Years ago I found a Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts recipe. I made it. It was awesome. But, unfortunately, it’s far too sweet for my diet these days.
And, well, I don’t always have bacon on hand.
So, I wanted to create a recipe that brought out the elements of that delicious concoction that I loved, but with a little less fat and sugar.
This is my take on it. I hope you enjoy.
Salty Sweet Brussels Sprouts
I made up this recipe because I wanted another way to enjoy my brussels sprouts without the bacon grease of my favorite Maple Bacon brussels sprouts recipe. This brings in the salt and hint of maple of the inspiration recipe, but is a little healthier and has more flavor.
Servings: 4 servings
Equipment
- Oven-Safe Baking dish (glass?)
Ingredients
- 1 lb brussels sprouts Shredded - Slice off the ends and peel ugly leaves off. Then cut the sprout in half lengthwise, then slice in narrow strips about 1/16" to 1/8" wide. (Or use some sort of slicer if you have one and want to get it dirty)
- 1/2 cup slivered plain almonds I've been "slivering" my own. If you have salted ones, you'll need to adjust the salt
- 1 tsp kosher salt to taste. you may try 1/2 tsp first or if you don't like really salty foods.
- 1 tsp Course Ground Black Pepper I grind my own, use a little less if you are using the ground pepper found in pepper shakers. Also, to taste, you could even skip it if black pepper isn't your thing.
- 1 tbsp brown sugar not packed, let this be loosely measured
- 1 tbsp maple syrup I like the real stuff, not imitation
- 2 tbsp avocado oil You could use extra virgin olive oil, make sure it's the good stuff
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds totally optional - I have a bunch and didn't know what to do with them so I tried them in here.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 deg. F (or higher if you have a convection roasting option)
- Slice the Brussels Sprouts and put them in a bowl large enough for mixing with the other ingredients.
- Add the almonds (slice them if you have to).Then add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl
- Mix the sprout mixture in the bowl and pour into a baking dish. I use a 6" x 10" glass baking dish that's about 1.5" tall. You could also just place it on a sheet pan for roasting.
- Roast at 450 Degrees. Stir occasionally. If convection roasting, you'lll need to keep a closer eye on them because they brown quite quickly. Depending on how DONE you like your brussles sprouts, roast for 15-25 minutes stirring about every 5 min. They will shrink in volume about 10 min in or so.
Notes
This is a fun recipe. Play with the ratios of spices you may want a little more maple and less salt, or more pepper and less sugar.
Serve with your favorite protein choice.
This has a bit of an Asian flair and pairs nicely with an Asian-inspired chicken and rice dish. But also pairs nicely with blackened salmon, steak, or fish.
Or If you're weird like me, you could just have it as dessert.
Side Note: I’m considering adding cayenne pepper. If anyone tries it, let me know.
I tend to add cayenne to almost everything, so it wouldn’t be that big of a stretch. 🙂