Brussels Sprouts with homemade Lemony Tahini

I believe brussels sprouts deserve more love. They are sort of every kid’s holiday food nightmare. I’d look at them (sulk) and then look away, literally. There’s so many ways to eat them, dress them, and enhance this unassuming vegetable that has endured such a bad rep for so long. They’re kind of like that casual dinner date you didn’t expect much from and you somehow end up marrying. Because they’re so good, versatile, charming & easy to work with. For those of you who know me on a personal level, any parallels to real life may or may not be fictional. Ok fine, they’re not… 🙂

But there’s a golden rule with brussels: less is more. The less you pile on them, the better. Minimalistic recipes are actually well-suited for this vegetable. Whether you decide to sautée them or roast them in the oven with olive or avocado oil: sea salt and pepper are (mostly) all you need.

Some people swear by throwing shaved parmesan, balsamic dressing etc. I like to eat mine roasted with salt, pepper, & a dash of sumac. Sumac is a middle eastern spice easily available anywhere that has a bit of a citrusy flavor. And if you think that tastes good, wait for it… then comes some homemade, lemony tahini. And just like that; you’re in food heaven.

On a completely unrelated note, my house SMELLS of my almond flour double chocolate brownies right now and am dying. Slowly. Primarily because I can’t eat them. One of my best friends, sisters, and partners in crime is having her first baby tomorrow. And, come on people… you must bring a new mama healthy treats. I mean, flowers are nice, too. But my girl wants chocolate. And having had two babies myself, birthing babies is hard. Not to mention recovery. Please read: ALL the chocolate.

Back to foodie things…Thanksgiving and Christmas are only weeks away. Make this dish, you can thank me later. It’s simple, elegant, dresses up any table and tastes pretty darn good. And just so you know, I throw pomegranates on everything at this time of the year. Oh yes. I throw them into water along with lemon slices to “dress it up”. I throw them into brown rice or quinoa to make it festive. Love how poms pair with feta and bosc pears in quinoa. Gotta get that recipe down, too.

And to everyone who has been making and sharing my recipes over the last few weeks… this girl is beyond thankful! Thanks for the love.

Holiday Brussels Sprouts with Tahini

Servings: 4-6
Time: 35 mins
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Ingredients

1 pound of brussels sprouts (stems removed, sliced in half)
1 pomegranate (sliced into quarters, remove the seeds)
1 carton of organic cremini or portobello mushrooms
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, or avocado oil. If you use the spray form, just spray all the veggies evenly and give them a good toss.
sea salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp of sumac sprinkled liberally (optional)

Lemony Tahini

1/2 cup tahini sauce
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp – 1/2 tsp of sea salt (depends on your palate)
1/4 cup of warm water

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400F and line up a baking/roasting tray with parchment paper.
In a bowl, toss the mushrooms & brussels in avocado oil (or EVOO) and season with sea salt, pepper & sumac. Scatter them (don’t pile them) over the baking tray and into the oven they go for 25-30 mins.
Take them out, move the veggies around, or flip them and back in they go for 5-10 minutes.
While the veggies roast, let’s make Tahini! In your food processor, throw in the garlic and salt & process for 10-15 seconds.
Add all the remaining tahini ingredients & process for about 25 seconds. Scrape the sides, give the contents a little stir, and process for another 25 seconds. Taste test.
Remove the veggies from the oven, allow them to cool a bit & sprinkle the pomegranate seeds (arils).
Drizzle (liberally) with tahini… You could also serve the tahini on the side and your guests could pour as little (or as much) as they’d like.
Have you ever tried dipping brussels directly into lemony tahini? SO good. Dipping veggies into tahini or hummus is the best.
Enjoy!

Notes:

Make sure you don’t cook/heat up pomegranate. I sprinkle them last. They are one of the best superfoods found in nature, and you don’t want to destroy all those amazing antioxidants by warming it up. Just a tip from the cook.

If you like a little picante, you could drizzle the mushrooms and the brussels with chili olive oil… see below!