“Holiday Season” Brussels Sprout Salad

Salad Ingredients:

• 2lb of Brussels sprouts; shaved or thinly sliced

• 1 cup of dried cranberries (craisins)

• 1 apple; finely cubed

• 2 persimmons; thinly sliced

• 1 cup of shaved parmesan cheese

Candied Seed/Nut Ingredients:

• 2 cups of chopped walnuts

• 1/2 cup of pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

• 1/3 cup of brown sugar

• 1 tsp of cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

• 1 tsp of vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp of kosher salt

• 1 1/2 tbsp of water

Dressing Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp of good quality olive oil

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

• 3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar

• 4 tbsp of Dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp of maple syrup

• 2 tsp of kosher salt

• 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 walnuts and pepitas into a bowl. In a small pan, add in the brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, vanilla, salt and water. Heat over medium until you have a melted paste-like consistency. Pour the mixture over the walnuts and pepitas. 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, 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, dried cranberries, cubed apple, sliced persimmons, and parm in a large bowl. Break up your candied nut and seed topping over everything. Add in your dressing and toss it all together.

You can also add chopped apples or pomegranate seeds if you like a sweeter salad.