Are you ready for fall in spirit, but not in body just yet? In Greta Podleski’s cookbook “Every Salad Ever,” her shaved Brussels sprouts salad is able to satisfy both without forcing you to turn on the stove. The white balsamic vinegar and fresh lemon juice based dressing adds brightness to the dish, and allows you to hang on to cool and easy preparations until the air turns as crisp as this salad.
Raw Brussels sprouts are completely edible — in fact, they better retain their vitamins, like Vitamin C, that way.
Fresh, plump blueberries in the salad add little bursts of sweetness, and the earthiness of lightly toasted and sliced almonds give balance to the vinegar.
While roasted or sauteed Brussels sprouts are a more common preparation to soften this cruciferous vegetable, thinly shaving the sprouts will offer the pleasant crunch without feeling like you’re a giraffe attacking leaves on a tree.
Credit: Greta Podleski
Credit: Greta Podleski
How to thinly shave Brussels sprouts
Podleski offers three methods to achieve the thinnest shaved sprouts.
The first method utilizes a food processor with a slicing blade, making it by far the easiest and fastest, with little effort.
The second method is more hands-on, with just a sharp knife and cutting board. Trim the ends and slice as thinly as possible. It can get laborious, but some of us enjoy mundane work, as long as it isn’t too hard.
The third method is the most tricky, if you’re not adept to it — using a mandoline slicer. It’s easy to stop paying attention to the rhythmic motion of slicing veggies on a mandoline, until you slice a finger. Podleski recommends cut-resistant gloves or a hand guard while using this method.
Credit: Greta Podleski
Credit: Greta Podleski
How far ahead can you make Brussels sprout salad?
You can make this recipe up to two days ahead. Similar to kale, Brussels sprout leaves take a bit of time to soften, absorbing more flavor as they sit in dressing. Unlike lettuce, which wilts almost immediately after being dressed.
If making ahead, add freshly diced avocados right before serving and avoid bruising by gently folding them in.
Easy substitutions for Brussels sprout salad
Podleski suggests swapping the blueberries out with apples for a fall/winter variation. Walnuts or pecans can go in place of the almonds.
Shaved Parmesan can be substituted, if feta cheese isn’t your thing.
And since Parmesan has the lowest, nearly undetectable amount of lactose, it makes this salad friendly for those who are lactose intolerant.
Serving sizes
This recipe yields 12 cups of salad, which equates to roughly four servings.
Credit: Greta Podleski
Credit: Greta Podleski
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Blueberries, Avocados and Almonds
Dressing ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad ingredients
- 1½ pounds (680 grams) Brussels sprouts, thinly shaved
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
- 1 large avocado, diced
- ⅓ cup crumbled light or regular feta cheese (1.5 ounces/42 grams)
Instructions
- Make the dressing: Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup until well blended. (Alternatively, you can shake them up in a mason jar or whirl them in a small blender.) Set aside.
- Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently to avoid squishing the avocados. Add the dressing and mix again, until all ingredients are well coated. Serve immediately or, to make ahead, leave out the avocado, then dice it up and add just before serving. Brussels sprouts don’t get soggy quickly like regular salad greens and taste even better when they’ve had some time to drink up the dressing.
Makes about 12 cups salad
Per cup: 165 calories, 11.5 grams total fat (1.7 grams saturated fat), 4.8 grams protein, 13.2 grams carbohydrate (4.1 grams fiber, 5.9 grams sugars), 2 milligrams cholesterol, 128 milligrams sodium
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