Unbelievably Good Brussell Sprouts - Who Knew??

I had to share this recipe. Tried it tonight as a spur-of-the-moment-don't-know-what-else-to-do-with-them afterthought. I had this lovely bunch of organic brussell sprouts on sale I bought on my last gaga trip to Whole Foods. I forgot how gi-normous that store is in the Tustin District area. I came across the original recipe at AllRecipes.com but used my intuition to add the ingredients. this is quick and easy to make, if you like using the oven!

OK, some of you, at this point, may be gagging, rolling your eyes, or saying "EW!" I was once like you (maybe worse) since the only kind of brussell sprouts I could eat earlier was the frozen boxed kind that came with that butter sauce (I don't even want to look at what's in that butter sauce now!). The last time I made brussell sprouts from scratch, I took one bite and threw the rest away. Even if you've never liked them before, I DOUBLEDARE you to try this simple recipe out. If you like them, thank me! If not, at least I can give you a virtual round of applause for your being plucky enough to try them (and add to your health). What can I say??

Brussell sprouts are amazingly healthy for you. According to Bowden's book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, they contain a phytonutrient presuades precancerous cells to commit suicide. The sulforaphane helps reduce damage from free radicals and fight carcinogens. It also is what gives all members of the cabbage family their distinct smell! Brussell sprouts are a good source of folic acid, potassium, vitamin K, and beta-carotene.

Ingredients:
A bunch of brussell sprouts (quartered if big, halved if small for bite-sized pieces)
Drizzle olive oil to coat - use light and save the extra virgin for raw foods
Sea salt (Realsalt is my fave)
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Basically, add enough of the olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper to coat the edges of the brussell sprouts. Bake for up to 30-45 minutes, turning the bunch every 7 minutes or so. Bake them until they are dark brown on the edges.

I think cooking them to the dark brown stage is what makes them sweet. Sorry raw foodies... I really enjoyed this!

PS - All the recipes I post here have been tested and tasted by me and usually a bunch of other people, including B. I won't post a recipe that I haven't enjoyed myself first!

Photo courtesy of SillySally on flickr