Shaved Brussel Salad

One of my favorite parts about working in the nutrition industry is listening to people’s nutritional desires, their likes vs. dislikes on all types of food. I’ve noticed that most dislike brussel sprouts. My initial reaction to this is “Have you ever added bacon to brussel sprouts?!”. We all know that adding bacon to any food is a major game changer! People also visualize brussels and this boring vegetable that was put on the table as a kid and was force fed by their parents. The beauty of cooking is the endless opportunities where you can take a simple ‘boring’ food and turn it into a bowl full of heaven! Before we get into that, let’s discuss the benefits of brussel sprouts.

Like all fruits and vegetables, brussels are full of tons of your essential daily vitamins and minerals but specifically in 1 cup of brussels contains 243% of your daily recommended intake (DRI) of Vitamin K and 129% of Vitamin C. Why do we need Vitamin K? For starters, Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin, meaning you need to have fat into your diet (ah-hem, bacon) in order for your body to absorb the vitamin. Vitamin K is mostly known to keep your eyes healthy and clear as well as prevent blood clots (which prevents heart disease). We all know that Vitamin C is what keeps our immune system strong! Additionally, 1 cup of brussels is also full of folate, manganese, fiber, B Vitamins, potassium, iron, protein, calcium, zinc…and the list goes on.

So, don’t shy away from this super food just yet! Try this recipe and I promise you’ll have a different vision on those boring sprouts! 🙂

Ingredients (4 servings):

Tools

Mandolin Peeler (if you don’t have a mandolin peeler you can chop the brussels thinly lengh-wise)
Blender or Food Processor (if you don’t have a food processor you can add all the ingredients into a bowl and stir)

Vinaigrette

1/2 Large Orange
1 Lemon
1/4 Cup Chopped Shallots
3 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Salad

1 Bunch Brussel Sprouts (about 5 cups shredded)
6 Pieces Bacon (QUALITY bacon – no nitrates!)
1/2 Cup Pomegranate Seeds
Salt/Pepper as desired
Optional: Protein source: Grilled Shrimp, Chicken, Ground Chicken/Turkey, Eggs

Directions:

Vinaigrette

Blend all the ingredients together for 5 seconds or less

Salad

Chop the bacon into little squares and place in pan on medium heat and cook until crisp (about 4-5 minutes)
Using your mandolin peeler or knife, peel the brussels into a bowl. Caution: be careful and cautious when cutting or peeling.
Once the bacon is cooked, mix the bacon with the brussels (including some of that left over bacon fat!)
Mix pomegranate seeds together with the shredded brussels and bacon and stir in vinaigrette.

Total Prep/Cook Time: 15 minutes

It’s that simple and that delicious!!

Nutritional Facts (1 serving)