Brussels Sprouts, Radicchio, and Apple Salad

Here’s another brussels sprouts recipe for you this week! It’s a light, colorful, and fresh winter salad that has great flavor and crunch. Plus, it provides you with many vitamins and minerals to keep your immune system healthy this winter!

Ingredients:

(serves 4)

• 5-6 cups of shredded brussels sprouts

• 1 head of radicchio, sliced into thin ribbons

• 1 honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced into matchsticks

• ¾ cup hazelnuts or walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Salt to taste

For the dressing

• ¼ cup olive oil

• Juice from 1 ½ lemons

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the brussels sprouts and a pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes or until tender, stirring often.

• Remove brussels sprouts from the heat and let cool.

• Meanwhile, whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.

• Add radicchio, cooled brussels sprouts, apples slices, and walnuts/hazelnuts to a serving bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Optional: top with goat cheese or garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad with Bacon

 I love brussels sprouts and cook with them often. Growing up I despised this vegetable, but the only way they had been presented to me was boiled and without any seasoning. Now, we pretty much see them on every menu when we go out to eat. They are definitely trendy...well as trendy as veggies can be. However, whenever I eat them at restaurants I usually feel sick afterwards. They are typically fried in low-quality oils, and doused with heavy aiolis and cheese…and bacon. Yet, I still LOVE the smokey, salty bacon flavor with the brussels - they are a pretty perfect pairing. That’s why I decided to create my own “healthified’ version of one of my favorite side dishes - a warm Brussels sprouts salad with bacon.

Ingredients:

(serves 4)

• 1 lb brussel sprouts, shredded or well chopped

• ¾ cup walnuts

• 1 shallot, finely diced

• 3 pieces of bacon

For the dressing:

• ¼ cup of good olive oil

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

• ½ tsp maple syrup

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Toast walnuts in a large frying pan over medium heat for five minute or until they smell toasty. Remove from the pan and let cool. Then roughly chop and set aside.

• Wipe pan and then cook bacon in the same pan over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet, let drain on paper towels, then crumble.

• After bacon is cooked, drain pan of all but 1 tbsp of bacon grease

• Cook shallots with a pinch of salt over medium heat, stirring often, until tender and browned (about 3-5 minutes)

• Add Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring often, for about 5-7 minutes or until tender. Add a splash of water or vegetable broth if needed.

• Prepare dressing by whisking together all ingredients in a small bowl or jar.

• In a serving bowl, combine brussel sprouts with dressing. Top with walnuts and bacon and serve.

Additional Notes:

• If you don’t want to use bacon, eliminate that step and just add 1 tbsp olive oil to begin cooking shallots.

• For a breakfast or lunch salad, top with a fried egg!

• You can also use toasted hazelnuts or pecans - all are great options!

Health Benefits of Brussels Sprouts

• They are high in antioxidants, which helps to reduce inflammation and fight oxidative stress

• They are an excellent source of Vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting and healthy bone density

• A half cup provides you with over 80% of your daily vitamin C needs!

• They help with our body’s detoxification and digestive processes!

Sources and Additional Reading:

• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-brussels-sprouts#section10

• https://www.treehugger.com/green-food/6-reasons-why-you-should-eat-more-brussels-sprouts.html

• https://draxe.com/nutrition/brussels-sprouts-nutrition/

Pork Chops over Roasted Apples, Sweet Potatoes, and Brussel Sprouts

I made this the other night as the wind was picking up and the temperature was dropping. It is the perfect fall dinner recipe as it features so many delicious seasonal ingredients. It’s comforting, hearty, and incredibly flavorful. Apple sauce is frequently paired with pork chops, and in this recipe, the sweetness from the roasted apples balance out the savory flavors from the meat and other vegetables. You can swap the veggies around, like substitute butternut squash for sweet potatoes and add in some red onion wedges. Enjoy!

Make sure to generously salt the pork chops while bringing them to room temperature

Ingredients

(serves 2) 

For the Pork:

• 2 bone in pork chops

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil

• Salt and fresh ground black pepper

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 rosemary sprig

• ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth

For the Roast Veggies:

The seared pork chops

• 1 large sweet potato, cut into ¾ in. cubes

• 1 ½ cups of Brussel sprouts, quartered

• 2 medium sized apples, cut into ¾ in. cubes

• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

• 2 tbsp avocado oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees

• Pat pork dry with paper towels and then season generously with salt. Let come to room temperature. Just before cooking, pat dry with a paper towel.

• In a large mixing bowl, combine sweet potatoes, Brussel sprouts, apples, rosemary, thyme, avocado oil, salt and pepper. Spread veggies on a large baking sheet and roast for about 50 minutes or until browned and crisp. 

• While veggies roast, heat the avocado oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. Once very hot, add the pork and sear on both sides (about 2-3 minutes a side). 

• Transfer pork to the oven and roast for 7-10 minutes or until an internal thermometer reads between 145 and 150 degrees F.

• Remove pork from skillet and let rest for about 10 minutes

• Place the skillet (with pork juices) over medium heat, add broth, garlic and rosemary sprig until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

• Slice the pork, and serve over roasted vegetables. Spoon sauce on top. 

Before roasting….

After roasting…