Charred Brussel Sprout Salad With Creamy Goat Cheese, Crispy Bacon, Cranberries and Hazelnuts

Ingredients:

(Serves 6)

• 20 Brussel Sprouts
• 1 Head of Romaine Lettuce (sliced into strips)
• 3 Oz crumpled goat cheese
• 3/4th cup of cranberries
• 1/3rd cup of toasted Hazelnuts
• 8 strips of bacon (cooked well done)

For the dressing:

• 1 garlic clove (finely minced)
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 tsp’s fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp’s red wine vinager
• 1 Tbsp Pomegranate Molasses
• 1 cup Olive Oil and 1.5 tsp, divided

Putting it together:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, line a sheet tray and toast your hazelnuts for about 8 minutes until toasty and fragrant. Afterwards crank up the heat to 400 degrees, place 8 bacon strips on a sheet tray and bake until crispy (about 18-20 minutes). Afterwards, place the bacon in between some paper towels to absorb the oil.
2. Wash your lettuce, dry it well, and cut it into strips. Remove the outermost layers of your Brussel sprouts and using a mandolin or food processor, slice all your sprouts and place them on a long parchment lined sheet tray , drizzle the 1.5 tsp of olive oil on them, season with salt and pepper, toss all the sprouts together until evenly coated and cook for up to 15-20 minutes (tossing occasionally) until the sprouts look cooked and charred.
3. While that’s cooking, you can make your dressing by putting your minced garlic in a small bowl, add your honey, lemon juice, red vinegar, pomegranate molasses and then whisk in your olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add your sprouts to a medium sized serving bowl along with your lettuce, hazelnuts, cranberries and goat cheese. Crumple your bacon into the bowl add your dressing and give that a good toss. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Enjoy!

Nourishment for your body: Brussel Sprouts are rich in vitamins and minerals. They contain vitamins C and K as well as have folate, calcium, iron and potassium. Having a diet that is high in cruciferous veggies such as Brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower is said to reduce certain types of cancers.

Tips when cooking: I recently purchased this trio of Olive Oils at Trader Joe’s. They made for fantastic dipping and salad dressings. I used the one from Spain to make this salad dressing. I loved it’s fruity, smooth and buttery finish. They’re fun to use as an olive oil tasting at home! I think this salad would also work beautifully with blue cheese crumples.