Brussels sprout salad with creamy shallot dressing

In our quest to eat healthier, Robert and I are eating a lot of salad.  A lot.  We have a few simple favorites that we go to time and time again - such as a Greek salad or a Mexican salad- but there are lots of variations you can do to keep salad interesting.  One of our new favorites is this brussels sprout salad from Pinch of Yum.  We have added shaved brussels sprouts as a topping to other salads before, but this is the first time we've used them as the base (no lettuce?!).  It is a very flavorful and colorful salad, and the creamy shallot dressing sends it over the top- so delicious!!

BRUSSELS SPROUT SALAD WITH CREAMY SHALLOT DRESSING
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

For the salad:

30-40 brussels sprouts
6 slices bacon

1 cup pomegranate arils (our arils had an odd taste, so we ditched them and subbed dried cranberries)

⅓ cup almonds

½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

For the dressing:

1 shallot, chopped

juice of one orange

juice of one lemon

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons Greek yogurt

⅓ cup olive oil

up to 2 tablespoons water

Instructions:

Cook the bacon over low heat until crispy. Drain on paper towels; crumble and set aside.

Shred or slice the brussels sprouts. (Slice them super thin and then break the layers apart with your hands. Fluff it up a little and you’ll get a delicate shredded texture).

Toss the brussels sprouts, bacon crumbles, pomegranate arils, almonds, and cheese together.

Place all of the dressing ingredients in a food processor and pulse until creamy. Add the water as needed for consistency. Toss the salad with the dressing and serve immediately.

Sweet potato autumn salad

In November, we had ZaZa's salad of the month and it blew. us. away.  It was perfection, and we immediately set out to recreate it at home.  This is a hearty, delicious entree salad- perfect for kicking off a healthy new year!  The specifics depend on your desired serving size, so portion and measure what suits you.  Enjoy!

Sweet potato autumn salad (ZaZa's copycat)

Ingredients:

Sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

Olive oil

Brown sugar

Cinnamon

Romaine and baby spinach

Dried cranberries

Brussel sprouts, shaved (we eat them raw, or you could blanch them if you prefer)

Goat cheese

Candied pecans

Carrots, thinly sliced

Maple-cider vinaigrette dressing:

• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 
  
• Instructions:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Toss sweet potato cubes with olive oil, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook until fork tender (approximately 1 hour). 
• 
  
• For the vinaigrette, whisk together the cider vinegar and next 4 ingredients.  Gradually whisk in olive oil until well blended.
• 
  
• When sweet potatoes have cooled to room temperature, assemble with the remaining salad ingredients- bon appetit!