Pomegranate, Apple and Brussels Sprouts Salad With Gorgonzola

Makes a perfect side dish while entertaining or serves as a base for grilled salmon or chicken breast for a light lunch or dinner.

I love Brussels sprouts and eat them often, but noticed I was preparing them in the same way all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I will always enjoy a good roasted or steamed sprout but was looking to get creative with this delicious mini cabbage. To switch it up, I created this salad which uses thinly shaved raw Brussels. If you haven’t tried them raw before, don’t get scared away -it’s actually really delicious and healthy to eat them without cooking! If you’re a fan of prepared chopped salads that you can find in the grocery store, you probably are eating raw shaved Brussels more than you think! They are a component in several of the chopped salad veggie mixes these days.

I also added delicious Lacinato (Dino) kale to keep the salad mix nice and hearty and get in some extra greens. Curly green kale will work just as well! For tartness and texture, I included diced green apples, and of course I rounded out the fresh mixture with some pomegranate seeds for some color and sweetness. This salad is topped off with tangy, creamy and rich gorgonzola cheese and simply dressed with EVOO and freshly squeezed lemon juice. It is a real treat and will leave you feeling energized and good about getting in your fruits and veggies in such a delicious way!

Tips for prepping raw Brussels Sprouts

So, how to you make sure that you prep the Brussels sprouts in the perfect way so that they don’t taste too bitter, tough or overwhelming in your mouth?

1. The KEY is to slice them really thin, in almost a shave cut. The thinner the better, as long as you aren’t coming too close to slicing off your fingers!
2. That brings us to tip number two – when slicing these babies make sure you sharpen your knife first. A dull knife can slip as you are cutting the small, roundly shaped sprouts, so be careful! Another tip when using a sharp knife is to bend the fingers of your hand holding the sprout so that your fingertips are closer in and farther away from the knife than your knuckles. This way, the knife touches your knuckles instead of your fingers, keeping you protected. This is something I learned in my culinary classes that I always keep at the top of my mind.
3. Before you thinly shave the sprouts, cut off the bottom stalk of each one. This is too tough to eat and will not be pleasant in your salad. It’s okay if some of the leaves come apart when you cut the bottom, just throw them in your salad.

How do you properly cut a pomegranate?

I remember my first time cutting open a pomegranate because I tried to slice it directly in half, which did not go too well. When you cut it this way, it is more difficult to get to all of those delicious seeds. The proper way to cut a pomegranate is to first slice off the top just so the sections of seeds are exposed. Then, start at the top and make a straight slice all the way to the bottom with your knife. Then repeat, making a triangle-shaped slice which you can then peel back. Repeat this all around the pomegranate, pulling down each section. This exposes the seeds very well and you can just gently pull them out and straight into a small bowl. Here is a helpful video:

https://youtu.be/K1IN5jose4c