We are in the holiday home stretch! Buffets and cookie exchanges will soon be in the rearview mirror – after one last gasp this week. This Middle-Eastern Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad is a great one to help get back on track – so pin, bookmark, and print away to get a head-start on healthy eating for the new year.
I had never tried raw brussels sprouts, but they are a great winter treat. I mean, not like a cookie exchange treat, but seasonal nonetheless. Sliced very finely (using a mandolin or a food processor with the slicing disc), the brussels sprouts together with the lacinato kale provide a solid base for the tahini dressing, which is highlighted with a bit of maple syrup (!) and miso (!). If you are skeptical of the raw, admittedly strong, green vegetables, try slicing them both very, very thin. As thin as possible. The salad is topped with crunchy pita chip croutons, earthy toasted almond slices, and cool and sweet pomegranate seeds. Perfection? Quite possibly.
I recently served this salad to a few friends who came over for brunch, and as I was putting it together before the finishing touches were done, we agreed that it looked great as-is. One friend mentioned that it could be served as a slaw. I agreed, and had actually thought the same myself, but then we started talking about what “slaw” means – do “slaws” have to have a creamy dressing? Would tahini fill that role? Can any vegetable comprise a slaw? Well, it turns out {from what I can find online} that “slaw” is actually just an abbreviation for “coleslaw,” which consists of thinly-sliced cabbage dressed with a mayonnaise or vinaigrette dressing. So friends, I think we have a “slaw” on a technicality here: brussels sprouts are in the cabbage family! And as soon as the definition people get a load of this tahini dressing, we’re in.
- 1 bunch lacinato (dinosaur) kale
- 12 brussels sprouts
- ¼ c tahini
- ¼ c water
- 1 - 2 t maple syrup
- 2 t miso
- ~
- 3 T sliced almonds, toasted
- 3 T pomegranate seeds
- 1 pita round made in to pita croutons {see easy instructions below}
- Prepare a large salad bowl.
- Wash the kale and brussels sprouts and slice both as thin as possible.
- Slice the kale with a chef's knife and place in the bowl.
- After trimming the brussels sprouts, use a mandolin (watch your fingers and use the slicing guard!) - or a food processor's slicing disc will take like 3 seconds to slice the 12 sprouts.
- Break up the sliced sprouts with your fingers and distribute over the kale.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini and water, then whisk in the maple syrup and miso.
- Pour half of the dressing over the kale and brussels sprouts, using your hands to make sure all of the greens are coated, mixing the brussels sprouts throughout the kale. Massage the dressing in just a bit.
- Reserve the rest of the dressing for serving.
- Top the salad with the toasted almond slices, pomegranate seeds, and pita croutons.
- Dice the pita round into very small squares, spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and spray with oil. Sprinkle with spices of your choice {try paprika and cumin}, and toast in the oven for a few minutes at 375 until crisp.
Pictured above as a slaw. Equally delicious, and a bit less work.
If you make raw kale salads, you likely have noticed that the kale soaks up whatever you dress it with, so if you are saving this salad to eat the next day or day after you make it, I recommend doubling the dressing and saving the second half for when you are ready to eat.
Adapted from: http://cookieandkate.com/2013/raw-kale-and-brussels-sprouts-salad-with-tahini-maple-dressing/
Miso! Maple! Kale! Brussels! I LOVE all these things…yum!