Shredded Brussels Sprouts & Kale Salad with a Lemony Dijon Vinaigrette

I've been eyeing this Shredded Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad with Lemon Dressing recipe from Just A Taste for awhile now.  But every time we get Brussels sprouts in the Crop Share, I'm completely incapable of not roasting them or turning them into this Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms in a Dijon Cream Sauce dish.  However, this week I vowed to finally make my own version of Just A Taste's salad, and I knew if I was going to get the Mister behind a giant bowl of green for dinner, I was going to have to put some meat in there somewhere, especially since there would also be no carb coming along with it either.  So while the original is completely vegetarian, I tossed in one shredded chicken breast from yet another rotisserie chicken I'm slowly dismembering as the week goes on.  I also didn't go based on her measurements, I just went based on quantities in our shares, so I doubled the dressing recipe as the original measurements were looking pretty slim for the amount of roughage I had going on.  She also had Parmesan or Pecorino cheese in her's, but we didn't miss it and with the almonds you already get that nutty flavor and by adding Kosher salt to the dressing, that checks the salty component box.  So feel free to add cheese if you'd like, just maybe back down on the amount of salt in the dressing or omit it all together.

Not going to lie, this is one of those annoyingly prep intensive dishes, so if you're looking for a quick weeknight dinner salad, this might not be a good option as thinly slicing your way through all that green becomes soul killing unless you've got some good tunes blaring in your kitchen.  However, thanks to this recipe, you will gain two, count them two, gold stars on your culinary skills charts:  Chiffonade & Emulsion.  Yep, we're getting fancy in Nalls' Kitchen tonight!

Shredded Brussels Sprouts & Kale Salad with a Lemony Dijon Vinaigrette

For salad:

1 quart Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed & shredded
1 bundle Kale, removed from stalk & shredded
1/2 cup sliced, unsalted almonds, toasted
1 chicken breast, cooked & shredded (I dismembered a rotisserie chicken)


For dressing:

1 large shallot, minced
4 Tbsp Dijon mustard
4 tsp local honey
2 lemons, zest & juice
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil


In a medium-sized skillet, toast almond slices over medium high heat.  No need to add any oil as the natural oils in the almonds will be enough.  Stir fairy continuously to prevent burning.  Once almond are golden brown, remove from heat and set aside.

To shred Brussels sprouts, trim ends, and remove outer few leaves.  Then halve sprouts and thinly slice each half.  For kale, remove from the stalk and roll leaves into bundles and prepare to chiffonade.  Say what?  Yes, get ready to perfect your fancy knife skills -- and no you don't have to be totally accurate with these, you just want to have thin slices of kale for the salad.  Have no idea what I'm on about, then learn how to get  your chiffonade on in this helpful video...

Now toss together your kale, Brussels sprouts, toasted almond and shredded chicken together in a large bowl.   I weeded out any bits of the core of the sprouts  that still remained as chunks.

Grab a medium sized bowel and whip up the dressing.  Combine all ingredients through the salt and lightly whisk to fully combine.  Then slowly pour in olive oil while you whisk vigorously because you're doing another fancy thing, you're making an...emulsion!  Ooo la la!  First you chiffonade then you, well, emulse?  Emulsionize?  No, I've got it, you emulsionate!  Once all your oil is incorporated you should have a dressing that looks very much like a big bowl of whisked egg yolks.  Pour as much or as little over the salad and toss to coat.

Let sit for about 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld and serve.

Throwback Thursday: Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms In A Dijon Cream Sauce

I cannot get enough of this brussels sprouts recipe, it is nothing short of decadent, and chances are you already have a good bit of the ingredients hanging out in your pantry or fridge.  Yet some more great comfort cooking while we're in the midst of this snowy tundra!

Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms In A Dijon Cream Sauce

And in case you don't have everything already in your pantry, don't forget to take your Tauntaun with you to the store...

Aaaaaand, if you're just nerdy enough to need more wintery Star Wars humor, here's a little gem straight from Sochi.  The Olympics are really getting intense!

Fellow Crop Share nerds...you are welcome.

Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms in a Dijon Cream Sauce

Now that I've realized I love Brussels sprouts if they're cooked right (sorry Mama, steaming frozen ones in a butter sauce is a crime against B-sprouts), I can't get enough of them.  One of our Crop Share members pointed me in the direction of Smitten Kitchen's Dijon Braised Brussels Sprouts, and I've been drooling ever since.  Give me Dijon or give me death!  I didn't have any broth or white wine on hand (SCANDAL!!!), so I whipped my own, raid-the-pantry version.  I did mine dairy-free for the Mister by concocting unsweetened rice milk with melted dairy-free margarine, but having spent many a years with heavy cream running through my veins, I know it's a 1 for 1 substitution, so 2 cups of heavy cream is what you'll want for the dairy-full version.  See the ingredients for my faux heavy cream directions if you'd like to or need to give the dairy-free version a whirl.  I'm looking in the direction of a certain awesome mom & Crop Share member who's diving in head first to gluten & dairy-free cooking for her son.  Trust me lady, you'll be rocking in the kitchen like a pro in no time!

Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms  in a Dijon Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, sliced
1 quart mushrooms, sliced
1 quart Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and sliced
2 cups heavy cream (Trickling Springs heavy cream is TO DIE for, so snag some in store!  Or if you need to make it dairy-free, a no fail replacement is just shy of 2 cups of unsweetened rice milk mixed with 2 Tbsp of melted Earth Balance margarine)
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add in shallots and cook for about 2 minutes.  Toss in mushrooms and allow to begin to brown before adding in the Brussels sprouts.  You'll want to get some brown on the Brussels sprouts too, as it will bring out the natural sweetness.  Once veggies are browned, gently whisk in your heavy cream and then Dijon mustard.  Season with a pinch or two of salt & pepper. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until sauce is reduced by more than half and is thickened.  Adjust seasoning to taste.

I served our's over rice to turn it into an entree, but this would also be great over noodles (it has a stroganoff thing going on with it), or serve it as a side dish or even a decadent topping to some grilled steaks.

Shredded Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad with Lemon Dressing via Just A Taste

Happy New Year everyone!!!  Here's to hoping we all have a bountiful and beautiful 2014!  Speaking of bountiful, we finalized the Crop Share list for the first week of the Deep Winter round, and we're pretty darn excited.  Because we source domestically for this round, we are able to get so much more variety, which means we can have a lot of fun with the boxes each week.  We know for sure we'll be doing a Super Bowl themed box again this year, and since Valentine's Day is on a Friday, there will definitely be a box o' romance in the works!

But for this week, two of the items we've got, Brussels sprouts and lemons, are two of the ingredients needed for this DELICIOUS looking Shredded Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad from Just A Taste.  And we'll be getting in fresh kale for the store, so we'll have nearly all the base ingredients on hand for you to make this salad.  I know I'm going to be giving it a try!  Just remember, when using raw kale for a salad, you want to massage that kale first.  You know you feel happy after a massage, and so does kale, as massaging it takes the bitterness away.  Ooo la la!

Click the link below to view the recipe on Just A Taste...

Shredded Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad with Lemon Dressing

Thanksgiving Favorites: Green Bean Casserole with Herbed Breadcrumbs

Thanksgiving In Nalls’ Kitchen!

7310 Beulah Street, Franconia, VA 22315

(703) 971-4068 ~ info@nallsproduce.com

Green Bean Casserole with Herbed Breadcrumbs

No soup from a can or Franken-onions in this version!

Ingredients:

2 lbs green beans, trimmed & cut in half

3 lg shallots

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 ½ cups, coarse ground bread crumbs (panko works great or a larger ground)

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

½ tsp Kosher salt, divided

½ tsp ground black pepper, divided

2 cups reduced fat milk

2 Tbsp butter

1/3 cup flour

Pinch ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Boil green beans in salted water over high heat, uncovered, for 6 minutes until bright green and slightly tender.  Drain well and transfer to a 3-quart baking dish.

While green beans are boiling, dice 1.5 shallots and then thinly slice the remaining 1.5.  Set aside the sliced shallots.  In a sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add chopped shallots and cook for 4 to 7 minutes until slightly browned.  Pour in breadcrumbs, thyme, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp ground black pepper, stir to fully incorporate.  Cook an additional 2 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.  Set aside in a separate bowl.

Heat milk in a saucepan just enough to warm it, but not to boil it.  In the same sauté pan you used for the breadcrumbs, melt butter over medium heat.  Add sliced shallots and cook for 5 minutes until golden brown.  Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes.  Then slowly add milk, and whisk continually to avoid any clumps.  Bring to a boil and continue stirring for about 2 minutes.  Sauce should thicken to the consistency of heavy cream.  Whisk in nutmeg, ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper.  Pour sauce over green beans.  Then evenly top with bread crumbs, and bake for 30 minutes until topping is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.