In my opinion, a Thanksgiving feast is all about the side dishes. Even when I used to eat Turkey as a kid (I haven't eaten Turkey in over 10 years), I always loved the flavorful side dishes and cranberry sauce more than the meat. Some of my favorite side dishes I've posted recipes for on the blog previously, such as: Classic Stuffing (vegan style), Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Maple Rosemary Acorn Squash - see more recipes here.
My mom is a great cook, very instinctive and skilled at making healthy things taste great. As a result, I never had an aversion to vegetables growing up because my mom always made them super delish! Thus was the challenge in this video, to take brussel sprouts - a "much maligned vegetable" as my mom put it - and make them taste amazing, not one, but two ways! Both of these dishes are perfect for the Thanksgiving holiday. I would suggest serving the savory Brussel Sprout Bruschetta as an appetizer and the Sweet Maple Cranberry Brussel Sprouts as a side dish. I promise you will convert brussel sprout haters to instant fans!
Watch the video above to see the recipes take shape and my mom and I be #weird.
Sweet supplies...
Savory supplies...
Fresh parsley from mom's patio garden...
Sweet Maple Brussel Sprouts (serves 8)
Prep It:
- about 2 pounds of brussel sprouts
- 1/3 cup of maple sugar or syrup - depending on how sweet to taste
- 4 or more tablespoons of vegan butter or real butter - depending on how juicy
- 3/4 to 1 cup of pine nuts - or almonds or pecans
- 3/4 cup of dried cranberries or currents, raisins etc. - whatever you prefer!
- cut your brussel sprouts in half and parboil them in a pot with about 3 inches of water until they are bright green but still firm (not mushy!) about 3 minutes (add lemon juice to preserve green color) - strain and set aside
- toast your nuts in a dry pan until brown but not burned
- brown your brussel sprouts in a pan (medium heat) with 1 tbs of vegan butter then add more vegan butter with your maple sugar, toasted nuts and cranberries and mix together and let caramelize but not overcook - keep tasting!
- serve in a bowl as a delicious side dish or eat them as a sweet snack on movie night!
- about 2 pounds of brussel sprouts
- olive oil (and butter - optional, use vegan butter to keep vegan)
- half jar of capers
- 1 can of anchovies in olive oil - chopped - (vegan optional, use more capers to add salt if going without the anchovies)
- 5 or more cloves of garlic - minced
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
- half cup of fresh parsley - roughly chopped
- 1 lemon
- loaf of crusty bread or rolls
- cut your brussel sprouts in half and parboil them in a pot with about 3 inches of water until they are bright green but still firm (not mushy!) about 3 minutes (add lemon juice to preserve green color) - strain and set aside
- pre-heat oven to 400
- in a saucepan, over low/medium heat add a good sploosh of olive oil (about two tablespoons or more to make it nice and saucy - until you feel guilty!) and a stick of butter or equal amount of vegan butter
- start your brussel sprouts browning in the oven for a few minutes, add a little drizzle of olive oil to make them brown better
- mix your capers, chopped garlic and anchovies into your olive oil/butter mixture and let simmer to release flavor for a couple minutes, then add a tablespoon or two of balsamic at the end
- toast your bread in the oven or toaster oven
- pull your brussel sprouts pan out from the oven and drizzle the olive oil, caper, etc. mixture over the top and mix it in, then sprinkle about half a cup of your chopped parsley and squeeze half a lemon over the top - pop the pan back in the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes to brown and glaze more, depending on how brown and crispy you want it!
- serve the salty, delicious brussel sprouts over the toasted bread like a bruschetta and enjoy!
