Recipe: Vegan Miso Brussel Sprouts with Portobello Mushrooms

I made up a recipe the other day. I was in the store, saw brussel sprouts, remembered how great they are for your health, and had an inkling that portobello mushrooms would taste really great in the dish (plus, make up for the fact that there is no meat involved!)

I never ate brussel sprouts as a kid because my parents never bought it, so I didn’t grow up with yucky memories of the poor vegetable being absolutely bitter and disgusting.

I think they look kind of cute. Like mini cabbages.

Anyway, I have watched enough food network shows to know that brussel sprouts can be quite sweet if cooked properly.

A few reasons why brussel sprouts are great for you:

• Full of antioxidants
• Glucosinolate (cancer-preventing) content has been shown to be greater than in mustard greens, turnip greens, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, or broccoli
• Vitamins C, E and A
• Helps with inflammation
• Cholesterol-lowering benefits
• DNA protection if you consume 1.25 cups a day
• Doesn’t affect your thyroid function

Source: WH Foods, where you can read all of this in detail

Sounds a bit like a miracle vegetable right? Anyway, I like to eat them once in a while and I’ve been meaning to introduce more of them into my diet, other than just by boiling or roasting them.

Enter: The vegan miso brussel sprouts with portobello mushrooms dish!

Eaten with a side of rice, this is incredibly filling.

This whole plate can serve about 4 people, and by my estimates costs about $6 or less, including rice and the cost of a dab of miso paste and some sesame oil.

You don’t miss the meat (thank goodness for portobello mushrooms), and it is not at all bitter.

INGREDIENTS:

• Good handful and a half of brussel sprouts; look for small tightly wound sprouts because they tend to be more tender and sweeter (not as old)
• Portobello mushrooms (about the same proportion to the brussel sprouts)
• Miso paste (white miso paste, no dashi in it if you want to stick to being vegan/vegetarian)
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil (very flavourful)
• 2 tablespoons of water
• Cooked rice (I use a rice cooker, so I just wash the jasmine rice, rinse it twice, and pop it into the cooker, it takes about 20 minutes)

PREPARATION:

Total time: About 10 minutes if you work fast. 15 minutes, if you are slow like me.

Brussel Sprouts: $1.81 for 400 grams

• Wash and peel off the outer layers of all the brussel sprouts — the old, kind of peeling leaves, to get to the sweeter center. You want the brussel sprouts to look like a firm, round, mini cabbage.
• Chop off the hard little root/nub on the brussel sprouts (no one wants to eat that)
• Chop them all in half.
• Set aside.

Portobello Mushroms: $3.49 for 450 grams

• Scrub the mushrooms lightly with a dry brush or a cloth rather than washing them under water — mushrooms are like sponges, they absorb everything & with water, your mushrooms will turn soggy
• Slice all the mushrooms into strips — I don’t bother removing the little trunk of the mushroom because I like eating it and not wasting food, but you can snap it off if it bothers you

COOKING:

Total time: About 20 minutes

• Heat up your saucepan on medium on the stove.
• Throw in your sesame oil into a pan.
• Cook the brussel sprouts first, for about 5-10 minutes until they brown.
• Add in the portobello slices with the water and put the lid on for about 3 minutes, checking and stirring ever so often.
• Once the mushrooms have kind of wilted down, add in the pat of miso paste.
• Once everything looks cooked (brussel sprouts look tender) and the mushrooms are softer but still firm and not mushy, then it’s done.
• Plate and serve with a side of rice.

You can always add soy sauce to taste and some pepper if you wish.

I just ate them like that with a good side of rice.

I showed the dish to my mom and she made a face because she thought all the liquid was oil.

It wasn’t until I told her it was water, that she tried it and liked it, but as always, she is hesitant of anything that doesn’t contain meat, and she was even more hesitant knowing it was vegan. 🙂

ENJOY!