For those of you who live in warm climates or whose “winter” consisted of three snowflakes and three days that dipped below fifty degrees: please stop reading now.
Oh, I’m just kidding. Keep reading.
In December I asked my building manager to shut off my heat because it was too warm in my apartment and this winter, I’ve only closed my windows when I go out of town.
Yet, this is the time of year, the end of March, on the cusp of spring, when I start to lose fondness for the slushy sidewalks and my winter coat.
Yet, ironically, this month, I’ve become obsessed with winter vegetables.
Kale, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, cauliflower….I can’t get enough.
Usually by now, I’m scouting farmer’s markets for quasi-ripe tomatoes and slicing carrot after orange carrot for fresh salads, but for some reason, I’m still stuck on dark leafy greens and roasted veggies.
Even though this particular recipe might be better served alongside your Thanksgiving turkey, think twice before turning it away until November.
Sautéed in warm walnut oil and mixed with with fresh goat cheese and tarted cranberries, you won’t even miss the meat in this seasonally-inappropriate salad.
- 2 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
- ¼ cup walnut oil (substitution: olive oil)
- 2 tablespoons Old Town Oil - Fig Balsamic (substitution: balsamic vinegar)
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- 2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Trim brussels sprouts, remove outer leaves, and cut into quarters. Put sprouts in mixing bowl and toss with walnut oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Arrange sprouts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast 20 minutes, turning occasionally, or until sprouts are slightly crisp and golden brown on the edges.
- When sprouts are done, put them back into mixing bowl and toss with cranberries or goat cheese. Arrange on serving plate and sprinkle with chopped walnuts, if desired.
9 Comments
katerina
April 5, 2010 at 2:19 pmI guess I should shut up? But then I wouldn’t get a chance to tell you just how fabulous this looks. I just love goat cheese.
Kristen Doyle
April 1, 2010 at 10:42 amI love the pop of red with the cranberries. I am always looking for another way to prepare brussel sprouts. Thanks for the great recipe.
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)
March 29, 2010 at 3:24 pmMaybe this is your body’s way of telling you it needs iron. Whatever the message, the salad looks delicious, so who cares what time of year it is?!
Kate @ Savour Fare
March 29, 2010 at 12:33 pmI love winter vegetables and always get a little sad at that time of year when Kale is no longer appropriate but the tomatoes aren’t yet good.
kat
March 29, 2010 at 10:05 amGreat salad! We had a cold winter but are now having an early spring in Minneapolis. No snow in March?! unheard of
Dana
March 28, 2010 at 4:36 pmGreat combo Maris! Our weather is truly all over the place this time of year. Just this week we had a high of 70 and a low of 40. I’m hating my boots and sweaters but am still tolerating winter veg.
Joanne
March 28, 2010 at 1:19 pmI’m all about seasonally inappropriate food. I still cook butternut squash in June. It’s an addiction, what can I say. And technically it can be grown year round…it’s very hardy.
This salad looks excellent! THere’s no way I’ll be saving it until June. Plus I just posted a brussels sprouts recipe as well!
katie c
March 28, 2010 at 11:24 amI always thought I hated brussels sprouts. Nasty, smelly, grey. But I had a dish similar to this recently while on vacation and it was superb. I’m going to try this recipe tonite with a rack of lamb. I think roasting must be the method of avoiding the mushy grey stuff. (BTW, I live in the land of no snow- 80 today!)
Kalyn
March 28, 2010 at 10:18 amThis sounds fantastic, especially with the combination of fig balsamic vinegar and walnut oil. Great any time of year!