SALADS

Greek Inspired Beet, Brussels Sprout and Quinoa Salad

Greek Inspired Beet, Brussels Sprout and Quinoa Salad
Print

Greek Inspired Beet, Brussels Sprout and Quinoa Salad

Recipe by thesal28_wpCourse: SALADSDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings

Meet my newest obsession- SMASHED BRUSSELS SPROUTS. What? Why would one smash a poor defenseless vegetable? Aside from releasing pent up rage, it collapses the Brussels sprout into a pile of its sweetest bits, the LEAVES!

We’ve all been there…three bites into a shaved Brussels sprouts salad when you get a tough bite that you must strain to swallow because even the thinnest shavings sometimes contain cumbersome pieces of its core. Smashing Brussels sprouts eliminates that nuisance.

Here’s my technique:
1. Make a v-shaped cut into each of the Brussels sprouts to remove each core.
2. With the cut side of the Brussels sprout down on the cutting board, use a sturdy small fry pan to smash each Brussels sprout one at a time.
3. Break each Brussels sprout apart into its individual leaves.
4. Wash, dry, then roughly chop the leaves.

Now that you have a lovely bowl of Brussels sprouts ribbons, the possibilities are endless! Here they commingle with quinoa to provide the hearty base for this Greek Inspired Beet, Brussels Sprout and Quinoa Salad. If you are a sweet/salty lover, this salad is for you! The roasted beets are a delicious counterpoint to the briny olives and feta in this salad, and make it downright craveable!

Ingredients

  • 3-4 medium beets

  • extra virgin olive oil

  • Kosher salt

  • 8-10 large Brussels sprouts

  • 2 cups cooked quinoa, cold

  • 5 oz. Feta (I prefer Sheep’s Milk, but use what you like), crumbled

  • 2/3 cup Kalamata olives, sliced

  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

  • 1/2 cup fresh dill, coarsely chopped

  • Greek Salad Dressing, recipe below 

  • freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)

  • Greek Salad Dressing

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice 

  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

  • 1/2 tbsp honey

  • 1/2 tbsp capers

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • 2/3 cup grapeseed oil

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano 

  • 1/4 tsp black pepper 

  • 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

Directions

  • Roast the Beets: Preheat oven to 400° (F). Peel the beets, then place them on a large piece of tin foil. Rub the beets with a little olive oil and season with Kosher salt. Wrap the beets tightly with the foil. Usually I double wrap them in foil, to catch any juices that drip out. Place the beets on a sheet pan and roast them until they can be easily pierced with a fork. This typically takes about an hour, but it depends on their size.
  • Prepare the Dressing: Using blender or food processor, blend together the garlic, capers, honey, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar until the garlic is chunky and the capers are finely chopped. With the blender motor running, drizzle in the grapeseed oil then the olive oil.  Remove the dressing from blender and stir in the oregano. Season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper.
  • Smash the Brussels Sprouts:
    Make a v-shaped cut into each of the Brussels sprouts to remove each core. With the cut side of the Brussels sprout down on the cutting board, use a sturdy small fry pan to smash each Brussels sprout one at a time. Break the Brussels sprouts apart into their individual leaves, wash and dry, then roughly chop the leaves. Add to a large bowl.

  • Build the Salad: Once the beets finish cooking, allow them to cool to room temperature. Dice the beets into 1/2 in. pieces. Assemble the salad by combining the quinoa, chopped brussels sprouts leaves, olives, parsley, dill and feta cheese. Top the salad with the beets. Dress the salad to your liking and season to taste.

Tags