garlic roasted brussels sprouts

brussels sprouts. having been a freak from a very early age, it comes as no surprise that i've always loved these diminutive little cabbages, ever since i was just a sprout myself. of course it may have had something to do with the fact that, in my home, they were cooked with a leg of rabbit *shudder* which both terrified and delighted me even then. although so tender and tasty and moist, there was something about the flesh of a rabbit and its thin, narrow bones that reminded me of.....no, not chicken. cat. felines maximus. specifically i imagined it tasted much like our cranky old calico cat would. junior was her name, and she would nest in my long tangled hair every night. and i didn't want to eat her because i loved her. maybe this was the seed of my vegetarianism...

as i got older and more prone to the meatless way, the rabbit part of the brussels-sprouts-equals good-food equation faded away and i was left with just my green, curley-headed little buddies. usually i ate them steamed with maybe a drizzle of soy sauce and garlic. it was only recently that i discovered the miracle of roasting. having been so happy with my formerly minimalist approach to sprouts it never occurred to me to do anything other than steam them. recently however, i've come across roasted brussels sprouts in "traditional american comfort food" type restaurants and cookbooks everywhere. and i'm a convert. the following recipe has been adapted from the vegan with a vengance cookbook. i'm posting the recipe as written here with my modifications in parenthesis. i usually cut back on the oils and fat and i find the result is still very tasty.

roasted brussels sprouts
1 lb. brussels sprouts, washed and halved
1 Tablespoon olive oil (i use pan spray)
3 cloves garlic, chopped (i use more like four or five!)
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (i add salt to taste)

toss the brussels sprouts with the olive oil and roast in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. remove from oven and add garlic and salt. roast for another five minutes. i modify by generously spraying the roasting pan with pan spray instead of tossing the sprouts in oil and spraying the top once they are in the pan to prevent burning. i also add only half the garlic at the ten minute interval, adding the rest at the end of the baking time raw. yes, raw. this is only for the die-hard garlic fan.