Hearty Brussels Sprout + Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

If I am having a salad for the main event of dinner, it better be a hearty salad. In the colder months, when all I want to eat is warm food, this actually does the trick for me!

Salad ingredients:

• 1 lb of Brussels sprouts; shredded

• 1/2 cup cabbage; finely shredded

• 1 persimmon; cubed

Sweet potato ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato; peeled and cut into cubes

• 1 tbsp of olive oil

• 1/2 tsp of kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp of paprika

• 1/2 tsp of onion powder

• 14 tsp of Aleppo pepper

Crunchy topping ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of deseeded sunflower seeds

• 1 cup of whole cashews

• 2 tbsp of sesame seeds

• 1/3 cup of brown sugar

• 1/8 tsp of cayenne

• 2 tbsp of water

• Pinch of kosher salt (if none of your nuts are salted)

Dressing ingredients:

• 3 tbsp of good quality olive oil

• 3 tbsp of lemon juice (1/2 of a lemon)

• 1 tsp of Cabi Sweet Yuzu Vinegar

• 1 (heaping) tsp of Dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp of tahini

• 1 tbsp of maple syrup

• 1/2 tsp of kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp of freshly cracked pepper

First let’s make the crunchy element - the candied seed and nut topping. Prep a baking sheet with some parchment paper and set that aside. Add your sunflower seeds, cashews and sesame seeds into a bowl. In a small pan, add in the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, water and salt, if needed. Heat over medium until you all the sugar has melted to liquid. Pour the hot liquid over your seeds / nuts. Toss everything together until it is nice and coated. Pour the mixture onto the prepped baking sheet into one nice layer. Let that sit out on the counter until it completely dries out. You don’t want it to be sticky or wet or you won’t get that crunch. You can definitely do this a day in advance and store the crunchies in a dry, air-tight container.

Next, to make your roasted sweet potatoes, preheat your oven to 400F and prep a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. While your oven heats up, add the cubed sweet potato and the oil and spices into a bowl. Toss it all together so that the sweet potatoes are coated. Pour the sweet potatoes out onto the prepped baking sheet in one, even layer. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until soft and just starting to brown.

When you are ready, make your dressing by whisking all of the dressing ingredients together. Taste and adjust as needed. Store this in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

When you are ready to serve the salad, place the shaved Brussels, shaved cabbage, sliced persimmons and roasted sweet potato in a large bowl. Break up your candied nut and seed topping over everything. Add in your dressing and toss it all together.

Serve as a side or the main event. I served mine with some grilled chicken breast.