Brussel sprouts are tiny cute little members of the cabbage family and when I was a kid, I hated them! But now I love them and so do my own kids, which I think is pretty cool. Here is a tasty recipe for making your brussels sprouts and eating them too.

Ingredients ~ measurements are not exact and don't need to be... follow your intuition and taste buds on this one!

1 to 2 pounds of brussel sprouts, washed, trimmed and halved
2 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil
about a 1/3 cup of pecan halves roughly chopped
balsamic vinegar
parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions ~ Coat the bottom of a nice big pan with olive oil, lightly saute the garlic for a minute or so. Place the brussel sprouts cut side down in the olive oil and roast the brussel sprouts slowly over medium low eat until they start to become dark and caramely. Flip and cook on the other side until the brussel sprouts begin to soften and re acooked through, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mean while place the pecans in another pan and slowly toast over low heat until the nuts become fragrant and toasty brown colored, stirring often.

Next toss the nuts and brussel sprouts together.

Finally, I highly recommend topping with a generous drizzle of sweet balsamic vinegar and some parmesan cheese. This is seriously tasty! I hope you enjoy it should you decide to embark on this cooking adventure.

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herbalguac2 People either love them or hate them, yet as far as I know there is nothing else in the world like the lovely avocado. Tasty creaminess that adds just the right touch to so many dishes. In our house it is often the avocado that pulls everything together. It wasn't always so for me. As a child I would find them lurking in the taco salad my mother so often served. Like a little bits of pale green nastiness they would taunt me as I zealously hunted them down and banished every piece from my meal. As I got older my tastes changed and I found myself wanting to like avocado. Finally the answer came for me... salt. Salt! So simple, it brings out a special flavor in the avocado that makes it absolutely delectable. And all you need is a little, just a sprinkle to make the avocado's tastiness shine. Whew! I am grateful I figured that one out because now I love avocados and I am not sure I could live with out them.

I found avocados to be the perfect baby food for my children. Just cut one open and smash it up right in the peel. Tasty nourishing baby food. Luckily my kids never had my avocado aversion and they like them even without salt, go figure.

My favorite thing to make with avocados is guacamole, of course. I love to add as much flavor to my guacamole as possible with herbs. Forging out in my yard (as well as at the farm stand and grocery store) I search for any savory addition for my guacamole.

Favorites are ~

Herbs like chives, parsley, thyme, cilantro, and even basil
Flowers like spicy nasturtiums, borage, and chive flowers
Veggies like arugula, tomatoes, and peppers

This year my garden isn't in the best shape. We had a lot of construction right around our back yard and I found it wasn't much fun gardening with loud construction equipment rumbling right over my shoulder. Yet, I still managed to get a few lovely herbs planted and flourishing. And, with the help of my local farm stand, I found enough to make a nice version of my family's favorite dip.

Ingredients ~

Ripe Avocados
Herbs ~ I used cilantro, chives, thyme and parsley
Fresh Limes
Garlic
Salt, of course!

Method ~

Prep your ingredients. Chop the herbs up nice a small. I use a lot of herbs when I make this (probably about a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of chopped herbs to each avocado) and my kids still love every bite, even my 6-year-old who doesn't like "leaves." How great is that? Not only are my children eating avocados often with veggies for dipping but they also are getting lots of amazing green leafy herbs all chock full of goodness. It is enough to make my heart sing!

Mince the garlic. How much you use depends on how much you like garlic. My husband and I like it a lot so we use 1 to 2 cloves each. I mince the garlic with salt to help get the garlic's juice's flowing. Then I leave it on the side so my hubby and I can add it to our guacamole because raw garlic is too spicy for my kids.

Next, smash the avocados up on a plate, I use a potato masher for this. My kids love helping with this part. It is really fun to see the avocado turn into little green tubular shapes.

Then just mix in your herbs with a squeeze of lime juice and so salt to taste. Easy, healthy and delicious served with raw veggies, crackers or chips for dipping. Yum!

Avocado Nutrition ~

Despite their bad past reputation avocados are in fact good for you. Each bumpy skinned fruit is packed with heart healthy fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals including B vitamins, vitamin E, and potassium as well as antioxidants. So eat up and enjoy!