Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

So what exactly am I thankful for? Besides my happy family and my hunk of a husband? Well, today I'm thankful the brakes and headlights are good on my trusty Ford Focus. I'm thankful for my eye-foot coordination. And I'm thankful for the 4 feet of pavement that separated me from a pretty big male deer (it had horns) that happened to be standing in the middle of the road. It wasn't crossing the road. It was just standing there. Like it was suicidal or something. I hyperventilated for the next 10 miles, but I'm very thankful. Whew.

These Brussels sprouts are also something to be thankful for. It was kind of funny because my mom kept raving about them and how sweet they are. And my sister told me on the way out that if they were cooked that way at home she might actually eat them. I think that's massive praise considering M. is not a fan of vegetables in general. And even better these are a no-fuss vegetable dish.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

courtesy of Real Simple

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

kosher salt and black pepper

(the original recipe called for 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, but I seem to have forgotten to add them. oops!)

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the Brussels sprouts, pecans, oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Turn the Brussels sprouts cut side down. Roast until golden and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Brussels Sprout Yumminess

Believe it or not, when I was growing up, I hated brussels sprouts. They were that horrible green ball of yuckiness that I would force down simply because I couldn't get up from the table unless I did. After I moved out of the house, I banned them from my kitchen. Several years later, as my interest in cooking grew, I found that they were pretty tasty just split open drenched in olive oil and kosher salt and roasted in the oven until crispy. Up until tonight, this was the preferred way of eating them.

But tonight I discovered the ultimate brussels sprouts recipe. If they weren't such a pain to separate from their tiny little cores, I would eat these every single day. I'm not kidding. Because they are only cooked for 3 minutes, they don't have that overcooked cabbage yucky taste. The flavor of the pistachios shines through the whole dish and adds a wonderful nuttiness to the brussels sprouts. And that final zing of lemon amps up the fresh taste.

This is a wonderful note to leave my much loved February 2007 Bon Appetit with. The only problem was that it took longer to separate the brussels sprout leaves than to cook the whole dish!

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Pistachios

from Bon Appetit

3 Tbsp grapeseed oil

1 Tbsp minced onion

1 1/2 pounds of brussels spouts, trimmed, leaves separated from cores (about 8 cups), cores discarded

3/4 cup shelled pistachios

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and stir 20 seconds. Add brussels sprouts and pistachios, and saute until leaves begin to soften but are still bright green, about 3 minutes. Drizzle lemon juice over. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and serve.