Brussels Sprout and Cauliflower Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts and Feta Cheese

Both of the vegetables in this recipe might surprise you. But they work together. And everyone is eating Brussels sprouts right now. And kale. And chia seeds. And goji berries. Am I right or am I right? Anyway, I was really into shaved vegetables for a long period of my life. On second thought, I suppose I still am...But I'm going to cut to the chase.  I know many of you (maybe with the exception of my mum) are not here for the back story.  So I'll spare you the details of this one...

Brussels Sprout and Cauliflower Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts and Feta Cheese

Ingredients for 4 servings:

1 head cauliflower, florets removed from stalk, washed and dried 

1 pound Brussels sprouts, washed, dried, stems and outer leaves removed 

2 lemons, juiced 

1/4C olive oil 

1/2C crumbled feta cheese or shaved Parmesan cheese 

1/4C crushed hazelnuts, toasted

Salt + pepper to taste 

Red pepper flakes, optional 

Directions:

1. Cut large pieces of cauliflower and Brussels sprouts to make it easier to shred

2. With the shredding attachment on your food processor, shred the cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, set aside 

3. Whisk lemon juice and olive oil until emulsified, season to taste with salt and pepper 

4. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, toast the hazelnuts over low heat until just fragrant (watch to be sure they don't burn) 

5. In a large bowl, mix cauliflower and Brussels sprouts with vinaigrette

6. Add hazelnuts and cheese, toss to combine

7. Serve immediately or refrigerate 

*If you don't plan to serve immediately, add the hazelnuts and cheese when you are ready to do so.  Feel free to dress it and let it sit in the fridge until you are ready to serve.  The shredded vegetables are hearty, and should be able to stand up to the acidity of the vinaigrette, just fine. 

I went through a phase of eating a version of this salad daily. I couldn't stop! It hit the spot time and time again.  

I'm curious: What are your favorite vegetables to eat raw?  If you make this salad, or a version of it, I'd love to hear about it!  Hope you enjoy...

xx,

Mrs. Wolf 

Garlic Rosemary Butternut Squash

My mother is responsible for my obsession with squash.  We always blame Mum!! Just kidding, my mum is #1, and this is a good blame. Even as a little girl, my favorite dish on Thanksgiving was her butternut squash.  Oh, and her whole-berry, tart cranberry sauce.  Oh, and her cornbread stuffing.  Okay, I have a lot of favorites.  But really, the butternut squash is beyond.  Creamy and sweet.  

And now, I can't stop making this version of butternut squash!  It is so good on its own, and in other dishes.  Hot. Cold. Room temperature. Scorching your tongue because you can't wait for it to come out of the oven.  All perfectly acceptable methods of consumption.  And it screams hearty comfort.  It's a big bear hug kind of food.  Plus, it's so much work to clean the squash, it's totally appropriate to count the prep work as cardio.  Hallelujah!

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash, peeled, cored and diced

5-7 cloves garlic, minced

4 sprigs rosemary, minced

1 tbsp olive oil 

salt and pepper 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 and grease a baking sheet

2. In a food processor, pulse garlic and rosemary until well chopped*

3. Toss butternut squash with garlic, rosemary and sea salt, spread in one layer over a baking sheet

4. Bake for 25 minutes, flip and bake another 20 minutes or until the butternut squash is cooked (tender on the inside)

*this can, of course, be done by hand...but why? you just put in so much time at "the gym". 

Smells like Christmas: 

Into the oven:

Our finished product:

Served in a romaine salad with cipollini onions and blue cheese: 

How do you prepare butternut squash?  Hope you enjoy...

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf

Chopped Salad

I make my lunch a lot.  As in...everyday.  Even when I had a full time desk job I always brought lunch to work for three reasons: 1. it's generally healthier 2. like anything else, once you get into the habit of preparing lunch the night before, it becomes second nature 3. it's generally a huge cost savings.  Back then, I didn't have big DIY dreams in need of funding - I did, however, have my first Chanel to buy.  Priorities, people...

I made a lot of variations on salads/wraps/soups/stews/yogurt concoctions.  But, I really love big, tasty salads.  And because I like to experiment in the kitchen, I have tried my hand at chopped salads.  

Do you know the salads I am referring to?  You tell the salad man (very technical name) what you want and he throws everything into a big bowl then chops it for you and somehow what you thought would be the largest salad of all time is reduced to a normal sized plastic topped bowl...yeah, those chopped salads.  

I decided what would be in today's chopped garbage salad - spinach, chickpeas, orange peppers, pumpkin seeds and unsweetened dried cherries.  Proportions below.

Ingredients:
4C raw baby spinach 
1/2C canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2C orange peppers, sliced
1/4C dried cherries, unsweetened
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds, roasted and unsalted
1tsp olive oil
2tsp balsamic vinegar
sprinkle sea salt

This is where I started:

Directions:
1. Begin by building your salad on a cutting board instead of in a bowl
2. Start with your base (any green you like - spinach, lettuce, kale, arugula, spring mix), season your greens (very important step!) and pile on your toppings as you go
3. Make sure your toppings are somewhat compact so that you don't have legumes rolling around, for example (no one likes a rolly legume...)
4. With a good chef's or santoku knife start to rock your knife up and down to begin chopping the greens, as you go you will also chop the vegetables/nuts/beans/whatever it is that you added - just be sure to keep moving the goodies back into the center of the board so that you ensure you are getting an even chop 
5. Continue until you've reached your desired consistency 
6. Top the chopped salad with your dressing of choice and gently toss to combine or you can empty everything into your serving bowl or plate and dress the greens there
7. Serve and enjoy

Here is my salad half way through the santoku rock chop method (again, very technical terms here):

And here is my final version, served in a bowl ready to eat:

Nutrition information per serving:

399 calories, 60 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat, 16 g protein, 12 g fiber

So with that behind us, here's to saving money by chopping your own salad and buying Chanel bags.  Just kidding, sort of...

What are you favorite toppings in a chopped salad?  I'd love to hear from you if you make a version of this salad.  

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf