Candle-lit yoga, a soak in the tub and comfort food. Everything that a Sunday night should entail. Except, the comfort food is not mac and cheese (even if it is truffle infused) nor is it gluten-free pizza. It’s a one skillet dish that requires no thought and takes less than 7 minutes to create.
Simply toss chopped Brussel sprouts and apple in a skillet, add toasted pine-nuts and, volia, you have your meal. Perfect for a kitchen-lazy New Yorker; impressing friends on a detox or entertaining a vegan.
Brussel sprouts are the ultimate detox food. They up-regulate your phase 2 liver detoxification pathways and help synthesize your body’s most abundant antioxidant, glutathione. They are also rich in omega 3’s. Apples contain quercetin, a phytonutrient that has both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The pectin in apple helps to bind and eliminate toxins from the body. Pine nuts are rich in pinolenic acid which acts as a natural appetite suppressant.
Brussel sprouts and apples are at the start of their season now and are wonderfully grassy and crisp. If you associate Brussel sprouts with a sulfur pungency, it’s time to try them again. The sulfur emanates from over-cooking old Brussel sprouts. Keep this dish fresh and lightly cooked and I’m sure it will become one of your Fall staples.
Photo Credit: Hedi Swanson - 101cookbooks