Would you have ever thought about making a Brussels sprout salad? I hadn’t, until my husband came home from a trip to Arizona and raved about the salad he had at a restaurant called Chelsea’s Kitchen.  He loved it so much that he searched for it online and found it. When we made it, we changed only a few things on the recipe he found and let me tell you he was right . . . it is AMAZING!

It is so amazing that my oldest daughter practically begged for us to make it again because she was craving it. I have to say I was craving it too! While I like Brussels sprouts I am not one that has ever craved them and my daughter for sure has never craved them . . . that is until this salad. 

With summer around the corner this is a perfect recipe to share with friends at a cookout or get together. While it may seem like a lot of steps or ingredients it is simple to do and it is worth it! The most difficult part is blanching the Brussels sprout leaves and I will share with you how to do that, otherwise it is just mixing ingredients together.

Ingredients for the mustard vinaigrette dressing:

• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons French wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh if possible
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest, fresh if possible
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• sea salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl or other container. You will most likely have plenty to save for a future salad and to add more to salads on an individual basis if needed.

Ingredients for the salad:

• 3 cups of Brussels sprout leaves, blanched and dried (directions below on how to blanch the Brussels sprout leaves)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries 
• 1/4 cup dried blueberries
• 1/2 cup of crumbled bacon (about half a package of cooked bacon)
• 1/4 cup of sliced almonds
• 4 tablespoons of the mustard vinaigrette dressing or amount you desire (recipe below)
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup of shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions for salad:

Rinse Brussels sprouts to clean them. Blanching the Brussels sprout leaves steps:

Step 1. Cut ends of Brussels sprouts off.

Step 2 – Cut Brussels sprout in half long ways to help separate the leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3 – Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the Brussels sprout leaves and reduce heat to a simmer for about 5 minutes. You want the leaves tender and crisp but not too soft. Once blanched strain and let cool.  You may need to put the leaves in the refrigerator to cool further. They should not be warm when you serve this salad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4 – Add Brussels sprouts and all remaining ingredients to a bowl.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5. Then add the mustard vinaigrette dressing (recipe above) and mix. Viola you are done! Enjoy!