Grilled brussels sprouts you'll slap someone for

When I was a kid my grandmother used to boil Brussels Sprouts; I don't know if I've ever tasted anything quite so slimy and gross (sorry Grandma!), so when Katie suggested we make Brussels Sprouts a few years ago I thought she must be crazy. But we did it anyway and, shockingly, they were delicious. We've done them about ten different ways, but grilling them is my absolute favorite.

If you grill the Brussels sprouts, it's nice to marinate them first because all that tasty goodness gets sucked up into that little mini-cabbage head. We used a little balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, olive oil and, of course, salt and pepper. The vinegar and mustard caramelize on the outside, and what you're left with is an amazing little popper.  

They are delicious to serve by themselves, but some rice, pasta, or bread really help them along. We went with rice because it rocks and it's ridiculously easy to make. However, instead of just doing straight-up rice we decided some complimentary flavors were needed. We ended up making a pilaf-y/pasta-ish rice dish that was so amazing I can't believe we'd never done it before. Essentially we made an Italian style tomato sauce with caramelized balsamic onions, garlic, green olives and sun-dried tomatoes... then we tossed it with rice instead of pasta - brilliant (yes, I called myself brilliant).

 
And while our presentation leaves a lot to be desired, I just couldn't take the time to plate it nicely because it pretty much needed to be devoured immediately...it was gone in about 2 seconds.