Since I listened to my mom when she told me to eat my good food first (mothers do always know best!) I though I would start off my Christmas recipes with this healthy kale, sweet potato and roasted Brussels sprout salad. My mom always insists on having Brussels sprouts along with our Christmas dinner but they usually just end up languishing on everyone’s plate. I think Brussels sprouts are a love hate food, I definitely fell firmly into the hate category along with probably everyone else. That was until I tried roasted Brussels sprouts, these are a game changer! Once roasted Brussels sprouts are transformed into crispy and slightly sweet mini cabbages that bear no resemblance to horrible steamed sprouts. If that still doesn’t do it for you my second solution is to mix them with loads of ingredients you do love and an amazingly delicious salad dressing. So here I have combined my favorite wintery ingredients like crispy roasted sweet potato, crunchy pecans, sweet yet tart cranberries and virtuous kale. Still not convinced? Slather your salad in the delicious maple tahini dressing and everything will taste great yes even Brussels sprouts! Pecans are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids like oleic acid whcih has been proven to reduce levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol while at the same time increase levels of HDL or “good” cholesterol. In addition they are a rich source of vitamin E, a powerful lipid soluble antioxidant that protects skin the against free radicals which are responsible for aging thereby leaving you with a glowing complexion.