This recipe (adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen) brought to us by Kelly at Thanksgiving in Austin, 2014.
(Makes 4-6 servings; adapted from a recipe in Food and Wine by Jean-Georges Vongerichten.)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup pecans
1 lb. fresh brussels sprouts, stems trimmed and cut in halves or quarters
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T + 1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. + 2 tsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice (I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice)
2 medium avocados, peeled and cut into small dice
1/2 tsp. Vege-Sal, plus more to taste
fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450F (230C). Put pecans on the baking sheet you'll be using to roast the brussels sprouts, and when the oven is hot put the baking sheet in and roast 3-4 minutes or just until the pecans barely start to look browned. Remove from oven and put the pecans on a cutting board to cool.
Trim the stem ends of brussels sprouts and cut them in half, or in quarters if they're large. Most brussels sprouts don't need to be washed but if they do, use a salad spinner and spin them very dry or they won't roast properly. (If you can wash earlier in the day and let them air dry, that would be ideal.)
Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and olive oil. Put brussels sprouts into a bowl and toss with the balsamic mixture. Spray the baking sheet with non-stick spray and spread the brussels sprouts out and turn each one cut side down. Roast brussels sprouts 15 minutes.
While the brussels sprouts roast, coarsely chop the pecans. Peel the avocados and cut them into small pieces. Toss them in a bowl with the 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and season with 1/2 teaspoon Vege-Sal (or salt) and some fresh-ground black pepper.
After 15 minutes, remove baking sheet from the oven and quickly use a turner to turn the brussels sprouts over (they don't all have to be turned over; just turn as many as you can do quickly.) Put the baking sheet back in the oven and roast the brussels sprouts about 10 minutes more (or until they're nicely browned, as brown as you can get them before they would start to burn.)
Gently toss the hot brussels sprouts with the avocado. Season to taste with a little more Vege-Sal (or salt) and fresh-ground black pepper. Arrange on a serving dish, sprinkle pecans over, and serve immediately.
from KalynsKitchen.com.