Do you ever feel like your weeknights seem to be even busier than the weekend?! Running errands after a full days work, getting in a workout, leftover chores that you didn’t get to on Sunday. That’s why we try to keep our weeknight meals simple yet healthy. Some of our go-to’s are roasting veggies and making salads. So we combined both in our Brussels Sprout & Pear Salad with a zingy Dijon dressing… No boring salads here!
Brussels sprouts are a relatively new-ish ingredient for us to be cooking with. I would say within the past 2 years and it definitely took some practice to figure out the tasty way to prepare them. Why start you may ask? Well they became (and still are) a trendy item in the healthy recipes we were looking up on Pinterest and on just about every starter/appetizer section of restaurant menus. They are a staple cart item in grocery trips!
We used the Brussels sprouts two ways in this dish. Normally we wash them, trim the ends, peel the outer not so pretty layer of leaves off and chop them in half. Then we took an extra step to peeled off “good” leaves and set them aside to add in the salad raw before cutting them in half to roast. I’m sure you are thinking… “RAW?… What the?” But they aren’t too thick and get softened a little from the other warm ingredients and the dressing. They add such a nice crunch!
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We couldn’t let the brussels sprouts have all the fun in this salad, so we spiced up the pears and sautéed them! Sure you could just slice or dice them up and toss them into the dish, but by sautéing them it brings out a sweetness while getting soft and squishy (in a good way!). We also let the pears speak for themselves by simply squeezing on lemon juice and sautéing them with water to keep it light, bright, and healthy.
Finally, once all the pieces and parts are put together we topped it all off with a yummy dijon vinaigrette. The vinaigrette consists of lemon juice, honey, apple cider vinegar, garlic, olive oil and of course Dijon mustard. It’s creamy, tangy and brings the whole salad together.
More Salads!
Have you made this Brussel Sprout & Pear Salad? If so leave us a comment below, we love hearing from you! If you post a picture of it be sure to tag #Hearthealthygreek! And if you aren’t already, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for our latest recipes and all things Heart Healthy Greek!
Brussels Sprout & Pear Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts
- 2 pears diced
- 4 cups mixed greens
- juice from ½ a lemon
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup pecans
- ¼ cup feta cheese
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Wash and drain your salad greens of choice and set aside.
- Wash your Brussels sprouts and trim, peeling off about 1-2 cups of leaves and setting aside.
- Cut the Brussels sprouts in half and add to a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper and bake for 15-20 minutes stirring halfway through.
- Meanwhile on the stovetop over medium heat add the diced pears with 1 tsp lemon juice and ½ cup water to a nonstick pan. Cover for about 15-20 minutes or until the pears have softened (note you may need to add more water to the pan while cooking so that the pear don’t stick).
- To make the vinaigrette combine the lemon juice, dijon mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, garlic salt and pepper and 1 tbsp water in a small bowl. Whisk until all ingredients are incorporated.
- To assemble the salad add the salad greens to a large bowl and add in the brussel sprout leaves, and top with the cooked brussel sprout halves, warm sautéed pears, vinaigrette and toss.
- Finally top with pecans and feta cheese and serve.
