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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Roasted chipotle sprouts

First of all, I would like to apologise to anyone who read this post in it's half completed state. I'm going to blame my error of hitting the "Publish" button rather than "Preview" on post earthquake jitters! Needless to say I was rather embarrassed about releasing an incomplete post. Oh well, it's a reminder that accidents happen and we all make mistakes from time to time. ;-) 


We had a mix match Mexican inspired dinner last Friday night. I wanted to use up the rest of Cadry's black beans in soft tacos but there were only enough beans for a single taco each. I thought about my available ingredients for a while and came up with the following simple solution - spicy roasted vegetables. It had been a while since I made a batch of my Mexe wedges so they were definitely going to be in and I also recalled how delicious the chipotle carrots chips from where's the beef had been when I had tried them recently.

On this night I really felt like eating some greens so instead of carrots I decided to test the recipe out with brussel sprouts. I've enjoyed smoky sprouts before and spicy ones shredded into stir frys although I've never combined these two wonderful flavours with sprouts. Another bonus of using sprouts was the shortened cooking time as they take less time to roast than carrots.


It's a very simple recipe to prepare, after prepping your veggies it's just a matter of mixing through some finely chopped chipotle chillies in adobo sauce along with a bit of oil and salt before roasting in the oven. I used 2 chipotle chillies which gave the sprouts a decent amount of heat and added a bit of lime juice to the mix this time as I had been squeezing limes for guacamole and had a little bit of juice leftover. It's difficult to pick a favourite of these two vegetables roasted in this tasty blend as they are both unique in their own way. This is a different way to prepare roasted vegetables and they pair well with any Mexican themed meal, especially in cold weather when salad items aren't as appetising.


Before I leave you with the recipe, Kari of Bite-sized thoughts kindly nominated me for the Food Stories Award for Excellence in Storytelling. Many thanks Kari! I feel honoured to receive this award and am even more excited to hand it out to others who I believe are better storytellers than myself. The bloggers I would like to nominate are:



The Food Stories Award requires the recipient to share a random fact about themselves as well as passing the award onto 5 other bloggers. Here is my fact.

I don't wear any make-up at all and have never used moisturisers, hand lotions, etc. There was a stage in my late teens when I did wear make-up and I have popped a little bit on for an occasion like a wedding but I don't enjoy the heavy fake feel of it. I'm sure my skin is thankful for this and the other bonus was that I didn't need to consider product changes when transitioning to a vegan lifestyle.



Roasted chipotle sprouts (Adapted from where's the beef, originally from Tofu for Two)

500g brussell sprouts
1-2 chipotle chillies in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼-½ teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons lime juice (optional)

Preheat oven to 200C.

Trim the sprouts of their outer leaves and cut into halves. Place the sprouts in a bowl, toss the rest of the ingredients over the top and use your hands to coat the sprouts in the mixture evenly.

Bake in the oven on a roasting tray lined with baking paper for 20 minutes, flipping the sprouts after about 10 minutes.

23 comments:

  1. Your sprouts look great! I love your idea of adding a little lime juice too - something for me to keep in mind for future batches.

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    1. Thanks Cindy, the lime juice was a last minute thought that worked out quite well. I'm looking forward to cooking up more chipotle carrots soon.

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  2. These look amazing Mel, even for someone who doesn't much like brussell sprouts! And I am even more intrigued by the chipotle chillies in adobo sauce now :-)

    Thanks for carrying on the random facts - I am rather pleased to hear of your make up free tendencies, because I wear so little make up myself. I sometimes wonder if the minimal amount I use is even worthwhile so you may inspire me to drop it altogether on occasion. I like your list of tag-ees too and will look forward to their facts in due course!

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    1. Also, I didn't see the half completed post but do worry that I will do that one day because 'publish' is so close to 'save'! I hope you weren't affected by the earthquake?

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    2. Thank Kari, I wasn't a lover of sprouts until recently either. I hope you find a way to enjoy them one day!

      Thanks again for the award, they are always fun especially when you get to find out more about other bloggers.

      Apart from a surprise we weren't affected by the earthquake. It was a bizarre feeling as they are so infrequent in Victoria and the last one I recall was a lot smaller.

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  3. I love roasted sprouts but have never thought to pair them with these flavours - they seem a great addition to a mexican meal.

    thanks for passing on the award - will do my best to pass it on. I like your fact - I don't wear make up much either though I go in and out of habits - but I think hayfever is not a good match for makeup which is one of my reasons not to. It is one of those ironies in life that young girls often wear make up to look older and if they continue the habit it does indeed make them look older but not in the way they intended!

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    1. Thanks Johanna, I wouldn't have thought to roast vegetables with chipotles either before reading the carrot chips post on where's the beef. It certainly was a different way to eat sprouts and most enjoyable.

      It was my pleasure to pass on the award to you as I always love your stories as well as your recipes. I do like your insights about make-ups, so very true.

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  4. yum! i love brussel sprouts - so good when they are baked in the oven. Great idea! and congrats on the nomination :)

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    1. Thanks LiveLoveNYC! I prefer sprouts roasted in the oven too, they are so much nicer than steamed ones.

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  5. First of all, thanks for the award! :)

    Second, I of course love Brussels sprouts, but have never really thought about matching them up with smoky or spicy flavours. These sound so good, though, so next time we have sprouts on hand I'm definitely trying this!

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    1. My pleasure Theresa!

      I know you love sprouts so I'm sure you would enjoy them this way for something a bit different.

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  6. Cool! I'm always looking for new ways to eat my favorite veggie. Looks delicious.

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    1. Thanks luminousvegans, hope you enjoy the sprouts if you give this a try!

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  7. Those spicy brussels look amazing! I never think to roast mine with hot spices, definitely going to try that next season. mmm.

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    1. Thanks Jes, hope you can hang in until next season to get your next Brussel sprout fix.

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  8. Thanks for the award! What a lovely surprise! You're being too modest about your storytelling gifts. I always enjoy your posts and insights.

    That is a plus that you didn't have to find new beauty products when you were transitioning to a vegan lifestyle. That was something that intimidated me, because it can cover a lot of territory. There are so many ingredients to read and companies to research in terms of animal testing policies.

    The Brussels sprouts sound wonderfully spicy! I almost always stick with roasting with a little salt, but clearly I need to branch out!

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    1. My pleasure Cadry, I always get a kick out of reading your stories.

      It was fantastic not having to worry about researching beauty products as there is more than enough to consider with other aspects of your lifestyle.

      Prior to this, I was happy to use a bit of olive oil and salt for roasting but this recipe is perfect for when you need a bit more oomph with your meal.

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  9. WOW! How chuffed am I to get a nomination! Thanks so much!

    And on a chipotle sprouts page too - I feel doubly chuffed!

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    1. My pleasure Joey! It was perfect timing to hand out the award when posting about sprouts as I know how much you and Theresa love them. :)

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  10. My pleasure Jojo! I always enjoy reading your blog.

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