Warm Shaved Brussels Sprout & Cauliflower Salad

Guys! What could be a more perfect pre-Thanksgiving dish? Warm Shaved Brussels Sprout & Cauliflower Salad with Bacon, Cranberries, Toasted Pecans and a Butternut Squash Purée. The salad is tossed simply in a little lemon and olive oil...Do you guys have any favorite dishes that inspire and get you amped for Thanksgiving? xx

Overview

Serves: 1-2

Prep: 20 min

Cook: 1.5 hrs

Total: 1 hr 50 min

Difficulty: Relatively Easy

Ingredients

2 c Butternut Squash

2 c Brussels Sprouts

1 c Cauliflower

2 pcs Bacon

1 T Dried Cranberries

1 T Pecans

1 Lemon - Juiced

1 T Blend Oil (Canola/Olive)

Salt to taste

Black Pepper to taste

1 T Brown Sugar

1/2 c Chicken Stock

Directions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 F. While the oven is heating up, take your butternut squash and split it in half by carefully taking a knife and sticking the knife in lengthwise halfway down the squash. Carefully cut into the squash, remove the knife and cut along the same line in the opposite direction (cutting a straight line from end to end). With you knife in the squash, lift it up and carefully drive it down with some force to split the squash in half.

2. Remove the seeds with a spoon and place your squash on a sheet tray.

3. Drizzle squash with a little blend oil and salt, then roast in the oven for roughly 1 hour, or until the squash is fork-tender.

4. While the squash is roasting, shave your brussels sprouts on a mandolin and grate your cauliflower on the third largest set of grates on your grater. Set aside.

6. Heat a pan over low heat and gently toast your pecans until very lightly caramelized (you will start to smell a sweet nuttiness in the air, which will tell you they're getting close). Once cool, roughly chop into small chunks.

7. Next up is our bacon. Heat a pan over high heat. While the pan is heating, cut your bacon into 1/4 in. chunks. I personally like these larger cuts for this salad because it adds a lovely texture to what is otherwise, a rather delicate salad. 

8. Once hot, add just a touch of oil (which will render out the fat in the bacon) and add your bacon to the pan. Cook until nice and crisp, then remove from the pan, reserving the bacon fat (which we'll use later).

9. Once your squash has been removed from the oven and cooled to where you can handle it, spoon out half of the squash and place in a blender.

9. Add your brown sugar and chicken stock and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt to taste.

10. Heat a pan over medium heat and add 1 t of bacon fat to the pan. Toss your brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cranberries into the pan and gently toss until warm.

11. Add your pecans and bacon at the end, then drizzle with your lemon juice and blend oil and adjust seasoning with a pinch of salt and ground black pepper.

To serve:

With a large spoon, place a good heaping of your purée onto the plate and place a handful of your salad directly on top. Serve with a good white wine and you have yourself a delicious, healthy pre-Thanksgiving meal.

Enjoy!