As a side dish to the lentils Sanjeev and I were having for lunch one day I decided to make some brussels sprouts. Usually, I just roast them and finish them off with a balsamic glaze made with honey or sugar, but I also wanted to make sure they went well with the lentils - which were gingery and had a saucy tomato base.

For these brussels sprouts, I was thinking something different, but with flavors that would complement the lentils. Maybe something summery and kind of spicy, so I picked out some ingredients that might go well together, with lime as one of the main flavors. I thought the tamari would add some saltiness and umami, the touch of honey would balance out the spiciness of the chili powder. So I tasted the sauce as I added ingredients, deciding on the grated garlic clove at the end because I always love a little garlic in my dishes. And I made sure I roasted them long enough so they would crisp up before the sauce was added. They're super easy, not too spicy, and have such a nice tang from the lime.

Recipe:

- 1 pound of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half

- 1 lime (zest and juice). I used most of the zest from the whole lime and juice from about half

- 1/2 tsp of tamari or light soy sauce

- 1 tsp honey

- 1 tsp paprika

- 1 clove of garlic, grated

- dash of ground cumin

- 1 & 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

- salt (to your liking)

- pepper (to your liking)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack on the top and bottom.

2. Trim the Brussels sprouts and cut them in half. Prepare a half sheet pan with parchment paper, and either mix the sprouts right on the pan or in a bowl with the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Make sure to spread them out in an even layer on the pan with enough space in between so they crisp up when roasting. Roast on the bottom rack for 20-25 mins until fork tender (I flipped them halfway through) until a little browned and crispy then move to top rack for about 2 mins or until they’re crisped to your liking.

3. While the sprouts are in the oven, mix the lime zest plus juice (you can save a little zest for topping the sprouts when serving), tamari, honey, paprika, garlic and cumin. I combined the ingredients in a small saucepan on the stove over medium-low heat for just like 2 mins.

4. When the Brussels sprouts are done, either spoon the glaze on top or just mix them together.

If you try them, let me know what you think!