Food for Living - The muscles of Brussels

This week I’ll be talking about one of the most powerfully beneficial greens for our health. The Brussels Sprout is synonymous with Christmas dinners but given their positive impact on health, you should make them a vegetable for throughout the winter.

The health benefits of Brussels Sprouts are far reaching. The fibre in these green leafy vegetables have been linked to lowering cholesterol, its compounds have been shown to protect DNA from damage, their variety of antioxidants have been linked to cancer prevention, and they are a great source of both Vitamin C and Vitamin K.

I found this recipe on Bord Bia’s website, which is a great website for recipes. Once you have cooked your Brussels Sprouts, you can actually coat them in anything – I had a lovely dish where I coated them in orange zest and toasted hazelnuts the other day!

On a sadder note, I won’t be returning for my weekly column in 2012. I’ve had a great two years writing and I’m very thankful to all the staff at Cork Independent. I also really appreciate all of the feedback and interest I have had in my work around healthy eating.

I’ll continue to write about food and health so keep an eye on my website for my regular articles and blog posts.

In addition, from January, I’ll be selling tailored meal plans for people who really want to get back on track in the New Year. I’ll be starting with a seven day weight loss plan and a seven day cholesterol lowering plan.

Happy Christmas to you all and all the best for 2012.

Chilli and Garlic Brussels sprouts

1 kg Brussels sprouts, trimmed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced

Squeeze of lemon juice

Salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Trim the sprouts and place in a saucepan of boiling salted water. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes depending on the size of the sprouts. While they are cooking heat the oil in a pan and sauté the shallots, garlic and chilli for a couple of minutes over a medium heat. They should be soft and not coloured.

When the sprouts are cooked, drain them well, then stir through the shallots, garlic and chilli mixture along with a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and black pepper to taste.