These sweet and tangy Brussels sprouts make the perfect 21 Day Fix approved holiday side dish!
Hey guys! With Halloween well out of the way, I've hopped on board the Thanksgiving/Christmas train, how about you? I have to say that I'm pretty darn happy about it and that's not only because it's finally (almost? maybe? pretty please?) socially acceptable to listen to Christmas music (of which, I've been partaking the crap out of), but also because Thanksgiving is THE foodie holiday (cue the elation! cue the stretchy pants!). You get it. I know you do.
I've got some good news, though. There are actually a ton of great ways to make your Thanksgiving a li'l bit healthier* (without making it suck <-- objective numero uno) - like these sweet and tangy Brussels sprouts.
Fun fact: I never used to like Brussels sprouts. Yeah, no. Not even a little bit. You couldn't pay me to eat those awful, bitter, but admittedly adorable little cabbages (ok, so you probably could have paid me, every (wo)man has his/her price. I mean, they aren't insects or anything**).
That was until the hubs and I went to this little restaurant in Cincinnati called Vitor's Bistro. If you're ever in Cincinnati, you should go there and you can thank me later. On this particular night, we happened to have a groupon for a four course dinner. It was a chef's choice situation, so we had no clue what was going to come out of the kitchen (making it one of my very favorite dining experiences ever, btw, it was so much fun). One of the courses was a Brussels sprouts dish and it completely. changed. everything. Ok, not everything. But definitely my less-than-warm feelings towards those little green guys.
I use two methods to make these babies freakishly addicting - even for a non-Brussels sprout eater like myself.
- Blanch those little cuties! This removes most of their bitterness and is my #1 trick for awesome sprouts.
- Next: Give 'em lots of flavah and I'm not just talking seasonings here. I've tried just roasting them in the oven with some seasonings and folks, as a person who isn't generally inclined to enjoy them, that just didn't work for me. They were still too bitter. They need love. They deserve love. So give 'em some. It's the right thing to do.
I really hope this dish makes it to your Thanksgiving table!
Enjoy <3
*Another great place to start? This fab round-up of healthy, 21 Day Fix approved Turkey Day eats (plus lots of great tips and tricks from yours truly to keep you from... ya know... eating everything 😉 ):
** Apparently insects being where I draw the line. Sorry, Andrew Zimmern, I just can't. Not for all the protein in the world.
If you make this recipe be sure to snap a pic and tag me @thefoodieandthefix or use #thefoodieandthefix on Instagram so I can check it out! It makes me ridiculously happy to see what you guys are making 🙂
📖 Recipe
21 Day Fix Red Wine Vinegar & Maple Caramelized Brussels Sprouts & Onions
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- ½ cup red wine vinegar + 1 Tbs, divided
- â…” cup water, plus more if needed, divided
- 1 lb fresh Brussels sprouts, stems cut off and loose leaves removed
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- 3 Tbs maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
Instructions
- Bring a medium-large pot of water to a boil. Add the trimmed Brussels sprouts and boil about 12 minutes or until they start to soften. Meanwhile, get a bowl of ice water ready to put the Brussels sprouts in to stop the cooking. Once sprouts have softened, drain them and add them to the ice water for a minute or two. Drain, slice each one in half and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat, add the sliced onions and ½ cup of the red wine vinegar. Cover. Cook for about 25 minutes or until onions have softened. Remove lid.
- There may be a little liquid left in the pan, let it cook out so that the onions can begin to caramelize. Once the liquid has completely cooked out, add â…“ cup water, stirring occasionally until that also cooks out. Repeat with another â…“ cup of water, letting it cook out again until the onions have fully cooked and have caramelized. (If you think the onions need to cook longer, add more water and repeat the process.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 Tbs red wine vinegar, the maple syrup and the liquid smoke, set aside.
- To the onions, add the Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper to season, then the vinegar, maple & smoke mixture.
- Turn up the heat on the skillet to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally until the Brussels sprouts caramelize. Check your seasonings and serve!
Notes
21 Day Fix Container Equivalents per Serving: ½ Green, 1 teaspoon of sugar
Weight Watchers Freestyle Points: 1
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: ½ cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 34Total Fat: 0g
Miriam - londonkitchendiaries.com says
Glad you had a good experience with brussels sprouts which changed your opinion of them. I always loved brussels sprouts - so exciting to see delicious brussels sprouts recipes like yours! Love the addition of vinegar & honey in your recipe - looks delicious!
Stephanie says
Thanks, Miriam! Me too! It definitely reminded me that there's no such thing as food you don't like, just food that you haven't had in the way that you like it yet.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
I am so excited that it's almost the holiday season, but also in disbelief that it's already here. Time is going by WAY too fast. I never used to be a big fan of brussels sprouts growing up, but now that I can make my own version, I LOVE them! This caramelized version with red wine vinegar and maple syrup sounds so good. Such a great way to jazz these up and SO perfect for Thanksgiving!
