SAUTEED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

This is an easy side you can add to almost any meal.  Hmm... or you could even just eat an entire bowl as a snack or small meal.  It pairs especially well with steak!

Have you ever roasted whole, or even halved, brussels sprouts?  You know the tiny little leaves that fall off and then just get absolutely crispy and delicious?  This is like eating all of those at once.  YUM.

You can use your mandolin to shred/shave some brussels sprouts, OR you can take the easier route and get them pre-shredded from the produce section.  The kind they shred IN the store, not the mass produced, bagged kind.  Those are not the best.

First, heat your nonstick skillet over medium-high and add in some olive oil.  Once it shimmers, throw in your sprouts.

Toss them around to coat them in the olive oil, then DO NOT TOUCH!  You want them to get nice and crispy and beautifully browned.  Maybe 5 minutes.

Then, give them about 10 turns of the pepper grinder, and two nice pinches of coarse kosher salt.  Toss.  Keep cooking and gently tossing until they're to your desired doneness.  I like them a little bit crisp, so I don't cook them too long for fear of mush.  Maybe 5 more minutes.  Follow your heart.  And your eyes!

Sometimes I add a squeeze of lemon or a few splashes of balsamic vinegar.  My favorite way to enjoy them is with BACON, but of course we can't eat bacon every day.

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON

Raise your hand if you hate brussels sprouts!  Okay, now put it down because I'm about to convert you.  People either love them or hate them, and it takes a great recipe to turn the haters.  This is most definitely one of those recipes.  It is super simple and super delicious.  Did I mention the bacon???  These are the only ingredients you'll need:

Clean your brussels sprouts and cut off the hard bottoms.  Cut the bigger sprouts in half, unless you have a gigantic mouth.  In a baking dish or pan, toss them with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.  Mix mix mix.  Mentally prepare yourself for bacon time.  I read somewhere that if you rinse your bacon with water before you cook it, then it won't shrivel up!  This recipe sounded like it needed fat, soft bacon, so I rinsed four slices of thick cut bacon in cold water.  Then I cut them into inch sized pieces (get out those kitchen scissors!) and scattered them on top of the veggies.

Bake at 400 for half an hour, stirring once halfway through.  I put them under the broiler for a couple minutes at the end to give them a teeny bit more crisping.

Original recipe here

BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND PESTO PASTA VIA SIRIOUSLY DELICIOUS

I don't know about you guys, but I am feeling lazy.  September means school is back in session and ordering pizza/Chinese/both is becoming extremely tempting.  Measuring ingredients and reading a recipe seems like too daunting a task these days.  So when I saw this "recipe" I knew it had to happen in my kitchen.  We've had this pasta twice now, and the first time I found a bag of shaved brussels sprouts at Target.  The second time, I finally got to use the amazing mandoline my lovely friend, Andrea, gave me for my birthday!  It was fun.  The pieces were more substantial than the bagged kind and had fresher flavor.  You could also use a very sharp knife if you aren't lucky enough to have an Andrea in your life.

The amount of pesto, pasta, cheese and brussels sprouts really depends on your personal taste.  I used an entire pound of veggies, but you may not love brussels sprouts so you could use less, of course.  Mix and taste until you find the amount perfect for you!

P.S.  This is fabulous leftover and definitely makes lunch a happy occasion.

Yup, that's all you need!

I love you, mandoline.

Crispy and browned.

Don't forget to save some yummy pasta water!

Mix mix mix.

Dig in.  I dare you to resist!

Ingredients

1 lb pasta (any short shape will do)
1 lb Brussels sprouts, shaved
7-10 ounces refrigerated pesto basil
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
grated parmesan cheese (I used 1/2 cup)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup reserved pasta water

Boil pasta in salted water in a large pot, according to package directions. Meanwhile, saute Brussels sprouts in olive oil until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.  When pasta is al dente, scoop out about a cup of pasta water.  Drain pasta and return to pot.  Add pesto, brussels sprouts and almost all the pasta water.  Stir to combine, then add cheese.  Give it a good stir, and decide if you need to add remaining pasta water to give it a saucy consistency.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.  Serve immediately.