Eat Your Brussels Sprouts

Most people I know try to avoid eating brussels sprouts.  I will admit that I was one of those people.  When I want to train myself to like a new vegetable, I grow them in the garden.  If I don't like the homegrown version of the vegetable (ex: kohlrabi), then it is probably safe to assume that I don't like the vegetable.  I learned to love kale by growing it and am determined to like beets by growing them this year.  Last year, I decided that my family would learn to love brussels sprouts by growing them.  I was told that because it is so warm in Florida, most of my plants wouldn't produce any sprouts.  I decided to plant extra and put 6 plants in the ground.  We had a really cold winter last year and I ended up with 5 out of the 6 plants producing a ton of brussels sprouts.  We ate so many brussels sprouts that we got tired of them.  Very few people wanted to take them from us, so we ended up pulling up the plants.



Brussels sprouts. I didnt' pinch the leaves, but the sprouts did just fine.

I did find some really fun recipes for making brussels sprouts.  My very favorite was Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Seckel Pears from Caroline Wright.  This year, we planted 3 brussels sprout plants.  It looks like only one will end up producing.  I tried planting them in my square foot garden this year and I think the plants are just too close to each other.  We order produce from an organic produce co-op and they've had brussels sprouts on the list a few times.  The first few times they appeared, I wasn't ready to try them, so I traded them for other veggies. Last week, the co-op was offering them again and I decided it was time to go back to brussels sprouts.  Pears are at the end of their season, so I knew that my favorite recipe would be hard to make.  I also wanted something I knew the kids would eat, so I combined the sprouts with some chicken Italian sausage.  It was a wonderful meal.  My 4 year old even ate some of the brussels sprouts!

Roasted Sausage and Brussels Sprouts
1 package chicken Italian sausage
1 pound brussels sprouts, cut in half
2 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons Kerrygold butter with garlic and herbs, melted (you can also make your own garlic herb butter)

1) Preheat oven to 425.  Cut each sausage link into 4 pieces.  Place on a large baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.  You may want to add some oil to the sausage, since chicken sausage is low in fat and sometimes sticks to the pan.
2) While the sausage is cooking, toss the brussels sprouts in one tablespoon of the olive oil, the salt, pepper, and red pepper.
3) After the sausage has been cooking for 20 minutes, add the brussels sprouts and remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and mix well.  Roast for another 15 - 20 minutes, until sausage is done and the sprouts are just starting to get brown.  Stir after the first 10 minutes.
4) Pour melted garlic her butter over everything before serving.