How to Make Brussels Sprouts Taste Good to Your Kids

It is a fact of life that many kids hate the taste of brussels sprouts. They complain about the pungent smell, the funny texture, and the repulsive taste. In fact, one little person I know compared the taste of brussels sprouts to the smell of dirty feet! If this sounds like your little one, you may be guilty of one fatal error when it comes to cooking brussels sprouts: over cooking. Over cooking or boiling brussels sprouts can release a cabbage-like odor and will have a negative effect on the taste of brussels sprouts. Fortunately, it's not impossible to make brussels sprouts taste good to your kids.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Three Large Handfuls of Fresh Brussels Sprouts
• Fresh Clove of Garlic
• Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Bacon (uncooked)
• 1/2 Cup Walnuts
• Medium Sized Wok or Non-Stick Pan

1. 
   Brussels sprouts are best when they're fresh.

   Buy fresh brussels sprouts from the produce section. Look for small brussels sprouts that have light green leaves. Buy organic if you can afford it. Whatever you do, avoid buying frozen brussels sprouts.

2. Wash the brussels sprouts in cool tap water. If you're having trouble getting the sprouts clean, you may have to remove the outer leaves.

3. Cut each brussels sprout in half. It doesn't matter which way you cut the sprout, just as long as you use a sharp knife to get an even cut.

4. Place a wok or any type of non-stick pan on the stove. Add enough olive oil to coat the pan. Turn the heat on medium-high

5. 
   Garlic is a natural way to bring out the flavor of brussels sprouts.

   As the pan is heating up, add a clove of fresh garlic. The garlic will season the oil and will bring out the flavor of the brussels sprouts.

6. 
   Walnuts adds flavor and protein to a brussels sprout dish.

   Add the brussels sprouts, half a cup of chopped up bacon, and a half cup of walnuts to the pan and saute until until the bacon is crispy and the halved sections of sprouts have a slightly golden color (around 5-7 minutes).

7. Season the brussels sprouts with sea salt. Serve as a side dish!

Tips & Warnings

• If you make the recipe above and find that your child still doesn't like brussels sprouts, don't push the issue. If they don't like brussels sprouts, try another green vegetable such as asparagus.
• If members of your family are vegetarian or have nut allergies, feel free to omit the bacon and walnuts from the brussels sprouts recipe.

[evgnspaces]

on 9/3/2009 Sounds like a good and healthy brussel sprouts recipe.

[FrazzledNanny]

on 4/6/2009 Thanks for the brussel sprout recipe. We lo0ve brussel sprouts but have never tried this before. I'm putting this in my favorites. 5*

[mcccmu]

on 4/4/2009 This sounds absolutely delicious - I'm definitely going to be trying it! 5*

[mamajoe]

on 4/1/2009 Yum- great idea.

[waters]

on 4/1/2009 I will have to try this. 5*