When you are a vegetarian and do not eat meat, you always want a meal to replace it, to be nourishing, healthy and a bit unusual: spicy, sour, salty or … baked.

Nothing is as great as replacing meat in the diet, with “smoked” food.

Today, we’re cooking a very popular American dish, which can often be found in local Californian restaurants – burned Brussels sprouts, and that’s exactly the way it should be! Slightly burnt.

It does not sound appetizing but surprisingly, tastes nice.

I bring my cabbage recipe to a new level: I mix it with shiitake mushrooms, which, in turn, are perfectly combined with truffle oil.

Don’t get upset if you don’t have the mushrooms and oil.

Replace the mushrooms with champignons, and forget about the oil. It will be delicious!

An important role in the recipe is lemon juice and gentle wine vinegar. No meat is needed! Nourishing, fragrant and very tasty.

Ready? Set? Let’s go cooking!

We will need: (2-3 servings)

4 cups (1 cup – 250 ml.) or 20 pieces of Brussels sprouts

5-6 shiitake mushrooms (can be replaced with champignons)

1/4 of a white onion

2 tbsp. of lemon juice

2 tbsp. of rice vinegar (can be substituted for any light tender wine vinegar)

1 tbsp. of truffle oil (optional)

Black pepper and salt to taste

Vegetable oil for frying and baking (I use avocado oil)

Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F.

Cut off the hard base of the sprouts and cut each into 2 pieces.

Coat it with oil, lemon juice, pepper and salt. Line the baking sheet with baking paper and distribute the sprouts one side up. Bake for 20 minutes.

Turn the sprouts over and leave in the oven until cooked. The sprouts should become soft, and the leaves in places crunchy and dark in color.

Cut the mushrooms and onions.

Salt, pepper, treat with oil.

Add some vinegar.

The onion must not be roasted, but become transparent.

Remove from heat, add the sprouts to the mushrooms and add truffle oil.

Done! It is tasty both warm and cold. Who needs meat when there are salads?

Bon appetit!