Suburban Homesteading – Frugal Living

Do you have a favorite fall vegetable?  I do.

I have always been crazy for sweet potatoes. They are my “go-to” fall vegetable, whether they are baked and smothered with butter then sprinkled with salt and pepper, smashed with sweet maple syrup and nutmeg, or roasted with fragrant herbs.

I love trying new fall veggies to add to my kitchen arsenal. But, I have to admit I’ve never been a fan of Brussels sprouts. Those little globe-like cabbage looking things never really appealed to me, probably because my family never ate them…ever. Really—I can’t remember one time growing up that my mom cooked Brussels sprouts.

So, when I found a recipe on the internet for roasted Brussels sprouts I was less than tempted. Even though the picture was beautiful and they looked appealing I refused to be tricked into trying them.

It wasn’t until I had them at a restaurant that I became a convert. They were tender, flavorful and downright yummy. I was sold, and they now make regular appearances on our fall dinner table.

I have never had them any other way but roasted, and I have several different ways to flavor them during the roasting process. Why mess with a good thing, right?

Boy was I ever wrong!

It was a few weeks ago and sis and I were making dinner. I had bought some Brussels sprouts from the market, but they weren’t enough for two people. When I looked around my kitchen I spied a few small sweet potatoes. Not enough for two people either.

At that moment a stroke of brilliance came over me. Why not fix both? Together.

I combed through recipes and combined pieces of a few different one’s and voila! A masterpiece was born.

I cleaned and halved the Brussels sprouts and peeled and cut the sweet potatoes into chunks. Then I drizzled everything with almond oil, sprinkled it with ground cumin, salt and pepper, and tossed the whole thing together. Best idea ever!

I loved the nutty flavor from the almond oil and the cumin brought out a wonderful earthy dimension to the whole dish. After they were roasted, I splashed a bit of balsamic vinegar over, added a bit of thyme springs for good measure and sprinkled on some chopped pecans.

The whole thing turned out divine.

What started out as not enough veggies for our two-person dinner, turned into a flavorful fall mixture and ended in discovering a new favorite side dish. Don’t ya just love experimental cooking?

NOTE:  This would make a great holiday side dish. But, if you’re worried about commandeering your oven for 45 minutes make them a day or two ahead and store in a lidded container, then pop them in a 400 degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes, just until they sizzle and are hot. They turn out great!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound of Brussels sprouts, washed, outer leaves removed and stems trimmed

4 small or 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1/3 cup Almond oil (be adventurous and try other nut oils or olive oil)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon sea salt

Ground pepper to taste

Splash of balsamic vinegar

Thyme leaves for garnish

1/8 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse, remove outer leaves, trim stems and cut Brussels sprouts in half. Small one’s can be kept whole. Place in a large bowl.

Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Add to bowl.

Peel and mince garlic cloves. Add to bowl.

Pour almond oil over vegetables and toss to coat.

Add cumin, garlic salt, sea salt and pepper. Toss to mix.

Drizzle cookie sheet or large casserole dish with oil and spread to coat.

Pour vegetables into pan and arrange so they are in a single layer.

Roast for 30-35 minutes. Veggies are done when they are browned and fork tender.

Spoon into a serving dish and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar (about 1-2 tbsp.) Garnish with thyme and chopped pecans.

Eat hot!