Brussel Sprouts with bacon blue cheese and Spiced Walnuts Recipe

How to make it

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• For nuts--Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together all the dry spices.
• Stir in molasses, then add walnuts. Toss the mixture to coat the nuts.
• Spread the walnuts out in a single layer on a baking sheet.
• Bake at 325 for 10 to 15 minutes until the nuts have toasted and the seasonings have caramelized.
• Halfway through baking stir the nuts for more even coloring.
• Remove from oven and allow nuts to cool before using.
• For sprouts--Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the bacon and cook until most of the fat has rendered out and the bacon is crispy.
• Remove the bacon and allow the bacon to drain on paper towels, set aside for later, and crumble once cool.
• Drain off all but one tablespoon of bacon fat from the skillet, then add the peanut oil to the remaining bacon fat and turn the heat to medium/med-high.
• Once the skillet has had time to reheat, add the brussels sprouts and toss to coat with oil, then season with salt and pepper. Saute the brussels sprouts for about 10-15 minutes or until the sprouts are tender and caramelized, stirring occasionally.
• Deglaze the pan with the red wine vinegar, stirring and scrapping the botom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get up all those yummy caramelized bits on the bottom of the pan. Can add a Tbsp.of water if necessary to deglaze.
• Taste one of the sprouts to check the seasoning level, then adjust as necessary with salt and pepper - although remember you will be adding bacon and bleu cheese and thus more sodium.
• Add the crumbled bacon and spiced nuts to the pan and stir. Add the bleu cheese, then immediately remove the sprouts from the pan. Serve hot or at room temperature. Enjoy!