Maple Miso Thanksgiving Brussel Sprouts
For the most flavorful of Thanksgivings, try these Thanksgiving Brussel Sprouts flavored with miso, maple, and Chinese 5-spice for a rich, sweet and salty, umami and complex side dish. While these brussel sprouts don’t need to be limited to Thanksgiving, they will be a wonderful addition and a great added bit of veg to any feast you have planned.
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The Perfect Thanksgiving Feast
Thanksgiving flavors have never been my favorite. The same handful of spices are used again and again, and often not enough of any of them. I tend to find the food heavy and flat, primarily just salty and savory, without any of the spicy, sour, or bitter flavors that make my mouth dance. Some of that might come from the fact that Thanksgiving food is notoriously centered around a dead animal (and I haven’t eaten meat for a long, long time), but I’ve just really never got what the big deal was about mashed potatoes and stuffing.
So when I make my own Thanksgiving food, I like to stick to traditional Thanksgiving ingredients and dishes but to add more levels of flavor and create more dynamic takes on traditional dishes. I think that by adding a touch of chili (a crop native to the Americas), a little variation in spices, and a splash of acid, you can really elevate your Thanksgiving side dishes. On an interesting note, I’ve heard a lot of first-generation American children complain that their Thanksgiving dishes weren’t “normal”, and had things like gochujang, miso, or hoisin flavoring all the dishes. I think it’s a great reminder that food can be appreciated differently from different perspectives, situations, occasions, life stages, and more.
So make the Thanksgiving foods you like, and don’t be afraid to try new things. If you like the traditional Thanksgiving feast, go ahead and make all the classics. If you don’t, you really don’t have to. In the past we’ve celebrated with different themes, including all foods native to the Americas, and making a full Indian feast. Another year we chose to just make vegetable dishes that we’re actually good. Play around with it, and share- what is your favorite type of Thanksgiving foods?
Here is my annual reminder that if you’re looking to do a little something to try and right the wrongs done to turkeys this time of year, you can symbolically adopt a turkey living in a sanctuary for farm animals. Follow this link if interested.
Looking for Delicious Vegan Thanksgiving Sides? Try one of these!
- Green Bean Salad with Truffle Oil
- Vegan Cornbread with Roasted Tomatoes
- Roasted Cranberry and Lima Bean Thanksgiving Salad
- Ginger Walnut Lettuce Cups with Persimmons
- Quinoa, Edamame, and Roasted Broccoli Salad
- Avocado Mashed Potatoes with Porcini Gravy
- Black Walnut and Maitake Mushroom Pâté
- Crunchy Sesame Crusted Delicata Squash
- Roasted Potatoes in Creamy Fenugreek Leaf Sauce
- Golden Beet & Kohlrabi Recipe: Root Vegetable Latke
- Sweet or Savory Vegan Pawpaw Cornbread
- Curry Leaf Oven Roasted Carrot Recipe
- Kabocha Squash Vegan Tempura Sushi Roll
- Rosehip Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce
- Vegan Stuffing with Mushrooms and Apples
- Easy Baked Beets
- Roasted Mini Eggplants in Tahini Sauce
- Indian-Spiced Vegan Warm Pumpkin Salad
How to Make Thanksgiving Brussel Sprouts
While I absolutely LOVE roasted Brussel sprouts, we’re going to shake things up a little by shredding them to give us a bit of a different textural experience. The easiest way to do shred a lot of brussel sprouts at once is with a shredding attachment to a mixer or food processor, but you can also use a cheese grater or a sharp knife. You’ll want to get the brussel sprouts ready first, and after that the dish will come together fairly quickly and easily. Sauté onion, garlic, ginger, and chili together in a generous amount of vegan butter until fragrant and softened. Add the brussel sprouts, mix them around to coat in the butter, and increase the heat. Cook hot and high, a little charring is lovely, for a few minutes until softened. The sauce at the end is where the magic happens. Combine miso paste, maple syrup, soy sauce, sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, Chinese 5 spice, and a little water, whisking really well so there are no lumps of miso paste. Pour the sauce over the brussel sprouts, stirring to make sure all of the sprouts are coated in the sauce. After a minute or two, any excess moisture should have been evaporated and you can remove the skillet from the heat. Transfer the brussel sprouts to a serving dish, add sesame seeds for garnish if desired, and serve.
Maple Miso Thanksgiving Brussel Sprouts
Ingredients
- 1 lb. brussel sprouts
- 1/2 medium-sized onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp grated ginger
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1 tsp. dried chili flakes
- 2 tbsp. light miso paste
- 1 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp. Chinese 5 Spice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Start by prepping your vegetables. Shred or grate the brussel sprouts by using a cheese grater, a grating attachment to your food processor, or simply slicing as thin as possible with a sharp knife. Mince the garlic and ginger, and dice the onion. In a jar combine the miso paste, 5 spice, sesame oil, maple syrup, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix well so there are no lumps, and set aside.
- Heat a little oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic, ginger, onion, and chili flakes and sauté, stirring, cooking until the onions start to become translucent. Turn up the heat and add the brussel sprouts and toss to coat in the oils and spices. Saute, stirring occasionally.
- Once the brussel sprouts have softened, pour the sauce over the sprouts. Stir so all the brussel sprouts get coated in the sauce, and cook for a minute or two so the excess water from the sauce evaporates. Remove from the heat, garnish with sesame seeds if desired, and serve.
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