I want something crunchy.

Just one of my daily thoughts living a gluten-free life. I’m looking for the crisp of something fried. The crumble of toast. The snap of brussels sprouts?

Yes. Go with me on this.

In a season of rich, rich, rich, I’m about to fill you in on one of my favorite zippy, puckering snacks. Meet my take on a brussels sprout salad:

In my spin off of Bon Appetit’s Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad, I way cut down on the olive oil, leave off the cheese (although that’s probs so good), and add more sprouts and sliced almonds.

The key here is the mustard. There’s a weird satiating thing going on there, and it works.

What you’ll need:

Dressing:
1 1/2 lemons
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/8 cup olive oil
1/2 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
salt & pepper

Salad:
1 head of kale, thinly sliced (love Lacinato kale here)
16 oz. brussels sprouts
1/2 cup sliced almonds (think pre-sliced from Trader Joes… you’ll do plenty of other slicing.)

Now you’re ready:

• Juice the lemons into a glass measuring cup. Combine mustard, olive oil, minced shallots and garlic.
  • Mincing matters. A bite of garlic straight-up is a lot. And I like – love – garlic.

• Whisk!
• Get out a big bowl. Put the sliced kale in it.
• Prep your brussels sprouts. Cut off the bottom of them and slice as thinly as you can. Add to kale.
• Toast almonds in a frying pan. No need to add oil here. If you smell a toasty flavor, they’re almost done. If you smell even a hint of singe, get them out, out, out of the pan.
• Pour dressing over kale and sprouts. Toss.
• Add toasted almonds on top.

Give yourself about 15 minutes, a few extra to straighten up at the end.

One note: This recipe is pretty acidic. If that’s too much for you, I’d cut down on the mustard and up the oil. Don’t mess with the lemon. That’s what breaks down the crunchy sprouts, and seeps in to give them crunchy, crisp flavor.

Okay, another note: Don’t worry about the salad getting soggy. It will, but it will take a long, long time. I actually think it gets better after a couple of hours. Sometimes great things take time, right?

Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Enjoy!