Kale and Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Almonds

Kale and Brussels sprouts are a compatible pair in this very green side dish. A flexible recipe, you can use other greens instead of kale.

Chard, mustard greens, escarole, broccoli rabe — or any combination thereof — can be used in place of kale if you’ve got these other greens on hand.

Halves of Brussels sprouts look appealing mingled with leafy greens, and they taste great together, too. Enjoy this side dish, filled with green goodness, in the fall and winter when hardy greens and Brussels sprouts are plentiful.

Lacinato kale

EASIEST VEGAN PARMESAN-STYLE TOPPING

Here’s a tasty and beneficial topping for simple vegetable dishes like this one as well as vegan pasta dishes. Homemade vegan Parmesan is usually a combination of nutritional yeast plus ground cashews or almonds.

This version is even easier because you don’t need a machine to make it. Just two ingredients — almond flour (found in most natural foods stores) and nutritional yeast, fondly known as “nooch” — and you’ve got a great topping for pasta dishes like this one featuring spaghetti and zucchini noodles. 

A tablespoon or two of this topping provides you with a nice dose of Vitamin B12 (from the nutritional yeast), and almond flour is a great source of Vitamin E and calcium.

What to do: Simply combine a more or less equal amount of nutritional yeast and almond flour in a small container. I usually go with 1/2 cup of each. For that amount, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt; add more to your taste.

Mix it up well, then cover any unused portion tightly. This will keep well in the fridge almost indefinitely, but there’s no way you’ll make it last that long!

Yield: 4 to 6

Kale and Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Almonds

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Kale and Brussels sprouts are a compatible pair in this very green side dish. You can use other greens you have on hand instead of kale.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds
• 10 to 12 ounces Brussels sprouts, stemmed and halved
• 10 to 12-ounce bunch kale (any variety — lacinato is good in this)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more, to taste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Vegan Parmesan for topping (see info above recipe box), optional

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet. Add the almonds and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and beginning to brown lightly here and there. Stir occasionally. When done, transfer to a bowl or plate.
2. In the same skillet, combine the Brussels sprouts with about 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook until tender-crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and remove to a bowl and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, cut the leaves away from the kale stems. cut into ribbons, about 1/2 inch in width if using lacinato; or bite size pieces if using curly green or Russian kale. Give the kale a good rinse.
4. Heat the oil in the same skillet. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute or so. Add the kale. Sauté over medium heat, stirring often, until the kale is tender to your liking, about 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Stir the Brussels sprouts back in, then season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Scatter the almonds over the top. 
6. Serve at once straight from the skillet or transfer to a serving container.

If you like this greens and Brussels sprouts due, you might enjoy …

Brussels Sprouts with Chard (or other leafy greens)

Here are more easy vegan salads & side dishes.

Top three photos: bfohack22/Bigstock