Brussels Sprouts I Didn't Hate

In a perfect world, I would be completely caught up on all the recipes I have been planning on sharing for the past few weeks. I would have gorgeous pictures to share with you and fabulous stories to go along with each recipe and you would be thinking to yourself, "Now that is one organized chick."

But the world is not perfect {Proof: I am not on an all expense paid trip to paradise sipping a frosty cocktail.}. And I am majorly backlogged on the things I've been meaning to share, mostly because like most people I have about 362,085,176 other things going on and sometimes at the end of a long day the last thing I feel like doing is staring at a harshly lit computer screen and trying to be charming. So there, I've confessed.

Today I'm organizing myself {and my stockpile of cooking magazines}, but before I dive head first into all that mess, I've decided that I must share with you a recipe for something that caught me totally off guard yesterday. It was one of those accidental discoveries. Serendipitous, if you will. :)

There I was, sitting cross legged on the floor starting to go through the aforementioned pile of magazines, when I looked up and realized that the morning had completely flown by and it was almost time to go to work. {I've been working in the afternoon, which gives the false illusion of more time to get things done.} I needed to make something for lunch unless I wanted to eat left over Chocolate Pound Cake from my Mother's Day Brunch. And I wanted to. I really did. But I've been trying to be good and the last thing I needed was to be all hopped up on sugar and then crash right there in front of my students. Not good.

So, I went to the kitchen and played the "What is in the Fridge & Pantry That Can Be Combined to Become Somewhat Nutritious & Edible" game. {Never played before? I highly suggest it.} I couldn't avoid the obvious: Brussels sprouts that had been sitting on the bottom shelf for far too many days. Bleeeeeeeh.

I really dislike Brussels Sprouts. I mean really. They are a pain to prep and they smell bad. I can never find a good way to cook them. Until yesterday.

In that ridiculous pile of magazines that were strewn all over the floor, I had come across an old issue of Clean Eating with a recipe for... you guessed it... Brussels sprouts. I gave it a shot and can you believe I actually found them to be kind of tasty?! Sprouts still won't be my go-to veggie, but the glaze made them edible and pretty enjoyable, and that's good enough for me.

Brussels Sprouts with Spicy Peanut Glaze
adapted from Clean Eating Magazine


You'll Need:


1 lb brussels sprouts, trimmed of outer leaves, stemmed & halved
3 tbsp creamy peanut butter {or whatever nut butter you prefer}
2 tsp low sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
Juice from half a lime
1 dash cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sesame seeds {optional}
olive oil

1. In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, 1 1/2 tbsp water, tamari, brown sugar, and lime juice. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add halved sprouts and saute until just starting to caramelize, 1-2 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, being careful not to burn garlic.

3. Add a splash of water to the pan and stir. Pour in peanut butter mixture and stir until sprouts are coated. Cook for a minute or two longer until sauce has thickened slightly. Sprinkle a dash of cayenne pepper {more if you like a little more heat}, and stir for another 30 seconds. 

4. Sprinkle sesame seeds into sprouts. Serve immediately and give yourself a pat on the back for eating brussels sprouts without gagging! :)