Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples & Marcona Almonds

This delicious take on Brussels sprouts earns the best-dressed award at the holiday dinner party. When shaved, Brussels sprouts result in an unbelievably delicate, yet bold, base for a salad. Add traditional autumn ingredients like apples, and give it all a holiday-worthy upgrade with decadent Marcona almonds and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. What I do love most about this simple-but-oh-so-delicious side? You don’t have to cook anything! I like to lean on already-shredded Brussels sprouts, which are a huge time saver, something we all need around the holidays.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallot (or red
  onion)
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Dash of salt
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 2 (10-ounce) packages shaved Brussels sprouts
• 1/2 cup chopped Marcona almonds
• 1 pink lady or honey crisp apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 3-ounces shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

To prepare salad, combine sliced shallot, ¼ cup vinegar, sugar and dash of salt in a small bowl. Add boiling water; let sit 15-20 minutes.

Combine pickled shallots, Brussels sprouts and almonds in a large bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat. Top with apples and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot or red onion
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

To make dressing, combine oil, 3 tablespoons vinegar, mustard, chopped shallot, honey and ½ teaspoon salt in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk until combined.

Serves 8-10   Recipe can easily be cut in half.

Sidney Fry is a two-time James-Beard-Award-winning food and nutrition writer who loves creating simple, healthy recipes and thoughtful, actionable content for the hungry consumer. A healthy living proactivist, Sidney is also a registered dietitian nutritionist, recipe developer and mama of three based in Birmingham, Alabama.