• 2 T. sesame seeds
• 1 t. sea salt
• 2 T. barbecue sauce (gluten-free)
• 3 T. oil
• 1 c. tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 t. sriracha!! (I’m sorry, I just can’t say/type sriracha without shouting gleefully :)
• 6 to 8 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded

For the beans and lentils, I prefer them sprouted, in which case, start them the day before (a post on sprouting will be coming soon). If you’re not sprouting them, soak them for 2 to 8 hours before you start preparing dinner.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cook rice. Cook beans and lentils (it’s okay if the limas are still a little bit firm, it adds a nice texture). Drain if necessary and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients, but reserving about a third of the cheddar cheese to the side (for topping later). Mix well.

Pat mixture evenly into a 9-inch square casserole. Bake on center rack for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over the top, then bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving, if you can stand it. I usually end up burning my mouth in my eagerness, so fair warning.

Serves 6 to 8. Enjoy!