Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad
I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited about a big bowl of greens. The hardy, wintery kind – a tub of spring mix just won’t cut it here. Nor would straight-up kale – I actually went to the store just to buy a couple handfuls of Brussels sprouts to add to the bowl – the biggest ones I could find, to make them easier to slice. They were more like mini cabbages. I needed something I could really chew on.
It has been a food-heavy week; there have been restaurant openings, I got to emcee a fancy brunch at River Cafe and dinners at CharCut (where for the first course of our progressive dinner they served us one-pound wild boar and Chorizo meatballs smothered with bone marrow béchamel), Catch and Sky 360, and Geoff Rogers‘ new restaurant, Market. We went for ‘shroom pizza and ice cream, checked out Candela Lounge, and after all that I practically ran to Mango Shiva on Saturday morning when I heard they had added butter chicken waffles to their brunch menu.
(If you thought naan was a good pairing, wait until you try butter chicken over crispy waffles.)
And looking back here I’ve been all about chocolate muffins and browned butter blondies, meatballs and mac & cheese. With bacon! See? Kale is clearly called for.
Brassicas (cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts) and lemon and Parmesan get along splendidly; and I love it thinly sliced into slaw. Haters of Brussels sprouts – my parents are among them – are typically turned off by the bitter, sulfur-like taste they tend to take on when they’re even slightly overcooked. Eating them raw eliminates any chance of that; when I served this to my mom and dad last night, both had seconds. (I didn’t inform them of the presence of B. sprouts until after.)
I’m making a second batch tonight – a single batch isn’t quite enough of a ballast. And tomorrow, I think I’ll try the leftovers topped with a poached egg.
Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad
Adapted from Bon Appétit
1 bunch leafy green kale
6-10 big Brussels sprouts
1 small chunk of purple onion, thinly sliced or minced
1/3 cup whole roasted, salted, almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or PecorinoDressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1 tsp. sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepperRemove the ribs and thinly slice the leaves of kale (I do this by stacking or gathering them up in a bunch, then slicing through the stack); cut the Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise and thinly slice them too, holding onto the stem (and then tossing the last bit of stem out). Put them into a bowl with the purple onion.
To make the dressing, shake all the ingredients together in a jar or whisk them in a small bowl. Drizzle generously over the kale and Brussels sprouts and toss to coat. Scatter with almonds and Parmesan and serve. Serves 6.
March 11 2013 07:42 pm | salads
Sue/the view from great island on 11 Mar 2013 at 9:43 pm #
I can’t figure out why, but the best Brussel’s sprouts are showing up at the market right now…so glad to have this recipe, what a refreshing way to use them!
Elaine on 12 Mar 2013 at 11:44 am #
Looks stellar! I think this is the time of year a lot of people start to crave more roughage, as kind of a spring cleaning for the digestive tract. (I know I do.) I made your thousand island slaw last night–loved it–and am writing this one into the weekly meal plan as well!
mmac on 12 Mar 2013 at 12:29 pm #
This looks great. It was also great to hear you describe it on the EyeOpener today. I don’t usually have the pleasure of listening to your segment. It made my day today.
Misty on 12 Mar 2013 at 2:01 pm #
I think this is on a lot of people’s dinner menus tonight! What a fantastic looking salad!
Julie on 12 Mar 2013 at 4:30 pm #
Aw, you made my day Maureen!
Jan @ Family Bites on 12 Mar 2013 at 8:12 pm #
Yum-o! I’m totally adding this to my meal plan this week.
Lisa on 13 Mar 2013 at 3:18 pm #
No one in my family enjoys kale. Nevertheless, I forged ahead and made this recipe last night. Yowza! This was yummily brilliant — I’m bringing it to a family potluck on the weekend! But I’m not telling anyone what greens are in it.
Tiffany on 13 Mar 2013 at 6:24 pm #
I love Kale and Brussels sprouts so am looking forward to trying this! Thanks for posting!
CathyH on 13 Mar 2013 at 9:21 pm #
Made this tonight and surprisingly not Brussels sprout like. We loved it and will be a make again recipe . Great dressing!
Diane on 14 Mar 2013 at 8:11 am #
Wonderful winter slaw. Who knew you could eat brussels spouts raw? Thank you.
Laurie from Burnaby on 15 Mar 2013 at 4:10 pm #
This is a wonderful recipe. Thanks, Julie
Samantha @ Blissful Domesticity on 16 Mar 2013 at 10:22 am #
Looks delicious! I will have to try this. And add bacon, because it’s the only way my husband will eat brussels sprouts.
mmac on 16 Mar 2013 at 2:55 pm #
Julie, this features on the RamaJohn menu tonight.
Four years since you joined us for the festivities. How does time go that quickly??
Denise on 17 Mar 2013 at 3:06 pm #
Julie…that salad is amazing! Now I finally have a way to enjoy kale and brussel sprouts! Thanks so much!
Jaya on 18 Mar 2013 at 6:56 am #
What a perfect late winter salad! I planned to keep it going for a few days, but we ate it all In one sitting. YUM!
Lana on 18 Mar 2013 at 7:16 pm #
Just made this for supper. It is wonderful. Never would have thought to use raw brussel sprouts
Erin on 19 Mar 2013 at 7:06 am #
I made this for supper last night with perogies and bison garlic sausage as a quasi-gourmet Ukrainian meal (brussel sprouts are like cabbage, right?) I didn’t know whether the kids would like it but they ate it up! We’re definitely making it again.
Julie on 19 Mar 2013 at 5:04 pm #
I’m so glad everyone is liking this so much! I must have eaten five batches this week…
Kale & Spring Greens Pesto » Dinner With Julie on 20 Mar 2013 at 10:46 pm #
[...] got so excited about that kale-Brussels sprout salad that I wound up with 3 bunches in my fridge – plus spinach, arugula and a tub of spring [...]
Jess S. @ Floptimism on 29 Mar 2013 at 10:09 am #
Hello! I’ve been a (somewhat quiet) reader for some time now, but I saw this recipe and wanted to invite you to share it – or any healthy meal/snack you’ve enjoyed over the past month – at my link-up (http://bit.ly/YCpeHq) to celebrate National Nutrition Month. I’m hoping to get people to come together to celebrate all of the different ways to eat healthfully, and I think my readers would love this salad, which looks out of this world!
Beef & Sweet Potato Curry with Kale » Dinner With Julie on 22 Apr 2013 at 6:06 pm #
[...] little blip of green in the top left corner is that kale-Brussels sprout salad I was so enamoured with last month that I ate it every day for a [...]
kathy on 25 Apr 2013 at 10:25 am #
I made this salad last night. Unfortunately all the leftovers were taken for lunches by – I might add, brussel sprout haters….And they didn’t leave me a morsel to taste “day old”. So I’ve texted them to make sure someone brings more sprouts and almonds home so that it can be made again….and again….and again. It’s probably going to be a twice weekly thing in the fridge. Thanks
Greens with Quinoa & Strawberries and Dark Chocolate Chunk Oat Cookies » Dinner With Julie on 05 May 2013 at 8:51 pm #
[...] as I rewarmed it on Tuesday and Wednesday. I had bought tons of kale and Brussels sprouts to make that salad, and didn’t have the chance to actually assemble it, so we’ve been plowing through the [...]