What's For Dinner Wednesday: Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pomegranate & Goat Cheese

This healthy and flavorful salad is the perfect addition to your holiday menu-- it's easy to make and the colors make it feel super festive!

Yesterday I shared a delicious winter sangria recipe with you that I recently served to a few girlfriends. On that same night (while my husband was out of town at a conference) I decided to also take advantage of my dinner company and make a few dishes that I knew the girls would appreciate. First up on the menu: Brussels sprouts! I can't get enough Brussels sprouts and I know that my friend Mere agrees, so I couldn't wait to test out a new recipe on the girls.

This shaved Brussels sprouts salad is a great combination of flavors and textures that meld together perfectly. I love shaved Brussles sprouts in a salad-- they are hearty and hold up really well to dressings (even if you dress them and refrigerate overnight or for a day or two) and the tangy cabbage-like flavor is a great complement to the sweet and juicy pomegranate seeds. Some toasty pecans, creamy goat cheese, and a pomegranate-infused Balsamic vinaigrette really round out this simple and flavorful salad.

Pomegranate is such a festive fruit to serve at this time of year-- and I love the way that the bright red seeds look against the green sprouts with the white of the goat cheese. Talk about a perfect salad for your Christmas dinner table! It's a great salad for your holiday table or any other time too. And it would be delicious as an entree served with some grilled chicken too.


Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 1/4 cup red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans, rough chopped
• 3 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbs. honey
• 4 Tbs. pomegranate balsamic vinegar *Regular balsamic will work if that's all you have on hand
• 4 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. dried chives
• salt and pepper, to taste

Using a mandolin, slice Brussels sprouts until finely shaved. If you don't have a mandolin, use a sharp knife and thinly slice each sprout or use your food processor's grater attachment to shave the sprouts.

Add shaved Brussels sprouts, onions, pomegranate seeds, and pecans to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, honey, vinegar, Dijon, chives, salt and pepper together. Pour over the sprout mixture and toss to combine. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.

Top with crumbled goat cheese and serve.