4

Dec
2011

5 Minute Side Dish: Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts

For some strange reason I was craving Brussels sprouts. Probably because I hadn’t eaten my usual 5 to 9 servings of fruits and veggies because I had been sick. So, my body was telling me to pick a super duper healthy veggie–the Brussels sprout!

Easiest, tastiest, and a healthy way to eat them is to buy a bag of frozen Brussels sprouts:

This way they are already softened in the freezing process, but just as fresh. This way you do not have to start with a fresh sprout which could take an extra 20 to 30 minutes to cook.

1. Thaw the frozen sprouts in the microwave for about 1 minute while you heat up a saute pan on medium-high*. Also add 2-4 Tbsp. diced onions to the saute pan while everything is warming up.
   *Note: I only used an olive oil spray to coat the pan to help brown the ingredients.
2. Slice the Brussels sprouts in half if they are large, and then add to the hot pan. It is OK if they sprouts are still a little bit cold or frozen.
3. Cook 1-2 minutes, then add your seasonings. I used a cajun spice blend and black pepper, but you could use any spice blend like the original Mrs. Dash, or another vegetable seasoning blend.
4. Cook another 3 minutes until they reach a desired brownness. I like them to look almost crispy. Then, I used my tub of whipped butter, and added a few pats of the butter to the tops of the Brussels sprouts. Stir to combine.

There you have it! Don’t worry about adding the whipped butter, or Earth Balance, or you could use a light Smart Balance, etc. This only adds about 2.5-5 grams of fat for the whole dish, I estimate. One tablespoon of whipped butter is only 5-6 grams of fat, and I only used somewhere between 1/2 and 1 whole Tbsp.

You can read more here about the nutrition of Brussels sprouts.