Brussel Sprout Salad

via The Endless Meal

A tasty, tasty salad that was part of our 2013-14 conversion to the brussel sprout.

Ingredients

• 2 strips thick cut bacon
• ½ cup toasted walnuts
• 3 cups (6 ounces) shredded brussel sprouts (see note)
• ½ cup (3 ounces) chopped dried apricots

For the dressing:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon honey
• A pinch of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 420 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Lay the bacon on the parchment lined baking tray and the walnuts on a separate baking sheet. Bake the bacon for 13-15 minutes, or until it is quite crispy. Remove it from the oven and, when it is cool enough to handle, crumble it into small pieces.  the walnuts in the oven at the same time as the bacon for 10 minutes, or until they are fragrant and light brown. Remove them from the oven and, when they are cool enough to handle, roughly chop them into medium-sized pieces.
3. Combine the crumbled bacon, toasted walnuts, shredded Brussels sprouts and apricots in a large bowl.
4. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.
5. Pour the dressing over the Brussels sprouts and toss to coat well. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Make ahead: Prepare the salad ingredients and dressing up to 2 days in advance and store them separately. Toss the salad just before you serve it.

Notes

To shred the Brussels sprouts: cut off the hard end piece then cut them in half so you have 2 identical pieces. Then starting at the tip (or top) thinly slice the brussels sprouts working your way to the bottom.

Make ahead: Prepare the salad ingredients and dressing up to 2 days in advance and store them separately. Toss the salad just before you serve it.

Simple Vinaigrette

via Serious Eats

Great tutorial on making vinaigrette available on this same website.

Ingredients

• 1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 small clove garlic, minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedures

1. 1
   Combine shallot, garlic, mustard, vinegar, and water in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Alternatively, place all ingredients in a tightly sealing jar, seal, and shake vigorously until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Vinaigrette will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.