WW Brussel Sprouts with Raisins & Pecans

This is another recipe I'm test driving so-to-speak in preparation for the holiday.

I love finding good veggie recipes because they're filling and low in points.

Contrary to what many Westerners think, veggies taste great if you know how to cook them.

This recipe serves 12 and it 1 pt per serving.  

You can't beat that!

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil

2 lbs trimmed, uncooked Brussel sprouts cut into 1/8 inch thick

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

6 cloves garlic, halved

2 cups reduced sodium canned chicken broth

1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup chopped pecans


Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Cook sprouts until they begin to char but are still bright green, about 3 minutes.
Add garlic and cook another 45-60 seconds.  Add broth and raisins; cook, stirring occasionally until pan is nearly dry and sprouts are just tender 8-10 minutes.  Add vinegar and pecans.  Stir to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste if needed.  Serve warm.

One serving = 1/2 cup.

Here's what I changed~

I used just 1/4 tsp of garlic salt as I didn't have the fresh garlic on hand.

I had regular raisins instead of the golden ones and I chose not to chop them.

I had frozen Brussel sprouts.  This is the only thing I would definitely change next time I make it.
If you're going to make this you really need to use the fresh Brussel sprouts and not frozen in my opinion.

When they thaw out they get soft and mushy and the consistency is just wrong for what this recipe is trying to achieve.  It also made it hard to try to cut them into 1/8 inch thick pieces so I just quartered them.

Because of the mush factor I decided it might be better to roast these in the oven.  I used my cast iron skillet and roasted them for a good 20 minutes, stirring half way through.  This helped dry them out a bit.

In addition I didn't use the 2 tsp of olive oil.  I simply sprayed my skillet with olive oil spray.

I will definitely make this again but I would use the fresh Brussel sprouts next time.

I guess cooking is a lot like life, you never stop learning.

Happy Cooking!