Everyone has one thing they never liked to eat when they were young. It could have been something we were forced into eating and now we still struggle to enjoy it.
I was lucky to have parents who loved food and always encouraged us as children to try different things to see if we liked them or not. My mom is an outstanding cook, but whenever I heard that cauliflower or Brussel sprouts were on the menu for dinner, I would dread coming to eat.
I can’t recall exactly what it was that made me dislike them so much, but I just couldn’t get them down. I probably sound horrible for admitting it, but it takes some honesty to come out and talk about our ridiculous food fears of the past.
I remember smelling microwaved Brussel sprouts with salt, pepper and parmesan, which actually sounds pretty appetizing, thinking back. It actually wasn’t bad at all, but as a young child I had crazy ideas that Brussel sprouts were bad for me. I thought the same about cauliflower, so the minute we sat down for dinner and I saw it, I was having none of it.
If you put a Brussel sprout or piece of cauliflower in front of me now, it leaves my plate pretty quickly and I look for more. As we grow into adults our tastes change and evolve and we look at foods we used to dislike with a different view and consider trying them again. I’m not the type of person that says things like; I hated that food when I was young, so I’ll never eat it again. I think behaving that way limits your tastes and limits your taste spectrum.
I think if we open our minds and give the foods we used to hate a second chance, we could have a different perspective. Now when I eat Brussel sprouts or roasted cauliflower, I get excited.
To increase our love of cooking and create a larger spectrum of taste, we have to be constantly sampling and trying new things. It helps to open our eyes and senses to new things.
This is a quick recipe I like to use for roasting little Brussel sprouts. Try it and see if you like it as much as I do.
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
1 bunch Brussel sprouts, washed, trimmed and cut in half
¼ cup olive oil
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
Directions
-Preheat oven to 425F
-Prepare a medium tray with parchment paper
-Toss the Brussel sprouts with olive oil, salt, pepper and vinegar
-Roast Brussel sprouts for 15 minutes and then cool slightly
-Toss the Brussel sprouts with the lemon zest and juice
* you can add a little bit of grated cheese on top if you have some
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