Toasted Spice Brussel Sprouts with Pear and Grated Almond

An Easy Way to Spice Up Sprouts

I used a few cheats in this recipe that made it a breeze to prepare. For starters I used steam-in-the-bag microwavable brussel sprouts and a snack pack of diced pears in juice.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes in the microwave, 25 minutes in the toaster oven

For this recipe you do need a toaster oven and a grater.

Ingredients:

1 bag steam-in-the-bag brussel sprouts

1 snack pack size container of diced pears in natural juice

crushed red pepper (I used two of those packets you get at pizza places)

minced garlic (I used the kind that comes pre-minced)

raw almonds

black pepper

Directions:

Steam the brussel sprouts until they are thawed and warm. Approximately 3.5-4.5 minutes.

Pour half the brussel sprouts into a mixing bowl. Put the rest in the fridge for another recipe or whatever.

Open the diced pears. Drain. I suggest draining into a personal blender so you can make a yummy pear infused smoothie later.

Add pears, crushed red pepper, a dash of black pepper and a spoonful of minced garlic to the brussel sprouts. Stir well.

Grate 5-6 almonds over the mixture. Stir again. Don't worry if you can't get the whole almond grated. Just grate until you feel you have enough.

Pour mixture onto a baking sheet, lightly spray top of mixture with cooking spray and place in toaster oven. Toast for 25 minutes, stirring at the halfway point. Enjoy!

*Note: The sprouts will char slightly and the pears will brown/carmelize slightly. This is desirable. Great with a drizzle of GF blue cheese or ranch dressing.

Substitution Suggestion: If you don't like spicy foods I suggest using grated parmesan cheese in place of the crushed red pepper.