Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Just about every recipe for roasted brussels sprouts uses oil so I decided to try out half of the recipe using just a little non-stick spray and a non-stick pan and the other half with olive oil. The result was very little or no difference in taste or texture so save yourself the calories and nix the oil altogether.  In short: You don't ALWAYS have to use oil when you cook as recipes would have you believe.

Based on a recipe from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• salt
• pepper
• Balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Cut the hard stems off of the sprouts and cut each in half lengthwise. Rinse well and strain in colander.
3. Heat a large non-stick and ovenproof skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray over medium-high heat. Arrange sprouts in pan cut side down, sprinkle with the salt, pepper and garlic. Cook 5-10 minutes until bottoms are browned, shaking the pan occasionally to ensure even cooking.
4. Turn off stove and stick the pan in your preheated oven. Bake about 20 minutes, again shaking the pan occasionally to enure even cooking, until sprouts are nicely browned and roasted - do not overcook.
5. Serve sprouts drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Nutrition info for 1 cup of sprouts only: 38 cals, 0g fat, 8g carbs, 3g protein (great source of vitamin C!)

Try this savory combo: roasted cauliflower, pears, carrots and brussels sprouts. Soooo good.