Maple Dijon Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad
Brussel sprouts were never something I would have eaten as a kid. My grandparents would eat them and they'd just look like soggy little cabbages on their plates and they smelled terrible. So gross. As an adult, however, I LOVE brussel sprouts. I don't eat them steamed like my grandparents used to, but have found a few other tasty ways to enjoy them. I also definitely recognize the potential health benefits these veggies have. They're high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Apparently, they also have the potential to reduce your risk of cancer and inflammation, and they improve blood sugar control. All that sounds good to me. These days, brussel sprouts are everywhere on menus, and I've learned that roasted brussel sprouts with some salt, pepper, garlic, and parmesan cheese are my jam. A delicious brussel sprout salad is one of my other favorite ways to eat these veggies.
This week, I had a bunch of fresh garden tomatoes to eat up from my in-laws, so I made BLT's. I had gotten a small bag of brussel sprouts in my Imperfect Produce box, and wanted to eat them before my husband went out of town over the weekend. But, hot roasted brussel sprouts don't really go with BLT's so I found this Maple Dijon Brussel Sprout Salad online and tweaked it a bit based on what I know I like and what I had in my fridge and cabinets to make this salad. It turned out delicious! It was extremely simple to make and was a perfect complement to a BLT. This dish is perfect to serve with chicken or pork. It's a little fancier than your standard garden salad, and was a good alternative for us, people who eat a lot of garden salads. The dressing had a nice little tang due to the vinegar and dijon mustard, but it was tempered by the maple syrup you add. The cranberries added a sweet bite to the salad which perfectly pair with the salty crispiness of the crumbled bacon. Simply put, this salad was yummy. I will definitely be making it again!
Try it out! This would be a perfect salad to put together for a dinner party you may be hosting or just a fun way to spruce up your weeknight salad game. Hope you like it as much as we did.
Maple Dijon Brussel Sprout Salad
Serves 5
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Salad:
2 lbs brussel sprouts
1 cup walnuts
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2-2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1. Cut the ends off the brussel sprouts and slice/shave the brussel sprouts into very thin slices. There's three ways you can do this. Here they are from easiest/fastest to hardest/most time consuming.
-- Use your food processor slicing disk. This slices them up so evenly and quickly, it's a no brainer.
Took me about 5 minutes. The food processor turns them into perfect shavings for a salad.
-- You can slice using a mandoline. This won't get them as thinly sliced as your food processor, but you avoid doing it all by hand. Careful! A mandolin is CRAZY sharp. Here's a mandoline in case you don't have one. They're great for slicing, shredding, etc. I use mine to slice potatoes when I make homemade roasted potato slices.
- You can slice by hand. This will take a while, but it can be done. I'd use a santoku knife probably and just slice eat sprout as thinly as possible.
2. Add shaved brussels to a bowl and add other salad toppings - cranberries, walnuts, bacon, onions.
3. Mix up your vinaigrette. I love my salad dressing shaker. It has liquid measurement marks on the side so I didn't have to pre-measure the EVOO and vinegar first. I just added those straight to the shaker and then added my mustard, salt, pepper, and maple syrup. Tip: Try your vinaigrette after it has sat for a few minutes. If it's too vinegar-y, add a little more maple syrup. If it's a little too sweet, add a dash of vinegar. You can also use a little more EVOO to mellow out some flavors. Add more salt to taste if need be.
4. Toss your salad in the vinaigrette just prior to serving. The dressing can make the sprout shavings wilt a little faster. Add a little more of your toppings to the top of the salad to make it look pretty before serving. Enjoy!
Tidbits and Tips:
- Since I can't have dairy, I didn't add any cheese to this salad. But, I think there are a few cheeses that would taste good on this salad. You could try some goat cheese crumbles or some shaved parmesan.
- This salad doesn't keep well over night, especially if it's already dressed. The sprouts wilt a little and the bacon gets soft. It's definitely best when first served.
This week, I had a bunch of fresh garden tomatoes to eat up from my in-laws, so I made BLT's. I had gotten a small bag of brussel sprouts in my Imperfect Produce box, and wanted to eat them before my husband went out of town over the weekend. But, hot roasted brussel sprouts don't really go with BLT's so I found this Maple Dijon Brussel Sprout Salad online and tweaked it a bit based on what I know I like and what I had in my fridge and cabinets to make this salad. It turned out delicious! It was extremely simple to make and was a perfect complement to a BLT. This dish is perfect to serve with chicken or pork. It's a little fancier than your standard garden salad, and was a good alternative for us, people who eat a lot of garden salads. The dressing had a nice little tang due to the vinegar and dijon mustard, but it was tempered by the maple syrup you add. The cranberries added a sweet bite to the salad which perfectly pair with the salty crispiness of the crumbled bacon. Simply put, this salad was yummy. I will definitely be making it again!
Try it out! This would be a perfect salad to put together for a dinner party you may be hosting or just a fun way to spruce up your weeknight salad game. Hope you like it as much as we did.
Maple Dijon Brussel Sprout Salad
Serves 5
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Salad:
2 lbs brussel sprouts
1 cup walnuts
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2-2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1. Cut the ends off the brussel sprouts and slice/shave the brussel sprouts into very thin slices. There's three ways you can do this. Here they are from easiest/fastest to hardest/most time consuming.
-- Use your food processor slicing disk. This slices them up so evenly and quickly, it's a no brainer.
Took me about 5 minutes. The food processor turns them into perfect shavings for a salad.
-- You can slice using a mandoline. This won't get them as thinly sliced as your food processor, but you avoid doing it all by hand. Careful! A mandolin is CRAZY sharp. Here's a mandoline in case you don't have one. They're great for slicing, shredding, etc. I use mine to slice potatoes when I make homemade roasted potato slices.- You can slice by hand. This will take a while, but it can be done. I'd use a santoku knife probably and just slice eat sprout as thinly as possible.
2. Add shaved brussels to a bowl and add other salad toppings - cranberries, walnuts, bacon, onions.
3. Mix up your vinaigrette. I love my salad dressing shaker. It has liquid measurement marks on the side so I didn't have to pre-measure the EVOO and vinegar first. I just added those straight to the shaker and then added my mustard, salt, pepper, and maple syrup. Tip: Try your vinaigrette after it has sat for a few minutes. If it's too vinegar-y, add a little more maple syrup. If it's a little too sweet, add a dash of vinegar. You can also use a little more EVOO to mellow out some flavors. Add more salt to taste if need be.
4. Toss your salad in the vinaigrette just prior to serving. The dressing can make the sprout shavings wilt a little faster. Add a little more of your toppings to the top of the salad to make it look pretty before serving. Enjoy!
Tidbits and Tips:
- Since I can't have dairy, I didn't add any cheese to this salad. But, I think there are a few cheeses that would taste good on this salad. You could try some goat cheese crumbles or some shaved parmesan.
- This salad doesn't keep well over night, especially if it's already dressed. The sprouts wilt a little and the bacon gets soft. It's definitely best when first served.
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