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.
- 3 cups brussel sprouts washed, tailed and halved
- 1 large sweet potato (roughly 2-3 cup) peeled and cubed
- 8-10 large stalks of kale
- 2 tbsp tahini paste
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp pecan roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp dried cranberries
- Preheat the oven to 170 C/ 350 F.
- On a prepare baking tray spread out the sweet potato and brussel sprouts.
- Season the vegetables and toss in some coconut oil.
- Roast the vegetables for 35-45 minutes by which time they should be crispy on the outside and tender inside.
- To prepare the kale cut the kale away from the central stalk and discard the stalk.
- Cut the kale into bite sized pieces.
- Now for the fun part; massaging the kale! (Believe me you need to do this, this step is not optional!)
- To massage your kale just scrunch up handfuls of kale and release.
- Continue to do this for about 1-2 minutes by which time your kale should have transformed from light green and hard to tender and dark green. (Magic!)
- Combine the tahini paste, water, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and mustard, mix well and season.
- In your serving bowl place the kale and roasted vegetables, drizzle the dressing over and scatter with the pecans and cranberries.
- Enjoy!
Wow, this sounds like an amazing salad! I am not a big fan of steamed Brussels sprouts so I really have to try them roasted. Thanks for inspiring me!