SAVORY BRUSSEL SPROUTS

Brussel sprouts are not a very exciting vegetable for most people. It is also one of those foods that most people do not enjoy eating. If you're stuck in a veggie rut try these recipe ideas for these cute little cabbages.

First let me say that I prefer to cook my foods with either steam or water, or if I'm in need of comfort food I will cook with olive oil. Try to buy extra virgin olive oil in a dark tinted bottle for best results and taste. Avoid the temptation to use butter or margarine. I know that they are making some of those healthier, however the olive oil is good for your cholesterol. It doesn't do well at too high of a heat, so low to medium is best.

Back to the sprouts. I have not had good results with steaming these so gently boiling water is best. It takes about five minutes to cook them tender crisp, however they do equally well cooked with other veggies for ten minutes at the boiling point.

What goes better with oil than vinegar? I'm thinking malt, balsamic, or red wine vinegars, whatever is your favorite. I'm hooked most on the red wine flavor, and as a diabetic I get the added benefit of vinegar bringing down my blood sugar.

So let's put this together so far. Take an equal amount of water and vinegar put in your sprouts and boil for 5 to 10 minutes. You are looking to boil away the water and let the vinegar glaze the veggies so about a cup of water and vinegar should be enough liquid. I also am partial to adding some fresh garlic and a dash of hot sauce into the mix. I would add the latter two ingredients after some of the water has evaporated.

When the liquid is boiled down add a few dashes of the olive oil and throw in some nuts, such as walnuts, cashews, or pecans. Use unsalted nuts. This makes a great side dish, and has a wonderful flavor.

You can also cook baby carrots, celery, and/or yellow or red peppers with the sprouts and serve in a tortilla or pita bread as a light meal with a salad.

How about cutting the sprouts into halves or quarters before cooking and then serving as a topping for slices of french or Italian bread putting the veggies on the bread and broiling for a couple minutes. You can even sprinkle some grated Parmesan on top, go for broke and add some shredded mozzarella if you want.

Enjoy your brussel sprouts and if you have kids, remember my advice, let them see you enjoy them, offer them, but never force a child to eat them.

Let me know how these came out for you, leave a comment or a message on my new answering machine.