In my family’s constant experimentation with diet and nutrition, my husband recently went ketogenic on me. He basically lived off of grilled brussel sprouts, chocolate sweetened with xylitol, and huge tubs of almond butter. He’s 6’5″ and it was a sight to behold him fuelling his lanky frame without carbs. I wasn’t convinced of the healthfulness of the keto diet (except the part about him growing new mitochondria – very cool), but I really did enjoy those grilled brussel sprouts. Of course, his brussel sprouts were roasted in bacon fat, which I can now happily enjoy. But what I enjoyed even more was drizzling balsamic vinegar on top of these brussel sprouts, because he couldn’t eat the balsamic vinegar while going keto, and it made the dish that much tastier.
Bacon is full of nitrates, even the kind without nitrates added. So, I can’t offer you a brussel sprout and bacon recipe, or a brussel sprout and balsamic recipe. But what I can offer you is my attempt to recreate the tangy sweet goodness of the balsamic vinegar on a bed of grilled brussel sprouts. I am very pleased with these. This recipe serves 2.
In a cast-iron pan, sautee the following ingredients together under medium-high heat until the garlic and onions are slightly caramelized:
1 T butter or ghee
1 T Red Palm Oil (for the vitamin E, CoQ10, and beta carotene)
1/2 Onion
3 Cloves Garlic
Next, add the following two ingredients and cook for a few minutes so the flavors are evenly distributed:
1 T maple syrup
Squeeze of 1/2 lemon
Finally, turn up the heat and throw in
10 brussel sprouts, halved
salt and pepper to taste
Grill these on the pan for a few minutes until the brussel sprouts are browned on the edges.
Enjoy!
