Are Brussell sprouts...

...the bane of your existence? When you were little, did you try to feed them to your dog? When you see them, can you immediately taste bitter mushiness in your mouth? If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, then you are reading the right post. The trick with Brussell sprouts is to minimize the bitter (caused by plant chemicals known as glucosinolates) and maximize the yummy. My mama has always said I have never been a picky eater (but then, she never tried to feed me Brussell sprouts either), but I was never a big fan of these "baby cabbages" until a few years ago.

I will credit my friend Aubrey with this yummy recipe, and I will admit to being skeptical when I heard how simple the recipe was...up until she made me these crunchy yummy wonders, I liked to undercook the sprouts and pair them with a stronger taste (like Ranch dressing or feta cheese). Now my fiance and I eat these about three or four times a month.

Take a minute to look at your sprouts...they should be bright to dark green with little to no yellowing of the leaves and no obvious bug damage. Each of these little beauties looks like a little cabbage with leafy head and hard stalky end. If you have the chance to buy a whole stalk of sprouts, do it! It's always cool to see where your food begins...(it's also okay to cheat and buy the sprouts in the nice recyclable plastic container that they come in at most grocery stores). Whatever you do though, these sprouts must be fresh, not frozen.

Begin by cutting the end off of the sprouts (just like cutting the hard end off a cabbage). Cut enough that you're taking off a good bit of the hard white end (that's where most of the bitter is) but not too much. When you cut the sprout in half, an outer leaf or two should come off easily, leaving the tightly packed inner leaves in place. When you have taken off the end and cut each sprout in half, remove the loose leaves and place your sprouts in a large bowl. Toss them with olive oil and allow them to sit for five to ten minutes to absorb a little of the oil.

Spread your sprouts on a cookie sheet (the olive oil on the sprouts will keep them from sticking). Don't pour the left over oil onto the sheet (you can use it to make salad dressing for your other healthy side, right?). Place the cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Turn the sprouts over after about 10 minutes (they should be starting to brown nicely on the side that was touching the pan). When the sprouts are nicely browned (not crispy) on each side, remove them from the oven and sprinkle them with a little bit of seasoned salt (I like Lowry's because it's gluten-free).

At this point you can either be good and put them on your plate with your dinner....or you can be like me and pop a few in your mouth right away. These are nutty, a little crunchy, and delicious! Nothing to be bitter about at all!