Stephanie says
Yes, exactly! I feel like we just got to Alaska but that was in June! How is it already November?? Same here, my mom never made Brussels sprouts (because she didn't like them!) so I only had them once or twice as a kid and HATED them! I think good food is one of the main benefits of being a grown-up. You can cook anything however you like! Thanks, Gayle!
Kate @ Framed Cooks says
Thanksgiving is my faaaaaaaaaaaaavorite, and you know there will be Brussels sprouts! Love this version!
Stephanie says
Yasss!!! Thanks so much, Kate!!
Demeter | Beaming Baker says
Waiiiiiit, can you save a seat for me, Steph?? Wait for meee!!! I can bring a wreath, some cookies and erm... my appetite. Can you bring all the main dishes and a few desserts? 🙂 It'll be the tastiest Thanksgiving/Christmas train, like ever. 😉 "Partaking the crap out of" <--- Have I ever told you that you have such an elegant way with words?? Bahahaha. I'm cueing the stretchy pants, and totally SO amped for all of the goodies you're gonna share this year! You know that I've been drooling over your pumpkin bars from years past... so I can only imagine what's to come! LOLOL on the brussels sprouts. Good to know you have a price. Hahaha. I now have to keep in mind that if I ever cook for you, I'll have to make the entire menu a surprise. Keep ya on your toes and such. 😉 Love that you totally nailed it with this dish! If you're cookin', I'm eatin'! Muah! Happy Thanksgiving season to ya, Steph! xo
Stephanie says
Hahah... there's always room for you, D! (Especially if you're bringing cookies!) I like to keep my prose both classy and sassy just for you. And I may be working on something pumpkin-y of which you can partake the crap out of on our fabulously delicious holiday train 😉 On surprise menus: You know you just love food when you are literally like "anything that I can digest is fantastic. Yep. Just put it on that plate right there." Thanks, Miss Demeter, Happy Thanksgiving season to you, too!! XO
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Wow, this dish sounds amazing Stephanie! I love the colors and the flavors. I bet the combo of the tangy red wine vinegar, sweet maple syrup and liquid smoke is wonderful. I LOVE brussels sprouts so I will definitely be giving this a go! Thanks for sharing.
Stephanie says
Thanks, Mary Ann! Yes, it really is a great combo of flavors, I hope you love them!
Rachel @ Bakerita says
Brussels are definitely one of my favorite side dishes! These look so good - love the red wine vinegar and maple flavors you used 🙂
Stephanie says
Thanks, Rachel! Something about Brussels sprouts really says "holidays" to me! I'm not even sure why, my family has never made them for any holiday. 🙂
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
Yes Yes, I'm ALL aboard the holiday train... even though Boy and I are going out to dinner for Thanksgiving. Lol. But hey, I've made all sorts of dishes for the blog, so I feel like I've already ate Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner a few times over. 😉 I am a brussels sprouts LOVER. Like gimme them ALL, so I am drooling over these!!!! I have maple sprouts coming to the blog soon, but now I feel all sorts of inadequate because yours are GORGEOUS! Can't wait to make these!!! Cheers! <3
Stephanie says
That's awesome! Sometimes we go out to dinner for Easter if we don't make it home to the fam (which we won't this year) and it's kind of awesome. Bahaha... I KNOW I'm going to be feeling that way when yours come out, my friend! Your photos are crazy-awesome 🙂 Have a great week, Chey! XO
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
YASSSS - "Thanksgiving is THE foodie holiday" INDEED!!! And I'm all for healthier options myself - so am so digging these Brussels Sprouts! Loving the liquid smoke usage - don't think I've ever enjoyed BS like this before - thanks so much - these Red wine vinegar Brussels Sprouts are definitely going on the must try list!
Stephanie says
Yes! The liquid smoke makes these! It reminds me of bacon and maple syrup 😉 Thanks, Shashi!
Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says
Our thanksgiving in Canada is over for the year, but these sprouts would be wonderful for Christmas! I call them 'little cabbages' too, lol 😀 That's exactly what they look like, right?? I really enjoy sprouts and hubby even more so. I haven't listened to Christmas music just yet, but have got my shopping started. Probably listen to Christmas music and watch Christmas movies in December. I can't believe it's that time of year again! Where did the year go?? Love the maple syrup on there. Pinning these beauties. Happy Monday, my friend!
Stephanie says
Yes they do! I juuust started my shopping (I've literally bought 4 gifts, so I really need to get on it!). I normally wait until December, too. I don't know what it is, but I'm really feeling it early this year 🙂 Thanks, Dawn! Have a great week! XO