These days I find it hard to believe there was a time I didn’t like sprouts.  Now I could eat them by the truck load and even though it’s not Christmas (or anywhere near it) I’m still eating them!  I’ll eat them boiled, stir fried, grated raw and these roasted ones.  Roasting helps bring out the nutty, earthy taste of sprouts.  Marry them with sweet grapes, crunchy walnuts and creamy pine nuts and I’m in sprout heaven.

A glug of balsamic vinegar also gives a sharp sweetness.  I’m totally in love with balsamic vinegar – it has the power to lift almost any dish, even sweet ones!  Add to any marinade or try a balsamic reduction drizzled over strawberries.  Yummity yum ?

I’m a new(ish) found mustard lover too.  I always thought it was too hot for me (being a spice wimp and all) but someone made me a sandwich with wholegrain mustard in it and while there’s a little warmth to it, it didn’t set my mouth on fire!  Instead it’s more of a tang with a truly lovely flavour.  More yummities!

For personal preference I roasted them for 20 minutes because I still like a bit of bite to my sprouts.  If you prefer them softer either par-boil for a couple of minutes before or roast another 10 minutes in the oven.  My advice would be to roast everything except the grapes for 10, add the grapes and stir, then cook the whole lot for another 20 mins.

And where has nutritional yeast been all my life??  I’m literally chucking spoonfuls of this stuff in everything!  It’s ‘marketed’ as a cheesy alternative to cheese but heck, it’s got such a lovely malty flavour that it can be added to almost anything savoury!  I bought a HUGE pouch of it as it was the best value thinking this will last me aaaages and I’m already on my second pouch!

So fellow sprout lovers, join me in embracing this much maligned vegetable, even when it’s not Christmas ?

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