The misunderstood Brussels sprout, the “kid's most hated vegetable”, is the star in this fantastic salad! I normally like to oven-roast my sprouts, but shaved and raw, they are as delicious! Slicing the Brussels sprouts into very thin slices with a sharp knife (or a food processor) give them a delicate shaved appearance and result in this "chic and festive cabbage salad". If you really don't love Brussel sprouts and kale, you could totally do this salad by replacing them with lettuce/mesclun/white cabbage instead. The result will still be lovely and tasty.

This salad is a mix of Brussel sprouts, kale, sliced almonds, apples, persimmons, pomegranates and mandarines. Mixed with an orange, poppy seeds and tahini dressing, the salad is simply divine! It’s autumn in your plate. Talk about eating local!

The contrast between the crunchy and the sweet fruits, the shaved greens and the sprouts, the creamy dressing and the sliced almonds is, in my opinion, sublime ! And how about the colours...!

It's the perfect salad for Thanksgiving or Christmas (I kind of think the salad itself looks like a christmas tree!).

The salad can certainly last a while in the fridge, so you can prepare this dish in advance if you want (aside from the persimmon and sliced almonds who tend to get "mushy" after a couple of hours). Actually, it tastes even better if you let the ingredients marinate a couple of hours before serving !

Shaved Brussel sprouts & winter fruit salad (w/orange, poppy seeds & tahini dressing)

Adapted from Green Kitchen Stories

Yield : 6 persons

Ingredients

4 kale leaves, shaved (stems removed)

4 cups raw Brussel sprouts (about 500g), shaved

2 ripe persimmons (optional)

Seeds from 1 pomegranate

3 clementines (or 3 mandarines or 3 oranges supremes)

1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Tahini sauce

1 garlic clove

1/3 cup tahini

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 2 oranges (or 2 clementines) - around 1/4 cup

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup)

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, set aside.
Rinse the brussels sprouts, shred very finely with a sharp knife or a food processor. Rinse the kale leaves (stems removed) and shred very finely. Place shredded brussels sprouts and kale in a large bowl. Massage the kale and Brussel sprouts for 5 minutes (or blanch in boiling water for 1 minute and rinse in cold water).
Cut the apples in small dices. Peel the oranges and seed the pomegranate.
Add the fruits and sliced almonds to the shredded vegetables. Toss in the dressing and mix well to coat all the greens. At that point, you can store the salad in the fridge. It will still be very good the next day. Be sure to add the persimmon slices only when you serve the salad, since they tend to be very fragile and soften after couple of hours.