Brussels by the junior hippies

Kyle was out of town last week and I asked the kids what they wanted for dinner…

Brussels sprouts!!

And bacon!

Done and done.

And if you thought that was the end of their involvement you are very wrong. Because my junior hippies have some VERY strong opinions in the kitchen. I like that they are able to fully conceptualize a dish already. Whether or not they are conscious of it, they generally include a vegetable and carb in most things they come up with…as well as an animal protein of some kind (usually salmon, beef, or bacon, because those are their favorites).

I am pretty proud of this. Their ability to compose a meal is decently chef-like! It makes sense since it’s how we eat and all, but still. Whenever I come to write here I think of how lucky I am that my kids enjoy healthy food made from real ingredients and that my open ended questions about dinner aren’t met with replied like french fries or macaroni and cheese or whatever else you’d find on a “kids menu”. They do like those things, but apparently they like Brussels sprouts more.

Sometimes I feel bad sharing things like this because I know other people struggle with picky eaters and I definitely don’t want to brag. Parenting is SO HARD and I don’t want others to fall prey to the comparison trap that the internet makes possible in this day and age. If you are the person who this rings true for, then let me the voice you need to hear right now: you are doing your best and that’s good enough. Keep it up.

So anyway, they continued to add things to the dish.

P wanted roasted walnuts (he specified the roasted part) as well, and then they thought about it and decided it needed “some kind of sauce or dressing…and maybe some rice or quinoa”.

And that, my friends, is how my kids wrote their first recipe.

I made balsamic vinaigrette for the dressing. And threw in dried cranberries for little bursts of something sweet.

As for the grain, we went with quinoa.

And when I posted a photo on my IG stories I got SOOOOO many comments and requests for the recipe.

I mean, it’s not exactly a revolutionary recipe, but it was darn good.

So here it is:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 lb Brussels sprouts
• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 12 oz bacon
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• balsamic vinaigrette

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cook the quinoa with water (1:2 ratio of grain:water) and a pinch of salt until it is soft and fluffy.

Cut the bacon into 3-5 pieces per slice.

Halve the sprouts and toss them in 2-3 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt.

Spread both the sprouts and the bacon onto two greased baking sheets (you may need three baking sheets so you don’t overcrowd them, or they will end up steaming).

Roast for ~25 minutes adding more time as needed for the bacon to reach desired level of doneness.

Meanwhile, prep the walnuts by adding them to another greased baking sheet.

Once the bacon and Brussels are done, remove them from the oven and toast the walnuts for 5-7 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don’t burn.

To make the vinaigrette, mix together 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Mix everything together and toss with the dressing and serve.

Best part about Kyle being gone is I can hoard the leftover (fourth) portion allllll for myself for lunch the next day. 😛