One of the nice things about running this blog is that I get to have vegan Thanksgiving all November long. I never had vegan Thanksgiving at all before I started blogging: my family never would’ve tolerated a turkey-less holiday. But now I’ve got a whole month to share sides and mains and desserts. My husband and I have a vegan Thanksgiving dinner at home at least twice a week during the month or so leading up to the holiday. I first shared the recipe for these Brussels sprouts back in 2013, my first year of blogging, and feeling the need to round out the meal, I made a handful of other Thanksgiving-y dishes to go with it. That was when it first dawned on me that I’d found a way to enjoy some (okay, lots of!) vegan Thanksgiving meals, even if they don’t occur on the actual holiday.
These days my family as a whole actually leans more towards vegan, so while the entire meal isn’t vegan, it’s getting close. And it’s pretty cool to see everyone enjoying the assortment of vegan dishes that show up at the table. If I could only get everyone (i.e., mom) to enjoy Brussels sprouts. I’m not sure it’ll happen, but I think if there’s dish that could do it, it’d be this one.
The sprouts for this get sliced nice and thin. I love all my Brussels sprouts, but sometimes when they’re whole or even halved or quartered it can be like, dude, this is a lot of sprout to chew. Sliced sprouts are much more delicate. And slicing your Brussels sprouts you the opportunity to reach a higher seasoning to sprout ratio, which can mitigate the sprouts’ bitterness (which I happen to love, but to each his own). Once you’ve got your sprouts sliced, begin making the dish by heating a bit of olive oil in a skillet. Add some garlic and sauté it for just a minute, then add the sprouts and sauté them until they just begin to tenderize and turn bright green. Next, in goes some white wine. Let it cook off, then add Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
You’ve got to love a holiday side that comes together in minutes.
Tips for Making Awesome Dijon Brussels Sprouts
Don’t slice the sprouts too thick or too thin. Use a sharp knife and get them to about ⅛ inch thick. Too thick and they won’t cook all the way through. And if you cut them paper thin they’ll get soggy when you cook them. If you like soggy vegetables, go for it! I prefer whole grain Dijon mustard for this recipe, and Trader Joe’s brand is my favorite. It’s also super cheap! I don’t recommend making this one ahead of time. Again, the sprouts will get soggy. In fact, I recommend cooking the sprouts immediately before serving. What you can do is slice the sprouts a day or so in advance, so the prep work is minimal the day of serving. This recipe calls for white wine. As always, check with Barnivore to ensure yours is vegan. The “Brussels” in Brussels sprouts refers to the city of Brussels. So capitalize it and put an “s” on the end. I guess that isn’t really a recipe tip, but it drives me nuts when people don’t do it.
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