Blog post by Sassy Gregson - Williams

http://naturallysassy.co.uk

Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year to be in the Kitchen, one of the only times of year the cooking is something everyone gets involved in. I’m unsurprisingly always in charge of the vegetables, making sure we have a bunch of snazzy veggie dishes that will satisfy me and work as brilliant sides for all the meat eaters. This year to celebrate Schwartz’s 12 Tastes of Christmas campaign with BBC Good Food, I received an incredible advent calendar filled with 12 of their herbs and spices of to inspire my Christmas creations. This roasted vegetable dish is one of the favourites I came up with, and incorporates the Christmas must-have Brussel Sprouts in a really delicious way. I was never a huge sprouts fan growing up, but roasted and seasoned to perfection I can’t get enough of them. The dish is spiced with Schwartz ground cinnamon, which matches perfectly with the sweet maple pecans, and is a lovely contrast against the very savoury sprouts. An easy addition to your Christmas menu.

Ingredients:

• • 1 medium sized squash (650g chopped)
• • 1 tsp Schwartz Ground Cinnamon
• • Seasoning of Salt
• • 3 tablespoons olive oil


• • 500g Sprouts
• • 2 tablespoons olive oil


• • 150g (1 cup) pecans
• • 2 tablespoons maple syrup (can use honey)
• • 80g (1/2 cup) dried cranberries

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Start by preparing the squash, peel and chop into small pieces. Mix the olive oil, salt and ground cinnamon in a bowl before pouring over the squash and mixing so it’s evenly coated. Put on a lined roasting tray, and place in the oven to cook for 30-40 minutes until soft.

For the sprouts prepare by taking off the hard ends of the sprouts, removing the outer leaf and slicing in half. Place on another roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil, season well and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

While they cook, make the pecans by simply mixing together the pecans with the maple syrup. Add to a small lined roasting tray and place in the oven for 20 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes. After 10 minutes add the cranberries to the tray, so they heat up but don’t burn.

Once all components are done, add all ingredients to a serving bowl and serve!