Maple glazed brussel sprout salad

I do love brussel sprouts…that is if I get the recipe right, they have a tendency to be a little bitter if not treated sensitively! I think that must be why most people have a ‘love-hate’ relationship with poor old brussels.

I bought a big bag from the supermarket a week or so ago and I've been making various salad and stir fry combos ever since. Some experiments have been tastier than others, but yesterday’s lunch was so good I just had to share it with you.

This ‘warm salad’ or stir fry (whatever you’d prefer to call it) was in large part inspired by Heidi’s recipe over at 101 Cookbooks, I loved the idea of using a little maple sauce as a glaze along with apple for sweetness. I added crushed walnuts instead of pine nuts plus a little ‘fake’ bacon to give a big flavour hit and turn this side dish into a full on meal.

I don’t typically use fake meats as I simply don’t miss having meat in my dishes and so therefore have no desire to sub processed alternatives. However in this instance I had a pack of meat free bacon in the freezer that I’d originally bought to use in a meal for a friend, so I figured today would be a good opportunity to add a little- I used approximately 1 large rasher.  This dish still has so much flavour without, so feel to go without bacon…it will still taste good, or you could follow the principle in Heidi’s recipe and use cubed tofu.

This is a fairly light dish which was perfect for lunch, but you could team it with some quinoa for a more substantial meal.

Recipe: Maple glazed brussel sprout salad

Serves 1 as a main or 2 as a side

Ingredients

1 ½ cups shredded brussel sprouts

1 shallot- sliced thinly (I had none so omitted this but I would have liked to have added one)

1-2 rashers ‘bacon’  sliced (optional)

1 tbs olive oil or coconut oil

1 smallish apple- cubed

2 garlic cloves- minced

Pinch of salt

2 tsp maple syrup

Handful of crushed walnuts

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan and then add the sprouts, shallot, bacon, apple, garlic and salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Add the maple syrup and walnut pieces and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until well glazed and beginning to brown in places.

Serve immediately.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.