New Vegetable of the Week: Brussels Sprouts

So, I mentioned before that we are on the "anti-inflammatory" diet right now.  It's not quite the same as the full-blown elimination diet, but very close.  There are many vegetables on the list of foods that help decrease inflammation in the body, and we are encouraged to eat those as much as we can.

So, we've decided to eat a new vegetable, or a old favorite prepared in a new way at least once each week.  So, why not start out with a challenge?  Brussels Sprouts?  Challenge accepted!

We went to a friends' house for dinner a while ago and she did a pan of roasted vegetables that included brussels sprouts.  Not sure if my kiddos actually ate any that night, but I enjoyed them.  I did not hold out high hopes for my kiddos loving them, but I have been craving cabbage lately and they sounded good (brussels sprouts are part of cabbage families-the babies if you will).

MUCH to my surprise, our daughter thought they were the best part of the meal.  This is a girl who didn't eat anything green for several years and chooses her food "likes" very carefully.  Our son also had seconds.  A success!  Next time I'll take some photos along the way.  Here is an example of the finished product:

Here's our version:

Ingredients:
3-4 cups brussels sprouts-as fresh as possible
2 Tbsp coconut oil*
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425° F.  Clean and halve brussels sprouts and toss them in a medium bowl.  Melt coconut oil and drizzle over sprouts.  Toss to coat.  Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and pepper and toss again. Put sprouts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until they begin to color, about 10-15 minutes.  Yum!

*Right now, our oil options include coconut for heated applications and olive oil for cold applications.  I would have used olive oil if that were allowed!