Chickpea, Brussel Sprout, and "Sausage" Salad

Brussel sprouts have a bad rap. And I can understand why if anyone has ever had boiled, mushy, and soggy sprouts forced on them as kids. I, however, am very pro-brussel sprouts. They are actually the only item at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner that I put in a special request for. The trick is to bake or fry brussel sprouts - not boil them! Tossed with olive oil and salt and baked at 400' for 40 minutes is my favorite way to eat them. Last night I wanted to make a meal out of them, so I tried a receipe I found on Marcus Samuelsson's  website. Fast, simple, and yummy.

Two cooking notes:

• I used a food processor to save time shredding my brussel sprouts. I think in the future I would do this by hand to keep more texture in the sprouts. I think this would also make the salad more visually appealing.
•  Do not overcook the brussel sprouts! They should stay green and vibrant and slightly crunchy.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2  Trader Joe's Italian Sausageless Sausage
2 cloves minced garlic
red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and black pepper
1 lb brussels sprouts, shredded in a food processor or roughly chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 can garbanzo beans


Method:

1. Put the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, crumble the sausages into the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, to break the meat into relatively small bits, until browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and chile flakes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for another minute or so.

2. Add the Brussels sprouts and wine to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until the sprouts are tender but still a bit crunchy, 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Add the beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are heated through, just a minute or 2. Taste and adjust the seasoning.