Brusells Sprouts are Better than Candy

Me and the Boyfriend went on a little mini vacay this past weekend with some dear friends. We mainly used it as a detox weekend, and drank fresh juices everyday, herbal teas, practiced hours of  yoga, did some aura cleansing and ate only fresh vegan dishes like this one, Brussels Sprout with Avocado and Pistachios,

 listed below.

Those are all LIES LIES LIES.

We drank tons of wine and coffee and strawberry margaritas and ate some fantastic fried seafood and the whole condominium smelled like bacon from the moment we got there. I have no idea if anyone did yoga or did anything with their aura.

The only thing that cleansed, as far as I know, were 3 pounds of shrimp* by two very patient souls fueled by Mohua Sauvignon Blanc.

The Brussels Sprouts recipe is the truth, however.

It came from my chef-buddy Jean Georges Vongerichten, who really wanted to come to the beach with us, but couldn't, so he sent along this recipe for us. And he published in Food and Wine for y'all to use as well.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten first created this side dish as an all-green one, using pistachios. "When I tried it with pecans, though, it was even better," he says. The unconventional combination plays with textures (crisp roasted sprouts, creamy avocado) and flavors: "When you roast Brussels sprouts, they get sweeter; but when you warm avocado, it gets a little more bitter."

• Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
• 1/2 cup pecans (like JGV, we used pistachios, because we had them)
• 1 Haas avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice

Preheat the oven to 400°. Spread the pecans in a pie plate and bake for 5 minutes, until toasted. Let cool, then coarsely chop.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until bright green, about 3 minutes. Drain, cut in half and pat dry with paper towels.

On 2 large rimmed baking sheets, toss the Brussels sprouts with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and turn them cut sides down. Roast in the upper and lower thirds of the oven for about 20 minutes, until nicely browned on the bottom; switch the baking sheets halfway through roasting.

In a large bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with the pecans, avocado and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with the vinegar and serve.

* Stay tuned for other delicious food and wine pictures form the beach. I documented everything that would not get us arrested.