Mmmmmm, Brussels Sprouts!

Last week, I scored some beautiful, tiny, crisp Brussels sprouts at my local produce outlet. Had I known that the peak season of Brussels sprouts was wrapping up, I would have grabbed an extra bag.... I've never been great at tracking "peak seasons" of veggies, especially ones that my kids typically squawk about. But I had seen an interesting recipe in one of my magazines and it got my wheels turning.

I made them into a side dish (loosely based on a couple ideas from a couple sites that made things so much more complicated than I like to be in the kitchen!) that I just had to share with you all. It smelled so amazing and had some favorite ingredients in it, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the kids giving the dish a try. Not that they all loved it (and there were two alternate veggie dishes available to rescue them!) but they did give the dish a chance. A couple of them were actually won over by it.

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, rinsed, trimmed with visible mars or tough outer leaves removed
2-3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 sweet Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cloves (or more!) of fresh garlic, diced
2-3 Tbsp. cooked and crumbled bacon (I use the bagged stuff from Co$tco)

Steam the Brussels sprouts in the microwave till just tender. They should be tender to the fork and still fairly bright green. Make sure they aren't over-cooked and turning dark green. Drain well and set aside.

While the sprouts are steaming, lightly saute the onion and the garlic in the olive oil on medium heat. Be sure to use a pan deep enough to hold the Brussels sprouts when you do this!

Lightly salt and pepper the sauteed onions and garlic. Add the Brussels sprouts to the onion mixture and gently toss. Saute for an additional 3-5 minutes, with the heat raised up slightly. The sprouts should start to get lightly browned from the oil and the heat.

Add the bacon and toss gently to mix and bring it to the same temp. as the veggies. Do not overcook, though!

Serve with a dash of fresh, shredded parmesan if you have it.

Enjoy!