My husband hates “working out.”
In fact, I worked at a gym for an entire year as a personal trainer where I was given a free membership for both Patrick and myself. He never came in once.
Before you start making assumptions, Pat is actually a very active person. He loves long, grueling, physically-challenging activities like 10-day treks across Patagonia, exploring canyons in Southern Utah and rock-climbing once or twice a week up Little Cottonwood Canyon. If you tell him downhill mountain biking is involved, he’s there in a second. But the moment you mention barbells or jump squats, SEE YA LATER.
Sometimes, you just have to *trick* yourself into doing things. For Pat, he disguises his exercise as adventures, and it doesn’t feel like exercise to him. That’s kind of the case with these Roasted Bacon Cranberry Brussels. Throw some crispy bacon, sweet cranberries, creamy goat cheese and crunchy pepitas in with those brussel sprouts, and you’ve disguised those veggies beyond recognition.
Personally, I don’t necessarily need to disguise the brussels to enjoy them. I’m one of those weird people who will grate them raw into a tasty salad and enjoy every bite. But that’s not the case for everyone. If you’re wary of those little balls of green goodness, give this recipe a try. Just like rock-climbing doesn’t feel like exercise, Roasted Bacon Cranberry Brussels doesn’t feel like veggies.
Trust us. It just feels like a crazy-delicious Thanksgiving side-dish.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. brussels sprouts
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4-1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 5 slices bacon
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup pepitas
- 1/2 cup goat cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut ends off brussels, if desired, and place on parchment-covered cookie sheet. Drizzle with EVOO.
- Season with cajun seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Roast for about 40 minutes, until golden brown and softened.
- Cut bacon into bite-sized pieces and fry until crispy. Drain fat.
- Soak cranberries in water for 15 minutes, if desired.
- Toss brussels with cranberries, bacon and pepitas.
- Sprinkle with goat cheese.
Want to try Brussels sprouts a different way? Give this recipe a shot.
1 Comment
Yum! What a fun combo of flavors!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/cranberry-walnut-goat-cheese-roll/