It is Meatless Monday today, the first one I’ve been home for in a few weeks. This recipe came from my teacher friend, Candice as a longtime favorite of her and her boyfriend. I have always feared the little green ball that is the Brussels sprout. I love cabbage so I was determined to get over my mental block of its tiny relative. Named after the city in Belgium where they are thought to have originated in the 13th century, Brussels Sprouts, I can now say, are not my enemy.

Candice was right in passing this recipe on to me, as it was very simple to follow, and since the leaves are removed from the sprout, it less resembled the vegetable I was nervous about. I skipped the toasted nut part completely to make things even easier. This dish was practically a whole meal on its own what with the added quinoa grain/seed (which one is quinoa anyways?). Serve it with a nice foccacia dipped in olive oil and you have a perfect +Meatless Monday meal. The quinoa with feta and sprout leaves was really delicious. No joke! It definitely needed the seasoning of salt and pepper but otherwise was a wonderful meal that definitely didn’t resemble a bowl of boring, steamed Brussels sprouts on their own. Here are my sprouts with quinoa:

Brussels Sprouts Leaves over Quinoa ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2013

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts’ Leaves Over Quinoa

Recipe from: Vegetarian Times, February 2010
Serves 2
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. blanched hazelnuts or almonds, chopped
• ¾ cup quinoa
• 8 oz. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 3 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese, optional
• 2 tsp. grated fresh lemon zest

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast hazelnuts 5 to 6 minutes, or until light brown, shaking baking pan occasionally. Set aside.
2. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add quinoa and salt, if desired; cover; and cook 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, peel leaves off Brussels sprouts halves, and discard inner core.
4. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté Brussels sprouts leaves 5 minutes. Add 3 Tbsp. water, cover, and cook 1 minute more, or until leaves are tender. Stir in garlic. Toss with quinoa; hazelnuts; feta, if using; and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.