Quinoa pilaf with brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes

Do you like brussel sprouts?

Probably not, because no one does. 

Unless of course, you're my husband - who, perplexingly, lists them as his favourite vegetable.

Anyway, as part of my conscious effort to cook more of the foods Mitch loves and I despise, I decided to fight my gag reflex and incorporate some of the bitter-tasting bastards into last night's dinner. 

Ugh.

And just like the mushroom episode, I was somewhat pleasantly surprised. Yes, it probably had a lot to do with masking their shittiness with olive oil, pepper and salt before roasting and burying them in quinoa and a handful of other tasty ingredients. 

But still, I chewed and swallowed them and they didn't even do a u-turn back up my esophagus. 

I ate every last morsel of the delicious meal - I might have even gone back for seconds.

So if you usually baulk at the sight and taste of brussel sprouts like I do, trust me on this one and try the below recipe, which I adapted from A Chow Life. And if you still hate them after that, you'll at least be rewarded with a high dose of vitamin C, antioxidants and fiber for your pain and suffering.

I tweaked the original recipe by skipping the bacon and adding a couple of teaspoons of wholegrain mustard.

Quinoa pilaf with brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes

Serves 4

1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced thin

1 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cup of water

1 tsp sea salt

Cracked pepper

1 medium sweet potato cut into small cubes

600g brussel sprouts, sliced in halves

2 tbs olive oil

2 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 garlic clove, crushed

shallots, sliced, to garnish

In a medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid, cook the onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil until soft. Stir through the mustard. Add the quinoa and toss until mixed well through the onion and the grains are slightly toasted. Add the water and half of the salt, bring to the boil, stir once, cover, reduce to low and let cook undisturbed until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender - about 15 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, toss the sweet potatoes and sprouts with the remaining olive oil and salt and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the potatoes and sprouts begin to brown and the potatoes are tender.

When the quinoa is cooked, stir in the potatoes and sprouts. Top with the fresh shallots and cracked pepper.