Dishing Up the Dirt

Delicata & Brussels Sprouts Salad

I can’t believe it but we’ve already had our first snowfall of the season at Tumbleweed Farm! Thankfully we got all time sensitive chores complete before the storm rolled in. We finally finished mulching all of our garlic beds and now they are resting underneath a blanket of fresh snow. It’s amazing how quickly the weather has changed.

Obviously Henry prefers running around in the snow rather than helping me mulch garlic. Look at how much happier he is in this second photo! After hours of playing in the snow I had to drag him in so I could start preparing dinner. I’ve had this festive salad on my mind ever since my sister-in-law and I whipped this up for our family last weekend. We had a pre Thanksgiving feast since we can’t all be together on the big day and this salad was a hit.

I wanted to share this recipe this week because I’ve gotten a few panicked emails from readers who are in charge of bringing a side dish to a vegetarian Thanksgiving and were desperate for ideas. Don’t worry folks, I’ve got your back! Thankfully, this salad will impress vegetarians and meat eaters alike. The combination of the sweet squash, pungent brussels, toasted hazelnuts and chewy dates pair really well with the sweet and tangy vinaigrette. Thanksgiving just got a little tastier and I hope you all enjoy this salad as much as we do. Bon appétit

Delicata, Brussels Sprouts & Hazelnut Salad with Cider Vinaigrette

Prep Time: 15 mins.    Cook Time: 45 minutes    Serves: 6

  • 3 medium-sized delicata squash (about 2 pounds total)
  • 1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • pinch of fine sea salt
  • 1 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup pitted and chopped dates
  • 1/2 cup parsley, diced
For the dressing:
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp dijon style mustard
  • 1 TBS pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • pinch of fine sea salt
 

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
  2. Rinse the delicata squash under water and remove any dirt. Slice the squash into 1/2 inch thick rounds and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds from each round. Slice each round in half and toss with the sliced brussels sprouts and olive oil. Sprinkle the vegetables with a little salt and bake in the oven until lightly browned and tender. About 35-40 minutes. Stir veggies halfway through cooking.
  3. While veggies bake heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the hazelnuts and lightly toast. Keep a close eye on the hazelnuts to make sure they don't burn. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  4. Prepare the dressing by placing all of the ingredients in a jar secured with a lid. Shake until well combined. Taste test and adjust seasonings if need be.
  5. Transfer roasted veggies to a serving platter and stir in the hazelnuts, dates and parsley. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy!

Notes

*Use this recipe as a guide. *Adjust measurements and ingredients as needed. *Taste test as you go. *Cooking times will vary depending on the size of your vegetables and your specific oven.


Leave a Reply

22 thoughts on “Delicata & Brussels Sprouts Salad

  1. john says:

    Andrea, did we have pecans. Seeing the pics makes me remember how good it was. Best new thanksgiving recipe ever. Thanks for the visit. Wow, the snow! love you guys

  2. This looks so tasty! I love Delicata squash – one of my favorites!

    Wanted to share a recipe with you that I thought you and your readers would enjoy too, as another Thanksgiving option, Roasted Brussels Sprouts + Chickpeas: http://www.lisavalinsky.com/2014/11/brussels-sprouts-chickpeas-with-maple-mustard-sauce.html

    Enjoy! 🙂

  3. This brussels sprouts salad looks so delicious.. and beautifully captured too! Definitely will be making an appearance in my kitchen.. thanks for the great recipe.

  4. Lovely use of spices in the dressing, and great idea to add hazelnuts and dates to this salad. Really yummy flavors!

  5. I love the use of Brussels Sprouts with delicata in this salad! And your photography is so gorgeous!

  6. dina says:

    what a great healthy salad–perfect for thanksgiving!

  7. what a gorgeous salad! <3 it!

  8. Lauren C says:

    The combination of colors, flavors, and textures are amazing! This would be a great dish on the Thanksgiving table. Here in the South, my traditional Thanksgiving table is full of a lot of casseroles but I can’t wait to add something new, healthy, and fresh like this salad to break up all those starches! Thanks!

  9. Charlotte says:

    This salad is DELICOUS. I mean, I can’t imagine anything with brussels and squash being bad, but even so this was through-the-roof (of my mouth) incredible. The next day leftovers were great too, though not much was leftover 🙂

  10. rachel says:

    love the combo of fall flavors in these! yum!

  11. Wow this is such a feast, and with so many of my favorite things in it— I bet the crunch of those hazelnuts is incredible!

  12. This looks like heaven on a plate! Can I come over for Thanksgiving?!

  13. LA says:

    This sounds and looks delicious. Will definitely be trying this recipe out ! Brussels sprouts are a favorite of mine and I just got two big bunches in my CSA.

  14. Made this tonight and it was delicious! I would have liked to dive right into the bowl 🙂

  15. Katie says:

    Andrea this was delightful! I made it and some quinoa and was quite happy, I miss seeing your face at market! Happy holidays to you and Taylor!
    Cheers!
    Katie

    1. Andrea says:

      So happy you loved it too!

  16. kristine says:

    This was absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!

    1. Andrea says:

      I’m so happy you loved it!

  17. Jane says:

    Made this for dinner as I had everything but the dates. I subbed pomegranate seeds instead & had a toasted slice of my homemade sourdough bread on the side. Delightful!

    1. Andrea says:

      I’m so happy you enjoyed it as much as we do. The pomegranate seeds sound like a lovely addition. Homemade sourdough? Yum!

  18. Julie says:

    Gggggg

  19. Desbiez says:

    Could you show me a picture of delicata squash. In live in France ad will try to find some. Any substitute in case I don’t ?
    Thanks

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