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Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Bulgur Salad

Light and healthy Brussels sprouts salad with cranberries. A sweet and savory salad that is fresh and filling!
Photo of Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Bulgur Salad
Prep time: 45 minutes
Makes: 5 Cups
Nutrition Facts: View label

Ingredients

⅓ cup dried bulgur
1 cup boiling water
½ pound Brussels sprouts (2 cups)
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup chopped nuts (any type)
¼ cup orange juice
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions

  1. Wash hands with soap and water.
  2. Cover bulgur with boiling water and let stand until soft, about 30 minutes.  Pour off any excess water.
  3. Rinse and trim Brussels sprouts.  Cut in half lengthwise then slice crosswise into thin strips.
  4. In a large bowl combine bulgur, Brussels sprouts, cranberries and nuts.
  5. In a small bowl or jar with a lid, combine orange juice, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix or shake well. Pour dressing over salad and serve.
  6. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Notes

  • No nuts? Use sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
  • No dried cranberries? Use any type of dried fruit.

Comments

This is really great with quinoa in case of gluten-intolerance. Otherwise, I recommend blanching the Brussels sprouts for one minute in a pot of boiling water after shredding them. This helps with the digestibility issues of raw brassicas, and is still nice and fresh-tasting. If you have a micro-zester, adding in a little orange zest to the dressing amps up the flavor of the finished salad to another level. We made this recipe as a recent cook-along, and it was very popular and really surprised participants at the flavor and simplicity!

We did a few cafeteria tastings with this recipe last week. I made a small batch for myself with brown rice due to a gluten issue, and it was really tasty. To my surprise, the elementary students also really liked the recipe. I had a few suggest using apples in it for some extra crunch, which I agree would be really good. We used sunflower seeds to avoid any nut allergies, but I think with walnuts, it would be even better.

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