Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with Roasted Maple Acorn Squash
This salad looks fancy, but it's pretty easy to prepare. It makes a healthy and nutritious dish that's great to serve at a dinner party, or just when you're craving a hearty salad. Brussels Sprouts are one of the best veggies you can eat as they're packed with health benefits like anti-aging and anti-cancer properties, plus more.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the squash down the middle and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. You'll have two halves. Cut the squash halves width-wise to get the pretty ridges. I do them about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.
Toss the squash wedges in olive oil and maple syrup. If you're oil-free, you can leave the olive oil out. Spread the wedges on the baking sheet. Put them in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. All ovens are different so you might need to go more or less on the time. The squash should be tender, like a fork should easily be able to pierce it.
Salad and dressing
While the squash is roasting, get the salad together. For the Brussels Sprouts you want to wash them, then chop the ends off and cut them down the middle. To get them shredded you can either chop them up with a knife, or put them in a food processor and pulse until they become shredded. I like to do this because chopping Brussels Sprouts by hand can take a while. If using a food processor make sure to not over pulse them. You still want them to have a bit of a crunch.
In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk it together. Make sure to taste to see if you want to adjust any of the ingredients. Then, in a large bowl mix the Brussels Sprouts, raisins, sliced almonds and dressing together. You want the Brussels Sprouts to be well coated in the dressing.
Plating
To make it look like I've done in the pictures, I packed the salad in a measuring cup. I used 2/3 cup. Push it down with your fingers. You want it packed in tight. Then, turn it over on a plate and slowly pull up (similar to making a sandcastle on the beach). I added the squash to the side of the salad almost cupping it. Lastly, I just topped with pomegranate seeds because it added a pop of color and I thought it looked pretty. You could also use cranberries and/or microgreens.
Notes
If you're not a fan of raisins, cranberries also work.
You can sub almonds for another nut like chopped walnuts or pecans.
If you're nut-free, leave them out or use pumpkin or sunflower seeds instead.