Ever hear the philosophy that your “normal” diet is what’s served to you by your parents?  Well, my parents never served brussel sprouts.  Never.  So I hadn’t had them until just over a year ago when friends ordered them while we were out for dinner.  Oh my, were they amazing!  They are now one of my favorite side dishes and now they’re part of my kids’ diet.

Here’s a super simple preparation:

Ingredients

• 1 lb brussel sprouts
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Fresh black pepper
• Parchment paper

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Prepare the brussel sprouts – trim a bit off the base, peel off any brown outer leaves, and cut in half lengthwise (see picture below).

• Toss with a bit of olive oil.
• Spread the brussel sprouts out on the parchment paper.
• Grind some sea salt and black pepper over the brussel sprouts.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Turn every 15 minutes.  They’re done cooking when the insides are tender and the loose and outer leaves are brown and crispy.