Shredded Brussels sprouts salad with dried blueberries, pecans, and maple-miso dressing {vegan}

A huge stalk of Brussels sprouts, on sale at the local market for $4.99, caught my eye last week. Too large for the grocery bags I'd brought, the stalk nestled under my arm as I left the store. By the time I arrived home, I had lost the will to cook, but not the will to eat. This salad requires no cooking, save a brief toasting of the pecans while you're throwing everything else together. You can make the maple-miso dressing ahead of time, and store it in the refrigerator for a week or more. Trim the sprouts and toss them into a food processor fitted with a slicing blade, to save time. Or attack them one by one with a sharp knife; cut off the very bottom edge, slice each sprout in half lengthwise, and then make cross-wise cuts to get very thin pieces. The blueberries add extra antioxidant power to an already-powerful side dish, but if you can't find them, swap in dried cranberries, which are available in any grocery store. And to serve as a vegetarian main course or Meatless Monday entrée, add some crumbled feta or blue cheese.

Shredded Brussels sprouts salad with dried blueberries, pecans, and maple-miso dressing

From the pantry, you'll need: miso paste, rice vinegar, maple syrup, fresh ginger root, sesame oil, canola (or grapeseed, or rice bran) oil.

Serves 4; can be multiplied.

Ingredients

For the dressing:
1 heaping Tbsp mild miso paste
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp canola, grapeseed, rice bran or another neutral oil

For the salad:
3 cups shredded Brussels sprouts
1 cup dried blueberries (or cranberries)
1 cup raw pecan halves, roughly chopped

Directions

In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing, until the miso has "dissolved" and the dressing is smooth.

In a mixing bowl, combine the Brussels sprouts and blueberries. Spoon on enough dressing to moisten, toss gently, and set aside.

Place the roughly chopped pecans in a small dry nonstick frying pan. Toast over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, for 3-4 minutes, until the nuts are just starting to brown but not yet burned. Add the toasted nuts to the Brussels sprouts, along with the remaining dressing. Toss everything together.

Serve at room temperature.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More Brussels sprouts recipes:
Warm Brussels sprouts, almond and goat cheese salad with maple mustard dressing, from The Perfect Pantry
Tofu and Brussels sprouts fried rice, from The Perfect Pantry
Brussels sprouts salad with bacon, dried cranberries, almonds and parmesan, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Garlic chili-maple roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts with pomegranate and Gorgonzola, from Ambitious Kitchen
Brussels sprout and apple hash, from Herbivoracious

Need some new ideas to turn your same-old salad into exciting salad? Download Dress Up Your Salad, my e-book packed with easy mix-and-match recipes, full-color photos and a few fun videos. Fantastic salad recipes can be just one click away, on any computer, tablet or smart phone, with the FREE Kindle Reading app. Click here to learn more.

Shredded Brussels sprouts salad with dried blueberries, pecans, and maple-miso dressing

From the pantry, you'll need: miso paste, rice vinegar, maple syrup, fresh ginger root, sesame oil, canola (or grapeseed, or rice bran) oil.

Serves 4; can be multiplied.

Ingredients

For the dressing:
1 heaping Tbsp mild miso paste
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp canola, grapeseed, rice bran or another neutral oil

For the salad:
3 cups shredded Brussels sprouts
1 cup dried blueberries (or cranberries)
1 cup raw pecan halves, roughly chopped

Directions

In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing, until the miso has "dissolved" and the dressing is smooth.

In a mixing bowl, combine the Brussels sprouts and blueberries. Spoon on enough dressing to moisten, toss gently, and set aside.

Place the roughly chopped pecans in a small dry nonstick frying pan. Toast over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, for 3-4 minutes, until the nuts are just starting to brown but not yet burned. Add the toasted nuts to the Brussels sprouts, along with the remaining dressing. Toss everything together.

Serve at room temperature.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More Brussels sprouts recipes:
Warm Brussels sprouts, almond and goat cheese salad with maple mustard dressing, from The Perfect Pantry
Tofu and Brussels sprouts fried rice, from The Perfect Pantry
Brussels sprouts salad with bacon, dried cranberries, almonds and parmesan, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Garlic chili-maple roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts with pomegranate and Gorgonzola, from Ambitious Kitchen
Brussels sprout and apple hash, from Herbivoracious

Need some new ideas to turn your same-old salad into exciting salad? Download Dress Up Your Salad, my e-book packed with easy mix-and-match recipes, full-color photos and a few fun videos. Fantastic salad recipes can be just one click away, on any computer, tablet or smart phone, with the FREE Kindle Reading app. Click here to learn more.

Comments

This looks great. I've been looking for a salad dressing with ginger in it! Looks like dinner to me.

Mary, this has quickly become Ted's favorite salad, and he's eaten it as his main course more than once!

I made my first dish with raw brussels sprouts last month and loved it! The dressing on this sounds like it would be lovely with the brussels sprouts.

I love anything to do with Brussels sprouts. I've roasted and sautéed, but I've never actually eaten them raw. I gather the dressing must "relax" the sprouts a little? This is next on my list on the Brussels Sprouts adventure!

Kalyn, TW: Yes, the dressing tenderizes the sprouts a bit, so the farther ahead you make and dress the salad, the softer it will be. We love it still crunchy, so we tend to dress the salad just a few minutes before serving.

Oh my gosh - this will make my entire family happy.