Shaved Brussels Sprouts Spring Salad: Fresh, Healthy, Crunchy, and Zingy

Recipes, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Season

This is my favorite salad to help transition from winter to spring: it’s warm, so it satisfies my craving on those chillier days, yet also fresh and nourishing – with a perfect zing for spring!

If you’ve been here a while you know that I like to eat based on the seasons, and while this salad is great year-round it’s especially yummy during spring! I also made sure to pack the salad and the dressing with ingredients that are supportive of the body during the spring season.

Your Body and Springtime

Springtime according to traditional Chinese medicine is the time to pay extra attention to nurturing your liver and your liver “qi,” (pronounced CHEE), or energy. You can do that through specific exercises as well as through the foods you eat (you can learn more about that here).

The star here is the shaved Brussels sprouts. “Shaved” is just a fancy way of saying “thinly sliced,” and it’s super simple to do: just slice off the tough bottoms of the sprouts and remove any damaged outer leaves, slice in half, then make thin slices with the halves.

Among these foods that support your liver qi are sour foods like lemon and vinegar, and fresh, vibrant greens (green is also the color associated with the liver).

I gave the shaved Brussels sprouts here a quick sauté, which makes this nice warm salad with a cold, cool crunch the perfect transition from winter to spring.

And the dressing! Dijon mustard, local honey, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and a nice fresh bunch of basil leaves…Springy, zingy, and the perfect light way to drizzle this satisfying salad.

Sprinkle with a crunch – I used pumpkin seeds – and top with your favorite protein, and you’re done! I can’t get enough of it, and I hope you enjoy it as much as me.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Spring Salad

Recipe by Alessandra Macaluso Course: Uncategorized

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

1 lb. 1 Brussels whole sprouts (or 2 9-oz. bags shaved Brussels sprouts)
2 tbsp. 2 olive oil or ghee
2 cloves 2 garlic, minced
1/2 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp. 1/2 salt
1/4 tsp. 1/4 fresh ground pepper
The Toppings
sliced cucumber
Castelvetrano olives (or any olives; these are just my favorite!)
handful of pumpkin seeds
1 scoop 1 avocado mash (I get individual packages of these from Costco, they are the best!)
1 scoop 1 tuna (or protein of your choice)
extra basil leaves, for garnish
The Dressing
3/4 cup 3/4 avocado oil
1/4 cup 1/4 apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. 1 dijon mustard
1 tsp. 1 local honey
1 tbsp. 1 lemon juice
small bunch fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

If using whole Brussels sprouts, trim the ends and thinly slice, or place into a food processor using the “shred” disc. You should end up with about 3 cups. If you are using pre-shredded sprouts, move on to step 2.
Heat the oil or ghee over medium heat. Once warm and shimmering, add the minced garlic and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Toss in the shaved Brussels sprouts, salt, and pepper, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and soft with still a bit of bright green (about 5 minutes).
Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice, tossing gently until combined. Transfer to a large plate.
Add your toppings: cucumber, olives, avocado, and your protein (tuna, grilled chicken, sardines, etc.). Top with the lemon zest and a drizzle of your favorite dressing. Serve immediately. Enjoy!