Warm Winter Salad with Brussels Sprouts

Warm Winter Salad with Brussels Sprouts

A lot of my cooking these days is being influenced by Heidi Swanson’s cookbook, Super Natural Every Day, which I happily added to my bulging cookbook shelf this past Christmas.

She frequently mixes whole grains into her cooking, so I’ve added a few more to my pantry and am trying to add them in here and there.

My friend, Micaiah, told me to roast grapes with my brussels sprouts along with a little olive oil, thyme and balsamic vinegar.

We loved the results!  I made a TON of them one night for dinner so I made this salad up that I ate for lunch the next two days.

I used winter wheat berries, arugula and a citrus vinaigrette to turn all these ingredients into a meal (or at least a satisfying lunch!) for Taido and me.

I loved how it turned out and I am certain I’ll be repeating this combination soon.

Warm Winter Salad with Brussels Sprouts

1 pound brussels sprouts

1 cup grapes

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried thyme (or a couple of tablespoons fresh)

dash of balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup dried winter wheat berries, boiled in 2 quarts water for 20 minutes or until soft, then drained

6-12 ounces arugula

Toss brussel sprouts and grapes with oil, vinegar, thyme, salt and pepper.  Roast on parchment lined baking sheet at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes.  Stir once or twice while cooking.

Toss the warm brussel sprouts with the wheat berries, arugula and citris vinaigrette.  Serve immediately.

Citrus Vinaigrette

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon or lime juice

1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1 shallot, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon (optional)

1/2 teaspoon dried basil (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and use a blender or immersion blender to emulsify.

Note, I added the herbes because I had them handy and thought they would be yummy.  I loved the taste of the tarragon, but you could use any almost any avaialable herbes or omit them entirely.

Enjoy!