Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries and Walnuts

I bet you could guess what family the brussel sprouts come from... cabbage of course. They look like little heads of cabbage or lettuce growing on a stalk. Quite interesting looking actually. They are a great fall veggie, but they can be long lived throughout the harvest season. At first looks of it you might think, "There is a reason I do not like this vegetable!" It is weird looking and it kinda smells different too.Well, don't let that scare you away. You should know that the nutritional intake of vitamins, fiber and folate acid will help your DNA fight against disease. It is a powerful source of detoxifying enzymes that will keep you clean and strong against disease. So, even if you are a bit skeptical, they may be worth a try, right? So, I have a simple recipe to try that might help you change you mind as well. It's pretty good I must say myself. 

First of all you will have to cut or pull the sprouts from the stalk and rinse and soak them in clean water to make sure you get out all the dirt or slugs :), which won't kill ya. 

Once they are rinsed and clean you can put them in a big pot with a little water to lightly steam them for about 10 minutes under boiling water. Or if you have a veggie steamer that works well too. Once the sprouts are lightly cooked you will get them out of the steamer and put them in a large frying pan or wok. Then combine the following ingredients as you stir the sprouts on a medium heat. You can take a knife and cut the sprouts if some are pretty big or you want to have them more bite sized.

Brussel Sprouts Recipe:

1 TB of olive oil or walnut oil

1 lemon squeeze for juice

dash of cinnamon

dash of cardamon

a few dashes of sea salt

a few dashes of cracked pepper

toss in some dried cranberries and raw walnuts ( if you cannot eat walnuts, try almond slices)

After you have let the flavors cook over the brussel sprouts, it is time to serve. Do not saute more than 5-6 minutes because it will start to get soggy or burned. Serve right away as a great side to either a piece of meat or some quinoa or rice. You could make a stir fry with these sproats and add a few more veggies with a few cups of brown rice. It would be clean, simple and fresh. Your body doesn't ask for more. Just not really less. You will be surprised at the sweet and bitter taste of the sprouts, and I bet you may even like them. Kids seem to think they are funny enough to try and eat, and if you want to make it a finger food, then go for it by all means. I hope you try it and let me know what you think. Enjoy! 

If you are going to turn in a  recipe for the Fall recipe Contest you have 4 more days.