Holiday Brussels Sprout Slaw
I love this salad for hearty holiday meals because it is simple, fresh, crunchy, and acidic - perfect for balancing out richer entree.This slaw is packed with not only flavor, but health benefits! Radicchio adds a pop of holiday color while providing liver, gallbladder and digestive support. Raw brussels sprouts give you your daily dose of cruciferous vegetable, great for healthy estrogen balance and daily detox support. Pomegranate seeds add beautiful holiday color as well as antioxidants and polyphenols. Lemon zest and juice provide another source of bitters for digestion, bile flow, and antioxidants while really brightening the salad as a whole! Another positive, this salad can be made in 1 day in advance with the ingredients stored in separate airtight containers until serving!
Ingredients
Salad
- 16 ounces Brussels sprouts trimmed, halved, and cored
- 1 head radicchio cored
- 6 ounces good parmesan cheese
- 1 cup dried cranberries unsweetened if possible
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds from 1 pomegranate
- 1 cup pine nuts toasted
Dressing
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice from about 2 lemons
- 1 tsp lemon zest from about 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup cold pressed olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper or more to taste
Instructions
- With a very sharp chef’s knife, cut the Brussels sprouts and radicchio crosswise in thin shreds, as you would cut cabbage for coleslaw (alternatively you can shred the Brussels sprouts in a food processor with the slicing blade!) and place them in a large bowl
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Pour enough dressing on the salad to just moisten it, reserving the rest.
- Shave the Parmesan in big shards with a vegetable peeler. Add the cheese, pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and dried cranberries to the salad and toss it carefully to avoid breaking up the cheese. Check for seasonings, add more vinaigrette, if necessary, and serve cold or at room temperature.
Notes
If making in advance:
The day of, dress the salad with 3/4 of the dressing 1 hour before serving with all the ingredients (except for the pine nuts). When ready to serve toss with the pine nuts and the remaining 1/4 of the dressing.