November 24, 2015
DIY. So not my thing. Do-it- yourself projects give me hives - they assume the luxury of time. Life is way too busy and the house too messy right now to add another thing on my plate. But, when I spotted these Brussels Sprout stalks at my local Whole Foods in Lincoln Park - Chicago, I just had to buy them. I was going to make something out of this! But, what?
The first thing I noticed was how excited my girls were. They do eat Brussels Sprouts, but these were a whole new level of eating. They look FUN. And, when you put FUN and COOKING into one sentence, you have something especially perfect for a holiday that begets family time in the kitchen, Thanksgiving.
I called this project 'painting' our food. And, the girls were absolutely on board.
Head to your local grocer and looks for these beauties. Wash them well and carefully. You want to keep all the tiny, tight, succulent brussels sprouts intact. Also, position your oven rack on the second from the top position and pre-heat it to 375 degrees.
Make your 'paint'. In this case, it's a combination of 2 tablespoons Tandoori Masala, 2 teaspoons salt, and 2 tablespoons oil (any high smoke point oil will do). Mix well. Preferably put this in a deep bowl or container perfect for little hands that can do lots of damage! And, let them go to it! Paint away with a pastry brush. My Tandoori Masala is available on my site and on the shelf in Whole Foods Lincoln Park/West Loop (Chicago) and in Milwaukee. If you don't have Tandoori at home, use any spice blend on hand. I really prefer the Indian blends like Garam, Chana, or Chaat. You can switch up the flavors and do this with an Italian or Chinese Five Spice blends ... or even a bottle of curry powder on hand. I just love the flavor of the Tandoori on roasted anything.
Put your stalk on a baking tray and stick in the oven for about 40 minutes. Be sure to turn it over at least once during the process for even cooking. Here's what you get when done ...
Now, zap it with the tiny bit of leftover 'paint' and fresh lemon juice and serve piping hot. I love using these as my table centerpieces with kitchen shears for the kids to snip off sprouts throughout dinner. You can also make this ahead of time and warm it up in the oven for 5 minutes right before serving.
To be honest, it's as much fun for the adults as it is for the kids! My little one came home from school today and all she did for about 30 minutes was cut off the little sprouts and pop them into her mouth.
Take THAT DIY. I did it! Now onto cleaning up this crazy house.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. From my family to yours! Make it a warm and memorable one. And a little Indian twist will surely warm it up even more!
xoxo Anupy
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