Fruit Salad and Winter Vegetables | Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Acorn Squash
It’s often said, if you modify your meals to become seasonal, it allows you to eat a variety of local items. When the cold season is upon us, it can be difficult to eat a variety of veggies because our Canadian climate doesn’t allow us to grow much in the winter. However we are still lucky to have lots of choices still growing: beets, cranberries, carrots, celery, mushrooms, cabbage, squash, parsnips, pears and apples. If you haven’t tried any of these, give them a shot!
It’s not just those you haven’t tried that require your attention, how about fruits and veggies you think you don’t like? Sometimes, all it takes, is knowing the proper way to cook them to appreciate them. Is there a veggie you don’t like very much? For me, Brussels sprouts don’t make it to the list of my favourite vegetables. However I gave them a chance using the recipe below and I loved them! Maple syrup compliments their taste and the crunch from the pecans makes this recipe simply divine. I’ve already read that removing some of the Brussels sprout leaf removes a little bit of the bitter taste they can have. Moral of the story: before you decide you don’t like something, try changing the way you cook it!
Ingredients
- Acorn squash
- 1 tsp of butter
- ½ tsp of cinnamon
- 2 cups of Brussel sprouts
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 French shallot
- ½ cup of dried cranberries
- ¼ cups pecans
- 45 mL maple syrup
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 375F.
- Cut your squash in two and remove the seeds and filaments. Cut each half in slices about 1 inch wide. Place the slices on a baking sheet, butter them and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes or until the skin seems soft.
- While the squash is cooking, wash the Brussels sprouts and remove the outer leaves and cut off the base of the sprouts. Cut each sprout into 4. Place them into a bowl and add about 5 mL of water, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes.
- Dice the shallot. Fry it in some oil for2 minutes over medium heat. Add the Brussels sprouts, the cranberries, the maple syrup and the pecans and cook them all for 3 minutes stirring gently.
- Serve the sprout mixture with the squash slices.
Written by Marie-Ève Caplette, Registered Dietitian and Half Your Plate Campus ambassador
