This dish is one of my favourites at the moment, especially during the run up to Christmas. Brussels sprouts and orange, combined with roasted fennel, shallots and almonds makes for the most delicious dish. Brussels Sprouts are so underrated and yet can make for the most delicious meal.
Brussels sprouts are packed with many valuable nutrients, protein, dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin K, a good source of numerous nutrients including folate, manganese, vitamin B6, dietary fibre, choline, copper, vitamin B1, potassium, phosphorus, and omega-3 fatty acids. Botanically, the sprouts belong to the Brassica family of vegetables which also includes cabbage, collard greens, broccoli, and kale.
They are perfect to be eaten and enjoyed at any meal especially as they are one of the low-carb vegetables (4.1g carbs per 100g). A great choice especially for anyone with diabetes (T1, T2 and Gestational etc). The great thing is that brussels sprouts can be pan-fried, wok’d, boiled, roasted or even eaten raw in a homemade coleslaw.
Closely related to cabbage, brussels sprouts are quite notorious for causing gas which in turn can lead to great discomfort especially after a big festive meal. This is because they contain both raffinose and a high sulfur content but the way in which we eat this vegetable may also be partially to blame. Now, this might not be a subject one wants to address, but it’s something a lot of people will suffer from and should be aware of.
We tend to over indulge at Christmas meals, where we pile the sprouts high on our plate like they are going out of fashion, ooh’ing and ahh’ing at how delicious they are and declaring that “we should eat these more often” only then to suffer from debilitating discomfort hours later. This is why it’s best to enjoy sprouts (and cabbage) cooked with some other non-gas producing vegetables / fruits. Eat them slowly and enjoy them in a variety of dishes before Christmas day to let your body get used to them!
If you are looking for other brussels dishes, why not try them Pan-fried with some orange, hazelnuts, cranberries and chorizo. The recipe can be found HERE .
- 350g Brussels Sprouts (washed, bottoms cut off and halved)
- 100g Fennel (tops cut off and sliced down the length about 1 cm thick)
- 1 Shallot, skin removed and sliced width ways
- ¼ cup Almonds, roughly chopped
- ½ Large Orange, rind cut off and chopped in to small pieces
- 1 TBSP Orange Zest
- Olive Oil
- Pinch Sea Salt
- Pre-heat oven to 190°C /370°F
- On to a baking sheet place fennel slices and drizzle with olive oil
- Place in to oven for 15 minutes before adding brussels sprouts (drizzle with a little extra olive oil and salt) and shallots
- Bake for 20 minutes (fennel should be browned at edges and brussels should be browned on the tops) before adding almonds for final 5 minutes until toasted
- Remove from the oven and add fresh orange pieces and orange zest to the baked brussels, fennel, almond and shallots
- Combine together and serve immediately in a serving bowl
Hello Emi, sounds simply delicious!!! Cheryl x
Thank you so much, Cheryl! Have a great week x x
Thank you thank you! X