Sriracha Brussels Sprouts

As you know, the Accidental Locavore loves spicy food, but if you don’t, you can stop reading now.  The Sriracha means these definitely pack a punch! They started from a Pure Wow recipe for stuffed baked potatoes, but morphed from that, as I was looking for a new (stand-alone) use for some sprouts sitting in the fridge. The whole recipe took about 20 minutes and would feed 2 as a side dish.

• 20 Brussels sprouts, quartered the long way
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 cups Brussels sprouts leaves
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Sesame seeds
• Juice of half a lime

Steam the Brussels sprouts in a covered dish in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. While the sprouts are steaming, heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sprouts and toss to cover with the oil. Cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic powder and the Sriracha and cook for another 2 minutes. Taste and add salt, pepper, and lime juice to your liking. Serve, garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!

My verdict: These were good and spicy! Could be because I only had hot sesame oil, and didn’t taste the sprouts before I just squirted the Sriracha all over them! The lime juice helped a lot. If I hadn’t been awfully lazy that night, I might have also garnished my sprouts with some chopped cilantro, which is a surprising complement to Brussels sprouts. The sesame seeds mostly added texture, which is fine, but if you don’t have any, don’t sweat it. You could probably use minced garlic instead of garlic powder, just keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. I liked this a lot as a stand-alone dish, but am not sure about stuffing potatoes with it. Would you use it as a topping for baked potatoes?