Savory Stuffed Brussels Sprouts
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I was never a huge fan of Brussels sprouts. The few times I had them growing up they were frozen in a bag, cooked to a mushy consistency, bitter and served with salt and pepper.
It’s sad because I always thought Brussels sprouts were cute little cabbages.
I hadn’t really given much thought to adding them to my diet until I researched the health benefits of the DIM diet. Brussels sprouts in particular have been shown to reduce oxidative DNA damage in humans which can decrease the risk of cancer.
Studies also show that low concentrations of cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels sprouts act like an anti-estrogen at low concentrations and as an estrogen-agonist at high concentrations; this is great news for anyone who is experiencing a hormonal imbalance.
That was enough to convince me that I had to find a way to include them in my diet. I tried to prepare them a few different ways, but most of the the gluten free Brussels sprouts recipes I found were boring. I needed something that really added amazing flavor to those adorably bitter mini cabbages.
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Then I realized I had been going about it all wrong. The best Brussels sprouts are the fresh kind, so I started learning ways to pick out the best ones. For instance, it seemed the pick-your-own variety tended to be on the larger side, but those were more bitter.
I’ve found the fresh organic Brussels sprouts in the bag have the best flavor as they’re not too big and I can boil out any bitterness they may contain. If you have to pick out your own, be sure to select medium to small sprouts as they seem to have a best flavor.
I only eat gluten free flour and gluten free breadcrumbs but they also need to be vegan, so I came up with a creative way to bread the sprouts so that the vegan breading actually stayed put! Because a lot of gluten free and vegan breadcrumb recipes fall short and the batter crumbles off of the sprout the second it gets hot.
Instead of using just one flour, I use two, along with many other ingredients to make it stick to the sprout.
The next question was, what do I stuff inside of the Brussels sprouts? After boiling, I looked around at each sprout and found I had to core out some of the tough center.
I did so carefully with a paring knife. You can also use a spoon if you’re unsure about kitchen knife safety.
At first I tried to stuff them with a clove of garlic and half of a cherry tomato; they tasted great but it was a very tedious process. Next I filled up the cored out sprouts with balsamic vinaigrette and my favorite vegan cheese: Miyoko’s Liquid Vegan Pizza Mozzarella.
That was it! No bitterness, and flavor all the way to the inside. I created the tenderest, most savory Brussels sprouts I had ever tasted. Not only that but they are vegan, gluten free, and fit into the DIM diet.
Stuffed Brussels sprouts can be eaten as a meal, as a side dish instead of unhealthy French fries, or as a snack throughout the day.
Without further ado, I present to you: Savory Stuffed Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:
2 bags of fresh organic Brussels sprouts
1 bottle of pure balsamic vinaigrette (not the dressing, the real kind)
1 Container of Miyoko’s Liquid Vegan Pizza Mozzarella (you could use small cubed vegan mozzarella if you can’t find the liquid)
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of basil
1/2 teaspoon of parsley
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/8 teaspoon of salt
A pinch of crushed red pepper
Breading
1 cup of gluten free flour
1 cup of gluten free breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of almond flour
1/2 cup of corn starch (you can substitute with a similar starch like arrowroot or potato)
1/4 cup of vegan parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 cup of vegan milk (I use cashew milk, but oat milk, soy milk, or almond milk will work)
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 400° Fahrenheit/ 204° Celsius. Grease a glass baking pan or lasagna pan.
In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Rinse off Brussels sprouts in sink, then carefully place each into boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes.
Combine all of the dry ingredients of the breading into a bowl, EXCEPT for the vegan milk. Place that in a separate container.
When Brussels sprouts are finished boiling, allow them to cool off completely, then gently core out the center being sure to keep the exterior portion of the sprouts intact. You only have to core out 1/4 of the way down so that the sprouts do not fall apart.
Dunk each sprout into vegan milk, and then roll them around in breading, coat well.
Begin lining up breaded sprouts onto the baking pan. Each sprout should be nestled in next to one another so they don’t fall over.
Pour in enough balsamic vinaigrette into the cored out space of each Brussels sprout. It’s okay if some spills out, it will caramelize at the bottom upon baking.
Pour in liquid mozzarella, or stuff in vegan cheese of your choice. Then sprinkle, oregano, basil, parsley, black pepper, salt and crush red pepper over the top.
Bake for 20 minutes, and check often to be sure the sprouts aren’t burning. Remove pan from oven, and let cool! Be careful! These little flavor blitz sprouts are going to be very hot on the inside.
You can cut them in half before eating or wait until they are completely cool to eat them whole. They will disintegrate in your mouth while exploding with flavor.