{recipe} brussels sprout salad

What took me so long to post a salad recipe in January?  I mean, are we all detoxing from the sugar rush of last year’s holiday season?  I know I am. I’m still trying to kick the habit of eating sweets every afternoon, even if it’s a mini-size chocolate treat.

I find that if I am consistent with my workout and start the day off to a healthy start, I don’t reach for the sugar as much,  but it seems the afternoon sugar cravings have stuck hard.  I will still enjoy my treats, but there is time and place for it. Eating it everyday, which I’ve done in the last 45?? days, is not so good.

Which brings me to this salad and eating healthier this month. Salads are easy to prepare if you prep all the ingredients ahead of time. For me, it’s on Sundays, I like to cut up all the veggies for what’s on the menu for the week. My first salad for the year, that I made at home, is this brussels sprout salad. I’ve been eating salad throughout the month, but they were all from restaurants.  Every time I make a delicious salad, I always think to myself “why don’t I do this more often?”. I have a lot of excuses…..I don’t have the time, I didn’t plan ahead and forgot to pick up the ingredients, ya da ya da ya da….none of them are really good excuses either.

So here’s to preparing at least 1 salad a month! When I say prepare, I mean make a bulk salad to eat throughout the week. Warm salad, cold salad…I’ll take any salad. Just need to make it.

Oh yeah, and I made homemade dressing too. I don’t know why I feel so fancy when I do this, I just do.  For next time, I will make sure to chopped up the shallots really finely, so there are no chunks in the dressing.

Want to take a bite?  Lots of crunch in this bite.

Brussels Sprouts Salad 

INGREDIENTS

For the dressing:

• juice of one lemon
• juice of one orange
• 2-3 tablespoons apple cider
• 1 shallot, minced
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:

• 4 dozen brussels sprouts
  • 2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled or chopped
• 1 cup almonds (I used 1/2 cup toasted almonds & 1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the lemon juice, orange juice, apple cider, and shallots in a small bowl. Add the olive oil in a steady stream and whisk for a minute or two, until it becomes creamy-looking.
2. Slice the brussels sprouts with a mandoline and slicing them as thin as possible. Discard the remaining bottom stem part since it’s not very leafy. . The thinner the shreds, the better the salad! Toss the shreds and loosen them with your fingers to they separate and fluff a little bit.
3. Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely chopped (I used pre-sliced almonds, and toasted it)
4. Toss the brussels sprouts, almonds, bacon, cheese, and dressing together. Serve immediately or within a few hours of tossing. (I kept the salad mix in the fridge and add the dressing as I ate the salad throughout the week)

Recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum

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This is the —>   Mandoline Slicer that I have (also recommended by Pinch of Yum), which I have used in the past to thinly slice cucumber and apples for salads. This is my first time using it on brussels sprouts and it worked great.  (Affiliate link)