Brussels Sprouts...but make 'em pretty.

I’ve been in need of a little inspiration and motivation for recipe development lately, so a few days ago, I asked y’all to share ideas for recipes that you’d be interested in reading, cooking and enjoying. The overwhelming response was, drumroll please…

VEGETARIAN OPTIONS!

While I do cook and eat meat (mostly chicken and seafood), I try to make it meatless a few times a week. You won’t find any tofu or seitan here, nor will you see me forcing cauliflower to be pizza or banana peels to be bacon, but I’d be happy to create and share recipes celebrating all things glorious vegetable. Get over here and catch me roasting, grilling, sauteeing and pureeing some delicious seasonal vegetables on Mondays (if I can get it together)!

For this week’s Meatless Monday recipe (YES - I DO realize it’s Tuesday and also somebody PLZ help me come up with a more creative name for this), I made a delicious Quinoa and Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad with Dried Cranberries, Pistachios and a Bright, Citrus Vinaigrette. Start to finish, prep included, this recipe took about 30 minutes. We’re all busy and let’s be real…if it takes longer than that, it probably ain’t happenin’.

Here’s what you need:

1 lb. of fresh brussels sprouts

1 cup of quinoa

2 cups of vegetable broth

1/4 cup of dried cranberries

1/4 cup of pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped

a drizzle of this citrus vinaigrette - so easy to make!

1/4 cup of olive oil

the juice of one lemon (orange would also work!)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon of dijon mustard

1 teaspoon of honey or agave nectar

Here’s what you need to do:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

While the oven is preheating, make your vinaigrette and set aside. Halve your brussels sprouts, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread out evenly on a nonstick baking sheet (or use parchment paper - non stick and easy clean up!) and roast for 20 minutes.

While your sprouts are roasting, bring quinoa and broth to a rolling boil. Boil until almost all of the liquid has dissolved. This should take about 15 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and cover for five minutes. Remove lid and fluff quinoa.

At this point, you’re basically done…you’ve prepped and chopped , roasted and boiled and patiently waited. It’s assembly time, friends!

Lay roasted brussels sprouts on top of your warm quinoa and sprinkle with dried cranberries and pistachios. Drizzle the citrus vinaigrette, lightly toss and ENJOY!

A few thoughts on additions and a couple of tips…

This salad would be delicious served over a bed of fresh arugula or spinach (or both!) and shavings of fresh parmesan on top would be, *chef’s kiss*

This vinaigrette is so versatile…tastes great on everything and keeps well in the fridge!

Always use low sodium broth - this allows you to control the seasoning.

If cranberries aren’t your thing, dried cherries would work beautifully. I soak them in a little cool water to plump them up before adding them.

As always, if you make this recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts!