Brussels Sprout Tacos

Good vegetarian recipes are abound these days. And while I love the shift to vegetarian and vegan items, I have noticed that some products that are currently soaring in popularity are super processed. I think they are great on occasion, and eat some myself. It's a good idea to make sure you eat enough protein, of course, but vegetable heavy dishes can make excellent, lean meals.

This recipe came from a friend of mine who cooked this up a while back for me. She'd had some variety of deep fried brussels sprouts at a restaurant while visiting North Carolina. Upon coming home, she made her own version, shared with me, and voila: a star is born.

I mentioned I'd love to share this one and had her over for dinner one night for a cooking sesh. A great way to describe this recipe is easy. Easy to cut up some brussels. Easy to cook them for less than 10 minutes on the skillet. And easiest yet, building a taco. You don't even have to stack things. And I certainly like to skip out on deep frying when I can. A little bit of sautéing on the stove allows a little bit of searing of the brussels while maintaining the crunch.

I started out by cutting the brussels into quarters (bite-sized pieces, really) and tossing it in seasonings, stirring to coat them equally. This can be done in the pan or in a bowl, whatever works. I had just gotten a new pepper plant and wanted to take advantage of my source, so I chopped one up to cook with it. Totally optional, but a hint of a clue on the end of this recipe: peppers generally don't mess up a taco themed dish.

I cooked for 5-7 minutes over medium high heat, tossing frequently, until the brussels were lightly browned but not completely softened. I wanted to keep some crunch to them, but of course this is the customizable section of our recipe: do what you would like I love me some slightly crispy vegetables.  

I warmed up a few tortillas and served them up.

That's it. Dinner was done. I toasted my tortillas in the toaster because I'm fancy, then topped them with pickled red onions, parmesan cheese, a little drizzle of chipotle ranch and fresh cilantro.

I mean, I'm as surprised as you are at the simplicity of a dish with such robust flavor.

A little bit of seasoning went a long way to turn brussels sprouts into a taco base. The parmesan, pickled onion, and cilantro really made this at-home artisan taco shine. Yeah, I said artisan. All of this stuff is what makes you break down and pay $7 for a taco at some random place. It's like a craft taco. The only thing missing is homemade tortilla.

Given this took about 15 minutes to make, this may win the award for easiest dinner. Brussels sprouts tacos, you will not be forgotten in this home.

Brussels Sprout Tacos Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 cups brussels sprouts, cut into quarters

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 pepper (jalapeno or serrano)

1 teaspoon chili powder

Tortillas (corn or flour)

Recommended toppings: pickled red onions, parmesan cheese, chipotle ranch, fresh cilantro

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add brussels and seasonings. Toss to coat. Cook for 5-7 minutes over medium high heat, tossing frequently, until the brussels are lightly browned but not completely softened. Toast tortillas if desired. Add toppings as desired.