Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato Salad

This salad features Brussels sprouts, pecans, red onion, and pear, meaning it’s full of flavor, texture, and nutrition. Roasting Brussels sprouts brings out a little sweetness and changes their texture from tough to tender. When you pair them with sweet potato, wild rice, and a creamy orange dressing, you end up with a decidedly delicious and satisfying salad!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients

Roasted Veggies

 1 lb Brussels sprouts (nobby ends removed, halved)

 2 cups sweet potato (with skin, scrubbed and cut into 1” cubes)

Dressing

 3 tbsp tahini

 ¾ cup orange juice (freshly squeezed, see Chef’s Notes)

 3 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar

 1 tbsp dijon mustard (or brown mustard)

Salad Ingredients

 ½ cup red onion (diced)

 2 cups organic wild rice (cooked)

 ½ cup organic pear (diced)

 ⅓ cup pecans (chopped, or pumpkin seeds)

 2 tbsp hemp seeds (hulled)

 ¼ tsp salt (optional)

 ¼ tsp ground black pepper (optional)

 red pepper flakes (optional) to taste

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2

Place Brussels sprouts on one side of the pan and sweet potato on the other.

3

Bake for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through, until both the Brussels and sweet potatoes are tender.

4

Meanwhile, make the dressing: Add all dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

5

Transfer the Brussels, sweet potato, red onion, wild rice, pear, and pecans to a large bowl and mix well.

6

Pour the dressing over top and mix again.

7

Stir in the hemp seeds and taste for salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, if desired.

Chef's Notes

Substitutions
Substitute cubed butternut squash or pumpkin for the sweet potato.

Use another citrus fruit in place of the orange, such as lemon or lime.

Substitute shallot, yellow onion, or white onion in place of red onion.

Instead of wild rice, use brown, red, or black rice.

Substitute another whole grain in place of rice such as organic farro, quinoa (gluten-free), or barley.

About the freshly-squeezed O.J.
You may be asking, isn’t straight juice terrible for blood sugar? There are several reasons why consuming juice in this dish should be okay for your blood sugar. First, the juice in the dressing is mixed with tahini, a good source of fat and fiber, which can help to stabilize the effect of juice on blood sugar. Second, this dressing is combined with a wide variety of other high fiber, high protein, nutrient-rich ingredients from the salad, which also help to stabilize blood sugar. Third, this salad can feed four! Therefore you’re receiving less than ¼ cup of freshly squeezed orange juice in a serving. That said, if you’re still concerned about using fresh juice, consider blending the whole orange (peel it first!) with the other dressing ingredients to boost the fiber even further and to make it 100 percent whole food-based.

Nut-free
Substitute pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for the pecans.

Prep Ahead
Prepare the rice ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to one month.

Roast the Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Make the dressing ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

https://foodrevolution.org/recipes/roasted-brussels-sprouts-and-sweet-potato-salad/