For some, Thanksgiving is all about the sides. Vegetables can be challenging to make exciting. This Thanksgiving Brussels Sprout Salad does the trick to transform ordinary veggies into a delightful dish! Guaranteed to impress your dinner guests!
Blanching
What is blanching? Blanching is the process of scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a quick period of time, then submerging them into ice cold water. This cooking method is beneficial as it stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture in your vegetables. In addition, blanching cleanses the surface of vegetables which often contain dirt and organisms, brightens the color and helps prevent loss of vitamins. I personally find that blanching brings out the flavor in vegetables. You will also find in this recipe that I add salt and baking soda to my blanching water. This helps brighten the color even more as well as enhance the flavor more. When Blanching small items like shredded Brussels Sprouts I like to keep them together inside a fine mesh strainer, Linked here: Cuisinart CTG-00-3MS Set of 3 Fine Mesh Stainless Steel Strainers (paid link).
Rehydrating
In this recipe you will find that we rehydrate dried cranberries. Wd do this to make the cranberries plumper, juicier, and softer. Having the cranberries rehydrated makes for a more pleasant texture. If you want to get fancy and give your cranberries some extra flavor, swap the hot water for orange juice, apple juice, or a white wine. Simply boil the orange juice or white wine on the stove and do the same process as mentioned with the water.
PrintThanksgiving Brussels Sprout Salad
For some, Thanksgiving is all about the sides. Vegetables can be challenging to make exciting. This Brussels Sprout Salad does the trick to transform ordinary veggies into a delightful dish!
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 24 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 sides 1x
Ingredients
For the Roasted Carrots:
- 12 small carrots
Carrot Marinade:
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large orange cut into slices
- 1 large lemon cut into slices
For the Brussels sprouts:
- 1 lb of Brussels sprouts shredded
- 2 tablespoons salt (for blanching water)
- 1 tablespoon baking soda (for blanching water)
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
For the dressing:
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- zest of 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon or spicy brown mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup neutral oil (salad oil, vegetable, canola, sesame, sunflower, etc.)
Instructions
For the Roasted Carrots:
- Peel the carrots then put in a large pot (5 Qt+) fill with water and bring to a boil. Boil until the carrots are tender. Drain the pot.
- Mix together the marinade in a small bowl. Take a 9×13 baking pan and lay out carrots and pour over with the marinade. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 24 hours.
- The next day, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Roast in the oven (with citrus slices but drain out the marinade); until they have a roasted appearance (about 15-20 minutes)
- Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
For the Brussels Sprouts:
- Boil a large pot of water (5 Qts+). Add in salt and baking soda.
- Prepare a medium sized bowl lined with paper towels to the side.
- In 1/3 increments, fill a fine mesh strainer with Brussels sprouts and emerge into boiling water. Once you see the color pop a brighter green remove from water and bring it to the sink. Rinse with very cold water to stop the cooking. Pour Brussels sprouts into lined bowl. Repeat with the rest of the brussels sprouts. Place the dried cranberries in a small bowl. Pour 1/2 cup hot water over the dried cranberries. Allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes or until cranberries are rehydrated.
For the Dressing:
- Use a medium size bowl with a hand mixer, a small blender, or a food processor. Add in honey, mustard, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, and orange zest. Mix together. Very slowly while mixing, add in oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Mix the Salad:
- Dice your roasted carrots into bite size pieces.
- In a large serving bowl, toss together your Brussels sprouts, rehydrated cranberries, carrots, and citrus dressing.
- Serve at room temperature.
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