Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

For some bizarre reason, people like to give me their unsolicited opinion. Ok, at least one person did. One day I was walking down the street with my kids and this 60ish year old man literally said to me…

“Stop at two!!!!” What the what?!! haha Like 1) What possessed him to opine about my reproductive decisions (wait, that just touched on a wayy bigger issue that I’m going to side step… for now…) and 2) what happened in his life that he is literally telling strangers on the street that two kids is enough. Does he have a third kid? Does his third kid know about this quirky habit of his?

I feel like I should have asked follow up questions but at the time I was too puzzled about it that I just awkwardly laughed and couldn’t even form thoughts. Do things like this happen to anyone else?! 🙂

I’m excited about Thanksgiving this year but am kind of having commitment issues as to what I’m making. I don’t want to go too nuts and then have tons of food the kids won’t eat, but I also don’t want my first solo Thanksgiving to be underwhelming. I don’t think Brussels could ever be underwhelming, especially when they’re packed with the tastiest of goodies like craisins, shaved Parm, and toasted pine nuts (swoon).

I have this inner desire to have perfectly toasted pine nuts at all times. The other day a few nuts got caught on the sides of the pan and they toasted differently to the point that they went straight from un-toasted to burnt while the rest toasted nicely. I picked them out of their perfectly toasted piney pack and fed them to Jaryd separately. They were misrepresentative of my brand.

But, let’s make some Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts and get you ready for your Thanksgiving holiday! Prepare for the array of ooohhhs and ahhs coming your way…

Cut the ends off the Brussels, remove any outer leaves and cut in half. On a lined baking pan, pour the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Place the Brussels face down into the oil/vinegar mixture. I always make sure to place it directly into the balsamic vinegar and then slide it on the pan to move it into place. Any leaves that fall off in the process I like to keep on the pan and roast. I kinda love them.

Sprinkle with sea salt and place them in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

While the Brussels are roasting, toast your pine nuts on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring and shaking the pan often. Set aside in a separate bowl once they are golden brown.

When your Brussels are done roasting, place them in a large bowl. Drizzle the agave nectar on them and toss with a large spoon. Add the chopped sage, craisins, pine nuts, and shaved parmesan, reserving some for garnish.

Toss everything together and transfer to your serving bowl. Top with additional ingredients to make it look all pretty.

This is jammed packed with all the goodies that make you feel the Thanksgiving feels. Enjoy!! xo

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