Christmas Salad

I’m pretty sure I almost gave myself a concussion tonight after eating pizza. I didn’t even know that was possible, but apparently it is. We were getting in the car in a post-pizza euphoria after eating at Pizza Oasis [a slice of artichoke heart, sun-dried tomato, roasted garlic, chopped garlic, red onion, and meatballs for me, please], and apparently I misjudged the usual “jump into the car” and cracked my head on the top of the door opening. Like full force. Like huge lump immediately. Like holy feeling dizzy at the liquor store buying Temperance Trader Straight Bourbon Whiskey [a girl needs hot toddies…tomorrow]. Pizza…was it worth it? Absolutely.

Also worth it? This salad. This glorious, glorious salad. This was the salad of salads that I needed to make for Christmas Eve. Well, I really didn’t, but it was the perfect excuse to make it. It’s really, really, really pretty. I’m not really known to make pretty salads, only eat them. I purchased my first pomegranate in its honor. I used this method to get the seeds out [and the guy in the video is hilarious]. I ate a ton of the seeds before, during, and after making the salad. Roasted hazelnuts are pretty much heaven. Oranges are pretty…orangey. Shredded brussels and kale massaged in THE DRESSING take any real hint of traditional bitterness away.

I call it THE DRESSING because it deserves to be called such. The flavors certainly aren’t traditional [tahini, honey, dijon] but they really play off each other in a really great way. It’s different, but if you like tahini at all, or any real nutty flavors, it should be something you want to shove in your mouth by the spoonful. I did. A lot.

I hope you had a great holiday. It was a lot of time with with all my family, eating ridiculous amounts of good food, and being spoiled rotten. I have three new cookbooks that I’m reading like novels [The Sprouted Kitchen, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, and Veganomicon] among other things. 

How was your holiday?

Inspiration: Green Kitchen Stories

Ingredients

• 3/4lb brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed, and shredded
• 1/2 bunch of kale, washed, removed from stems, and shredded
• 1 pomegranate, deseeded
• 150g hazelnuts, roasted [I used this method]
• 3 oranges, peeled and segmented
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon raw honey
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• sea salt to taste

Preparation

Whisk together the tahini, honey, mustard, olive oil, and lemon juice to make the dressing. Taste and add sea salt as you see fit. I used a pinch. Set aside.

Toss together the brussels and the kale in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the top and massage it into the greens for 5-10 minutes. What might seem like a lot of dressing will slowly be eaten up by the greens. Everything will be coated, but not goopy. Add the oranges, pomegranate seeds, and hazelnuts. Toss together.

Can be served right away or stored in the fridge until ready. This made amazing leftovers.