Cranberry Orange Brussel Sprouts W/Walnuts

By ChrisP

Ingredients

• 1 stalk Brussels sprouts (or 1 large bag), trimmed and halved
• 1 pint fresh cranberries
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• zest of one orange
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Step 1

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. If you are using stalk of Brussels sprouts, start by carefully trimming the sprouts off the stalk. Be careful not to lose a finger or two. If you bought sprouts in bulk or in a bag, you have saved yourself the step of lugging a huge stalk of Brussels sprouts home from the store, as well as the task of trimming.

Next, trim the individual sprouts. Cut the woody end off the bottom, discard any loose leaves, and cut each sprout in half lengthwise. Rinse and drain your cranberries, and add to a large mixing bowl along with trimmed/halved sprouts.

Toss berries and sprouts in 2 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread evenly onto a baking sheet and pop into the oven to roast for about 40 minutes (stirring once halfway through cooking).

While the sprouts are cooking, get the walnuts ready for toasting. If you have whole walnuts, do a bit of rough chopping. Add the nuts to a small baking dish. With about 5-10 minutes left on the oven cooktime, pop the dish of nuts into the oven along with the sprouts and cranberries. Watch carefully to make sure they don’t burn. You just want them to darken a bit.

When everything is roasted and toasted, remove from the oven and toss together in a large bowl.

Using a microplane grater, zest one whole orange over top of the bowl. Orange zest really brings this recipe to life, so the more the merrier, and definitely don’t skip it.

In a small dish, whisk together 1 tablespoon each of olive oil, orange juice, and balsamic vinegar. Pour over the mixture, and toss with a 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Serve immediately or room temperature.