{recipe} brussels sprouts and radicchio salad with lemon-mustard vinaigrette.

regrettably i’ve never been much of a salad person. you know, it’s like, i like the idea of eating a salad, but i don’t actually want to eat it. i blame the way too many browning iceberg lettuce salads with mushy cherry tomatoes and ranch dressing that i consumed during my years at Creighton in lieu of the other even less appetizing options. anyways, so, i’m working on the salad thing and i enjoy coming up with less traditional combinations that don’t feel quite as in-your-face-salady.

i’d like to say i thought this one through and had it all planned out in my head, but, like 90% of the time when i come up with the recipes that i share here, it was more of a function of what we had what was going bad in the fridge. a half head of radicchio from a salad earlier in the week, a giant bag of brussies that i had big plans for that never came to fruition, some scallions on their last leg. i kind of threw everything together in hopes that it would work, and it totally did! i love salads that have both raw and cooked components, so i kept the radicchio and scallions as-is but sautéed the sprouts in some garlic and olive oil to give the salad a little complexity. this salad would work just fine with a basic olive oil & balsamic dressing, but i took an extra step and added some lemon juice and red pepper mustard, which turned out to be great additions. we had this salad along with roasted salmon, quinoa, and our first glasses of sauvignon blanc of the season, and it was a wonderful combo and the perfect spring meal to enjoy out on the patio.

ingredients

for the salad:
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1/2 head radicchio
-3 scallions
-about 15 brussels sprouts, ends removed
-3 cloves garlic, minced

for the dressing:
-1 tbsp sunflower seed oil
-1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
-1 tbsp mustard
-1 tbsp lemon juice
-salt and pepper to taste

notes:
-regular olive oil can be used in place of sunflower seed oil
-regular balsamic can be used in place of white balsamic (although i might use a little less, as white varieties are more subtle)
-i'm not sure how this would work with regular yellow mustard, so i'd recommend a dijon if you have it. i used a red pepper version from trader joe's that i'd highly recommend as well.

directions

1. trim ends from brussels sprouts and thinly slice sprouts. heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add minced garlic, cooking until fragrant. add sliced brussels sprouts and cook over medium heat until softened but not mushy, about 7-10 minutes.

2. meanwhile, thinly slice radicchio and scallions and add to a large serving or salad bowl. set aside.

3. to make dressing, combine oil, vinegar, mustard, and lemon juice in a bowl. whisk to combine, and add salt and pepper to taste. (if you like your dressing more oily/vinegary/mustardy/acidic, add a little bit more of that ingredient to suit your taste - i ended up adding quite a bit more lemon juice).

4. once brussels sprouts are done sautéing, add to the remaining ingredients in the serving bowl. serve with dressing on the side so that any leftovers don't get too soggy.

variations:
-use cooked asparagus in place of brussels sprouts
-for a more filling main dish, serve salad and dressing atop cooked quinoa or other whole grain (this was great the day after with cold quinoa!)
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