Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad with Pear and Bacon

Kale salad…it’s delicious I promise!

It’s January. Time to stop eating chocolates like they are vitamins and drinking eggnog right out of the carton. After a holiday season of eating and drinking WAY too much, I stepped on the scale and almost died. So I’ve stepped back and I’m trying to make positive changes in my diet so that I won’t need to buy a new, larger wardrobe.

However, before you ask….I am not doing anything extreme. I’m not giving up anything. However, I am going to try to cut back on sugar and grains.  I’m also adding in lots of green leafy vegetables.  For breakfast, I really enjoy a delicious green smoothie full of spinach and blueberries for an antioxidant kickstart. For lunch I like to have a salad of some kind. Today I made this beautiful (look at those lovely shades of green!) and delicious kale and brussels sprout salad that I was introduced to by my friend Julie van Rosendaal except I changed it up a wee bit.

Here is my take on the salad and you will notice that I am NOT giving up everything because that IS bacon that you see. 🙂 Also, if you hate brussels sprouts, do not be afraid of this salad. Since they aren’t cooked, they do not take on that sulphur-y taste that they can sometimes have. Even Dewey, the biggest brussesl sprout hater in the world, loves this salad. That is saying a lot.

Kale Salad Recipe:

Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad with Pear and Bacon

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Kick your salad game up a notch with this delicious kale and brussel sprouts salad. 

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Ingredients

• 5 large kale leaves, approximately
• 6 medium/large brussels sprouts, approximately
• 1/4 medium onion, preferably red but any will do, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup shredded pecorino or parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1 pear, cored and coarsely chopped
• 6 - 8 slices of bacon, fried crisp and chopped

Dressing

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 Tbsp grainy mustard
• pinch sugar
• 1/4 tsp Sriracha
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Remove stems from kale and slice very thinly. Add to medium salad bowl.
2. Remove any dried leaves from the outside of the brussels sprouts. Cut in half and then slice thinly discarding the stem end. Add to bowl with kale.
3. Add onions, parmesan, almonds, pear and bacon to the salad bowl.
4. In a large measuring cup, add all dressing ingredients and whisk.
5. Pour dressing over salad and toss.

Notes

If you are planning to eat this later or a bit at a time, you may want to leave the bacon out of the salad until you serve it. This salad gets more delicious as it sits so it is a great salad to make and eat every day for lunch.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 265 Saturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 2mg Sodium: 152mg Carbohydrates: 13g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 3g Protein: 5g