Fresh Brussel’s sprouts are tossed in a little olive oil and garlic, roasted for just 12 minutes, then finished with lemon, flaky sea salt, and black pepper. All you need are a few high-quality ingredients for a healthy, simple, quick, and delicious side dish!

Do any of you “hate” Brussel’s sprouts? I learned at a very early age to say “I hate Brussel’s sprouts” (thanks, Mommy), so unfortunately I went the first 21 years of my life believing just that. It became so automatic that I never actually gave them a chance. Well, it turns out I now LOVE BRUSSEL’S SPROUTS, and I can’t believe I have been deprived of their deliciousness for so long.

I have a lot of catching up to do…Thank goodness they pair perfectly with my other favorite dinner foods like frittatas and cornbread. 👇

The Foods We Do Not(?) Like

This brings us to a very important lesson: That food that you fundamentally “don’t like” and always avoid by default (olives? seafood? mushrooms? onions? tomatoes? coffee? runny eggs? chocolate?), you may want to reconsider from time to time. Your tastebuds actually change with age, so it may come as a surprise that the food now tastes good to you! Another possibility is that you had a very unpleasant experience associated with the food (like food poisoning) and developed a genuine taste aversion, in which case it may be difficult to overcome the sense of disgust. But perhaps you just tried a few less-than-wonderful samples and convinced yourself that you didn’t like that whole category of food.

This last reason for picky eating is one of my biggest pet peeves–you can tell me you “don’t like” cheese, but (barring digestive issues or allergies) I’m sorry, I don’t believe you. Cough cough @Zay Kreher. Granted, I can’t be too critical because I have clearly done it myself…Brussel’s sprouts are just now entering my diet, and don’t ask me my feelings about curry just yet. 😳

Challenge: Choose a food you tell yourself you “don’t like” (within your digestive/health/immunological limits, of course) and give it a wholehearted chance. You might surprise yourself. Curry will be my next objective.🤞

Simple Roasted Brussel’s Sprouts

On top of that little rant, another lesson worth sharing is that quality ingredients are the key to success. All you need for this mouthwatering side dish are:

fresh seasonal veggies (ie Brussel’s sprouts NOW!)
fresh garlic (skip the jarred stuff)
quality olive oil (I love a garlic-infused EVOO with these)
fresh lemon
sea salt (coarse fleur de sel if you wan to go all-out)
ground black pepper

I am the first to want to experiment with a bunch of fun ingredients and flavors, but there will always be a place for the simpler preparations. I am always amazed at how far these “basic” foods can go on their own when at their very best.

Challenge #2: Appreciate every bite. 💕