Oh, the misunderstood little Brussels Sprout.

In doing a little research on this tiny cabbage-like cruciferous, I found that it is considered to be one of the most hated vegetables in both the US and Britain. Hated? Strong word for an amazingly powerful veggie that…. protects against cancer, supports the health of your heart, supports detoxification to help rid your body of harmful toxins, delivers lots of fiber and thus is a great weight loss partner…  Is more evidence needed to give this sprout a try?

If you’ve never tried them raw, you must try this recipe – one of my all-time favorites as it’s so simple to make and surprisingly good! Forget that you’re eating what normally we think of as a Thanksgiving side dish.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts – slivered

Dressing:

  • 1 Teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
  • 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (or to your taste)
  • 3 Tablespoons champagne vinegar – or your favorite vinegar
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/4 cup Expeller Pressed Grapeseed oil (You can use all olive oil if you prefer)
  • 3-5 cloves roasted garlic (If you don’t have time for roasting, just add 1-2 cloves raw garlic.)
  • Sourdough bread for croutons

Directions:

Roasted Garlic:
  1. To roast the garlic – peel off the papery layers of the garlic, cut across the top of the entire clove to expose the heads, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the cloves, wrap in tin foil and bake in a 400-degree oven for about 30 minutes until the clove are soft. You can do this in advance and store them in the refrigerator to add to this recipe or spread on toast.
Dressing:
  1. Put all but half of the parmesan cheese and the oils in a blender/food processor and blend until smooth.
  2. Add oil in a slow steady stream until all is blended to a creamy texture. As you add more oil, the dressing will become thicker and creamier.
  3. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and continue to blend
Croutons:
  1. Preheat oven to 400º
  2. Cut the bread into small squares and toss with enough olive oil to coat them
  3. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
  4. Place the croutons on the baking sheet with parchment.
  5. Smash 3 -4 cloves of garlic and throw them in with the croutons. Sprinkle with some fresh chopped herbs if desired (thyme, rosemary, marjoram, parsley).
  6. Bake until crispy – about 8 minutes.

 

Toss the slivered Brussels with enough dressing to cover. Add the croutons and parmesan cheese to taste. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon!  (Note: recipe can be made without parmesan cheese if you are dairy free and without the croutons if preparing as a detox side.) ♥