Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pineapple Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

The salad is the most interesting combo in the universe.  When I read Joy's post about this salad she came up with, I couldn't wait to try it.  It is shaved (raw) Brussels sprouts with chunks of fresh pineapple, avocado, roasted macadamia nuts and French lentils and a pineapple poppy seed vinaigrette.  Fascinating.  Genius.  

Let me just give a little of my experience with the different components.  

Raw Brussels sprouts are good.  The closer you get to the core, the more bitter they taste.  But the bitterness is nice with the other parts of the salad.  Also, 8 cups?  Yikes, that is like a million.  I just got a regular amount.  

Pineapple.  It was actually on sale for me at my Whole Foods.  Even though I claim to be the best produce-picker-outer (including pineapples), the one I picked was pretty horrible.  However, it tasted great in the salad and still made a delicious dressing.  Who knew?

French Lentils.  Fancy lentils.  They are a pretty color.  But they taste the same to me.  Maybe they taste more muddy.  But in a good way.  Hard to explain.

Macadamia nuts.  Are AMAZING!  

As you can see, I did more of a lentil salad with shaved Brussels sprouts, pineapple, avocado and macadamia nuts on top.  This is mostly because I couldn't afford 8 cups of shaved Brussels sprouts.  But I liked the proportions.  Joy's proportions also look delicious.  Also, this dressing is a real winner.  And I am not usually a fan of sweet dressings.  

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pineapple Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

by Joy the Baker

8 cups raw Brussels sprouts ribbons (lay sprouts on their sides and sliced thin, creating green ribbons)

1/2 cup scallions, sliced from the white to the green

1/4 cup parsley, coarsely chopped

2 cups fresh pineapple chunks, sliced bite size

1 cup French Lentils, cooked

1 cup raw macadamia nuts, roasted in olive oil, salt, and pepper

1 cup avocado chunks

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Toss raw macadamia nuts in 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper and roast for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Simmer one cup of French lentils in 3 cups of water. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, until just cooked through. Drain completely, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper and set aside to cool completely.

Slice pineapple into bite size chunks.

Prepare salad dressing.

Slice avocado.

Just before serving the salad, toss together Brussels sprouts, scallions, parsley, pineapple, lentils, macadamia nuts and avocado chunks. Drizzle in dressing and toss well. Serve immediately.

(Servings: 6, Prep time: 1 hr., Difficulty: Easy)

Pineapple Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoons chopped scallions (the white portion)

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoon canola oil

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

salt and pepper to taste

Place fresh pineapple chunks in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Blend pineapple into a mostly smooth, frothy pulp. Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl and press the pineapple puree through the strainer into the bowl. Scrape the bottom of the fine mesh strainer to get all the good bits. There will be just a bit of pineapple pulp in the fine mesh strainer when you’re done. You’ll have about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of juice/pulp.

In the the bowl of the food processor, combine juice/pump, honey, rice wine vinegar, scallions, garlic, and mustard. Pulse 5 times to incorporate. With the food processor on, slowly stream in the canola oil. Stop the food processor once the dressing is emulsified. Pour the dressing into a medium bowl and stir in poppy seeds, salt and pepper.

Salad dressing should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

(Makes 2 cups)

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foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  9/10

Effort:  3/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5

BBQ Meatloaf with Spicy Corn Fritters and Maple, Dijon Brussel Sprouts

Meatloaf!!! I have been thinking about making a loaf of meat for about half a year. Obviously avoiding it because we all know meatloaf isn't the most sought after dish. I had meatloaf growing up. I never hated it, never loved it. Mom, no offense. I mean, meatloaf is just meatloaf. It is easy. Quick. Cheap. Does the job. So anyway, I haven't really had it for a LONG time. I thought I would find an interesting recipe and give it a shot. See how bad or good it really is. Result: pretty decent! It had great reviews...people were drooling over it. Scot loved it, obv. From now on, I probably will only tell you when he doesn't like something. He loves everything. It's great. Even when I mess up, burn things, drop something of the floor or throw something against the wall out of rage. As a last resort, I always have Copper. Actually, I take that back, Copper is definitely more picky than Scot. I always have Scot, then.

Back on track. In addition to the BBQ meatloaf, I have been searching for a corn fritter recipe. When I was young (maybe in 4th or 5th grade), I made a meal "by myself" for my family. I remember exactly what it was: pork tenderloin, corn fritters, green beans and a mousse type dessert. I got the entire meal from an American Girl dolls cookbook and it was supposed to be a meal that a particular doll (I think Molly) would eat in the period she lived in. It was probably the first thing I ever cooked. I don't remember if it was good or anything, but I do remember really liking the corn fritters. So, I tried to find the recipe. And, I found that there actually aren't that many corn fritter recipes out there, especially like the one I remembered. But then, I found this one woman who referenced the American Girl fritters in her blog and a recipe with it! The recipe is not the same one in the cookbook, but is delicious. She says the recipe from the cookbook is actually kind of toned down, kid-friendly, so she spiced it up for adults. And that is what I made tonight. And all you vegetarians out there (Jen), corn fritters/fritters should be a staple for you! They are great.

To round out the meal, I made some brussel sprouts. I make them all the time, just roast them with some bacon, olive oil, salt and pepper. Since I am into the food blogs now, I found a simple recipe for roasted brussel sprouts tossed with a maple, dijon vinaigrette and toasted almonds. Since it's Sunday, I fig'ed, why not? So, three new recipes in one Sunday blog. Sorry if this is overwhelming but all three recipes are pretty simple.

As for tips, I would like to stress that I didn't measure any of the ingredients in these recipes except the polenta/water ratio. It just isn't worth it. But, as we all know, I am quite the risk taker.

Barbeque Meatloaf

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen modified by Shanon

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 cup bread crumbs

1 onion, grated using box grater

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together the beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Form this mixture into a loaf and place it in a shallow pan. Stir together the remaining tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, mustard, Worcestershire and the water (if too thick). Pour this sauce over the meatloaf. Bake for 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes with the pan juices.

Spicy Corn Fritters (makes 9 fritters)

From www.kitchenist.com modified by Shanon

Ingredients

½ cup corn (fresh is best, next best is frozen)

juice of 1 lime

3 finely chopped green onions

1 Tbs. chopped cilantro

1/2 tsp. salt


1/4 tsp. ground cumin


1/4 tsp. ground coriander


1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes


1 1/3 cup water


1/3 cup polenta or cornmeal (the quick-cooking kind)


vegetable or other light oil, for frying

1. Mix together the corn, lime juice onion, coriander, salt and spices together in a small bowl and set aside.



2. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the polenta in a steady stream and mix with a whisk for about 2 minutes, until thickened.



3. Remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the corn mixture. Set aside to cool slightly. Line a plate with paper towels and set next to the stove.



4. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. When hot, spoon in generous tablespoonfuls of batter and flatten slightly with a spoon. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, then remove to the towel-lined plate. Serve hot, with any spicy dipping sauce that you like.

Maple Dijon Roasted Brussels Sprouts

from Closet Cooking modified by Shanon

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds brussels sprouts (trimmed and halved)

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 small clove garlic (grated)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup almond slices (toasted)

Directions:

1. Toss the brussels sprouts in the oil along with the salt and pepper.

2. Arrange the brussels sprouts in a single layer on a baking sheet.

3. Roast in a preheated 400F oven until they start to caramelize, flipping them once in between, about 30 minutes.

4. Mix the oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustards, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

5. Toss the brussels sprouts and almonds in the maple dijon vinaigrette (you may not need it all).

Printable Version (all in one)