As a kid, brussel sprouts were about the only vegetable I didn’t like.  Mostly that’s because the only times I had them they were from the freezer section and steamed.  In the past few years (once I had them roasted), they’ve become one of the veggies I crave most.  And today I figured out a way to make them even better than I have in the past.

Instead of roasting my chicken, and then roasting my brussel sprouts separately, I decided to kill two birds with one stone (a rather apt saying in this case). I put the sprouts in the bottom of the cast iron skillet (along with the giblets, which went in the center) and then placed the bird on top with just a little rub of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

When it came out, I had this. Oh my heavens, these were amazing!!  I mean, the chicken was good, but the sprouts!  I’d waste a chicken just to cook them like this!  (OK, that’s a lie, I’d at least turn that chicken into some yummy broth.)

After I scooped the chicken and sprouts out of the pan, I put in some cauliflower and a bit of water to both deglaze the skillet and cook the cauliflower.  Then I put all of that into my new fave toy (the Vitamix) with a couple tablespoons of nutritional yeast (for cheesiness) and blended it into cauliflower puree.  I put the puree in a bowl, topped it with chicken and sprouts, and dug in. Highly, highly recommend!

OK, now back to eating spouts….