Recipe: Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples, Walnuts and Pecorino

Salads. Meeeeeehhhhhhhhhh. 

Don't love 'em, but don't really hate 'em either. (Okay sometimes I hate them. I'm pretty sure every Celiac has had this reaction at least once. Or this one. If you haven't freaked the eff out over a salad yet, juuust wait. Your day will come.)

I totally order salads, sometimes. In fact, I'm an absolute whiz at plucking out all of the toppings and leaving the dumb lettuce behind. If there's cheese or some kind of porky-meat in that pile of leaves I will FIND IT. I am the Liam Neeson of salads. And mix-ins are my rebellious teenage children.

So what in the heck is a salad recipe doing on this blog? Well for starters, you won't find any lettuce. This salad is ALL sprouts. Which just so happen to be my favorite veggie in all the land. 

There's also a big ol' pile of cheese, which, yum. 

If you haven't signed off on your Thanksgiving menu yet, this would make a mighty fine addition. Or maybe make it the day after when you're good and stuffed? It's really quite light and refreshing (thanks diced apples!), so I think you'll enjoy it either way. 

Recipe: Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples, Walnuts and Pecorino

[inspired by this salad from Sylvain in New Orleans, LA]

Notes
-If you want to make this extra festive you could throw in a handful of dried cranberries or dried cherries. I thought about it, but what I love most about this salad is its simplicity. Your call!
-Another solid addition would be crispy prosciutto or... bacon.

Ingredients
Agave White Balsamic Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (can sub white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar)
2 tsp agave (can sub honey)
1 tsp dijon mustard 
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper 

Sprouts Salad:
3 cups raw, shaved Brussels sprouts (one 10 oz. Trader Joe's bag)
3/4 cups toasted, chopped walnuts (can sub almonds or hazelnuts)
2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced 
Fresh-grated Pecorino Romano cheese (can sub Parmesan)

Instructions
Combine all salad dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Secure lid, and shake until the dressing is emulsified (thicker and creamier). 

In a large bowl, toss together the sprouts, walnuts, and diced apple. Add about half of the dressing and toss to combine. Add more dressing as needed. (I end up using about 2/3 of the dressing.)

To serve, portion the dressed salad onto plates. Top each plate of salad with a generous pile of grated Pecorino Romano.