Gag me with a Brussel Sprout

Have you ever tried to feed your children something that they are determined not to eat? They take a bite and hold the food on their tongues (not a smart move by the way- that’s where ALL the tastes buds are, kids). When they finally decide to chew and swallow, the motion is followed by this supremely annoying and exaggerated gagging, and the whole time you’re thinking “WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM??? I just ate the SAME THING you’re eating. It was good. I’m not dead.”

I love brussel sprouts. I like to cut them in half, drizzle them with a little olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, and roast them in the oven… Yum. My honey loves them too. My kids- well, not so much.

Creamed corn is my brussel sprout. It is the food that I flat out refuse to take a bite of. It induces gagging and dry-heaving at the sight of it. My sister Lindsey will back me up on this. There was an incident when we were little involving my dad and a can of creamed corn- he was determned we were going to eat it. It was a total battle of sheer stubborn will (and let me tell you that is NOT a battle you ever want to get in with my sister because you will LOSE). Dad told us we had to sit at the table until we ate the creamed corn.

We sat.

And sat.

And sat and sat and sat and sat and sat and sat and sat and sat and sat and sat and sat and sat and sat and sat and sat.

Sometime around 11:30 or 12 that night Mom came home from work and told us to go to bed. We never did eat that creamed corn (and we never will!!!!!).

But my kids are gonna eat brussel sprouts.

Before you cook you will need all of these things to marinate chicken. The longer the better. But if you don’t have a whole lot of time, 30 minutes or so will suffice. Just slice your chicken breast thinly before you put it in the marinade- this insures optimum flavor in the minimum amount of time.

When you head out to heat up the grill (you could also remove the chicken from the marinade and saute or bake, but I LOVE GRILLED CHICKEN), start a large pot and a smaller pot of water on the stove. When the smaller pot comes to a boil, add your halved brussel sprouts.

When the large pot comes to a boil add thin spaghetti. I like whole wheat pasta, but any kind will do. The brussel sprouts will need to cook for about 8 minutes- then drain. Cook the pasta according to package instructions (don’t forget to salt your water and add a little olive oil), and when you drain the pasta, reserve about 1/2 cup of the liquid. Grill your chicken.

In the spirit of not washing as many dishes, put the pot you used for the pasta back on the stove. Add your chopped garlic, olive oil, and crushed red pepper. Cook garlic until tender. Add brussel sprouts and saute for about 3 minutes (they will look a little toasty and golden).

Add the reserved liquid from the pasta and then the cooked thin spaghetti. Toss evenly to coat. When chicken is cooked through, slice and serve on top of the pasta.

Yes. My kids ate this. Gag-free dinner AND we ate vegetables! That’s a win in my book.

This post was linked to Greenslove: Kale and Carmelized Onion Tart by Savoring Every Bite— check out the recipe listed there AND the links to lots more recipes for leafy green foods on the other blogs listed at the end of the post!

Grilled Chicken Pasta with Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients

Marinade–

• 1/2 cup lemon juice

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

1- 1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breast

1 box thin spaghetti

12-ish brussel sprouts, halved

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

To Make

Mix the ingredients for the marinade with a wisk in a medium bowl until well combined. Pour over chicken breast and cover. Let it stand in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or as much as overnight). Bring two pots of water to a boil- one large and one medium. Cook the brussel sprouts in the medium pot for 8 minutes and then drain. Grill the chicken. Cook the pasta in the large pot according to package instructions, and reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid before draining. Put the pasta pot back on the stove and add the 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic, and crushed red pepper. Saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the brussel sprouts and continue cooking for about 3 minutes. Add the reserved liquid and the pasta, and toss to coat. Slice grilled chicken and serve over the pasta and brussel sprouts.