Warm Brussels Sprout Salad

I was asked to bring a veggie side of my choice to Thanksgiving dinner. We already had the usual suspects of mashed potatoes and broccoli casserole taken care of. (My family has always chosen broccoli casserole over the more popular, green bean.) My brother-in-law requested creamed corn and my sister was making roasted butternut squash. (My family also does not do sweet potato casserole. But if you think that's weird, wait til you hear about how we don't usually have turkey...and instead we have crab legs. What holiday is this, again? )

So with potatoes, casseroles, squash, and corn out of the running, I decided to go with something green: Warm Brussels Sprout Salad.

This dish is great for those who are hesitant about Brussels sprouts. Separating the leaves makes them more like a salad and less like a baby cabbage. And the rest of the flavors are familiar tastes.

I kind of made this up on the fly, so my measurements aren't exact. Feel free to adjust to your taste!

Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad

serves 6 as a side

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Brussels sprouts
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1/4 c chopped pecans
• 1/4 c dried cranberries
• 1 Tbs honey
• 1-2 Tbs vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Clean the Brussels sprouts, cut off the ends, and remove any marred leaves.
2. Using your fingers, separate the leaves of the sprouts. Cut out any tough pieces, as needed.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat.
4. Add sprouts and toss until bright green and slightly wilted (about 5 minutes).
5. Add pecans and cranberries and toss to combine.
6. Clear a spot in the middle of the sprouts and add the honey to the hot pan.
7. Pour the vinegar on top of the honey and quickly whisk to combine. (Stand back when adding the vinegar, otherwise you'll give yourself a vinegar facial!)
8. Quickly toss the sprouts with the vinaigrette and taste for sweetness & acidity, adding more honey or vinegar if necessary.
9. Season with salt & pepper to taste and remove from heat. Enjoy!

After cutting off the ends, the tops few layers peeled off easily.

Separating the leaves is a bit time consuming, but it's a great thing to do ahead of time. I did this on Wednesday and kept them in the fridge until right before dinner time on Thursday. Then all I had to do was toss a few ingredients together in a hot skillet and I was finished in 10 minutes or less!

I used these mixed pecans & cranberries that I got from Trader Joe's. They were slightly sweetened and flavored with rosemary.

The final dish was a hit! I was happy to have a green veg to counterbalance the massive amounts of carbs I had piled onto my plate.