„Brussels sprout salad with lime and miso“

When I first flipped through the book this recipe didn’t really catch my eye. Strange actually since it combines various ingredients that I absolutely love. If you’re skeptical about Brussels sprouts, I think you just need to eat more roasted brussels sprouts, and starting with this recipe is definitely a good choice. The creamy avocado and fresh herbs along with it, as well as the tangy dressing really absolutely blew my co-taster and me away. Whenever I don’t know what to cook, he now whispers “the salad with the Brussels sprouts, maybe?”. The recipe is listed in the book as 4 servings, but given the otherworldly taste, it’s enough for 2 at most. You can see the serving size in the picture above.

Dressing:

• 1.5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 0.5 tsp lime zest
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tsp mustard
• 2 tsp mild or light miso paste
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• Salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

• 500g Brussels sprouts, cleaned and quartered (lazy people, like me, take frozen Brussels sprouts, let them thaw a bit under warm water to make them easier to cut).
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 0.5 tsp chili flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 ripe avocado

To dress:

• 0.5 handful fresh mint, chopped
• 0.5 handful fresh basil, chopped
• 3 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds (roast briefly without fat in a pan until fragrant)
• Fresh red chili pepper, chopped or cut into very fine rings (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C top/bottom heat.
2. Put all the ingredients for the dressing in a screw-top jar and shake until everything is mixed without lumps.
3. Put the quartered Brussels sprouts (see above for a tip on frozen Brussels sprouts) in a bowl with the olive oil. Season with chili flakes, salt and pepper and mix everything well. Spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper and place in the oven (middle rack). Now roast for about 20–25 minutes (for frozen Brussels sprouts more like 25 minutes), turning or mixing a bit after 10 minutes and spreading again evenly on the tray. Switch to convection for the last few minutes for a nice browning.
4. In a bowl, mix the roasted Brussels sprouts with half of the dressing.
5. Garnish the Brussels sprouts with the chopped herbs, the coarsely diced avocado and the toasted sunflower seeds on two or four plates (obviously depending on how many lucky co-eaters you have). Drizzle the other half of the dressing over the salad portions. If you like it spicy, add fresh chili rings on top.

Serve immediately and enjoy.