As far as I know, there are two problems with brussel sprouts.
1) They need a short cooking time, and are easily overcooked. This tends to make them a poor choice for big family meals, school dinners and the like, which is where most people get put off them for life. Doing a better job of cooking them should solve this one.
2) Apparently there's a genetic component. There's a bitter taste in brussel sprouts, and some people have the gene where they can taste it while others don't have the gene and think they taste fine. There's nothing you can do about this one.
Really? Overcooked brusselsprouts are not yucky! I sautee them in a little bit of oil, add a little bit of water and then add salt & pepper. That's all. They need to be soft and a bit mushy to make a nice sauce.
Brusselsprouts should rules the world by the way!!
Never heard of the genetic component. Interesting. That should explain why my bf hates them with a passion!
He loves spinach though which I loathe! So whenever we have brusselsprouts or spinach the other one gets spinach or brusselsprouts or vice versa. :-)
Josey- That sucks you don't like spinach, so much nutritious! Is it canned/cooked spinach (yuckkkkkk) or fresh baby spinach that you don't like? I love baby spinach, very neutral in taste- I use it in smoothies, sandwiches and sometimes on homemade pizzas (that's the only "cooked" spinach I can tolerate.) Sorry to hijack since this is about brussel sprouts but had to share!
@amandie hate, hate, hate spinach in any form and recipe. I eat some if I have to but never by choice. Must be genetic too since I think the taste is quite intense. Only veg I don't eat.
A few nights a week I cut up cauliflower and brussel sprouts, coat with olive oil, toss a bit of garlic on them and put them in the oven to bake. I LOVE them.
I think you need to roast brussels sprouts for about 20 minutes or so to get rid of the bitter/sulfur taste that some people taste. I've made them one time in a skillet with shallots, bacon and some other yummy stuff. Can't think of what else but I don't think it was too high in calories or WW points. It was delish!
I can't find it right now, but I recently ran across a recipe for a coleslaw that incorporated shredded brussels sprouts with the cabbage and it sounded very good. I had never thought of eating them raw before.
Suzanne - Melissa Clark (NY Times food writer and author of a gazillion cookbooks) has a recipe in her older book "The Skinny" with proportions of 10 oz sprouts (in food processor with thin slicing disk or hand cut thinly), juice of a lemon, few T olive oil, 3 ounces grated Manchego or Pecorino cheese, and a cup of toasted walnuts, salt to taste. There are lots of variations on the internet. I think the nut amount is too much and the cheese could be dialed down. Basically start with a minimum and play. It works quite like the raw kale salad recipes that currently abound - you could use the ingredient ideas and play with proportions.
I loooove Brussels sprouts. Unfortunately they do not love me back... I get terrible painful gas when I eat them so if you are reading this thread and about to try them for the first time, keep your portions small until you know how they affect you!
I have recently found Brussels Sprouts again in the last few months and I've been having them with zuchinni and put them in a microwave container with a bit of water and put them on for 5-6 minutes. I have 4 or 5 Brussels Sprouts and they need to be small to medium size, the large ones can be more bitter and I go for ones that firm and not leafy. I also chop 1 zuchinni in to about 5 thick pieces and have them with either a chicken breast or fish (flake or gummy shark) not sure if they have them in the states... but I wrap them in foil and put in the oven for 30 mins and they come out nice and tender.
Very interesting thread... I tried them as as a kid and hated them.. I tried them again a couple years ago and they had this wangy sour taste. Like cabbage gone bad. And I love most veggies like Kale, Broccoli, greens, spinach etc... I guess the genetic thing has truth to it.
so if you are reading this thread and about to try them for the first time, keep your portions small until you know how they affect you!
