Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Berries with oil-free strawberry vinaigrette is a festive salad that bursts with flavor when fresh berries are in season.
Add all of the vinaigrette ingredients to a food processor or blender, and process until well blended.
To make the salad:
Shave the brussels sprouts using your food processor's fine slicing blade, or by hand using a mandoline slicer.
Place the shaved brussels sprouts in a large bowl, add the chopped mint leaves, and toss together. Pour the citrus vinaigrette over the salad and toss well to coat.
Add half of the berries, and gently toss to combine.
To assemble, place the optional spring greens on a platter or individual dishes (if using) then place the brussels sprouds salad on top of the greens. Top the salad with the remaining berries and chopped walnuts. Garnish with reserved whole mint leaves if desired.
Notes
I like my salads lightly dressed. But if you prefer more dressing, increase the recipe by 50% or even double it.
Make sure you choose the fine slicing attachment if using a food processor. You want the brussels sprouts slices very thin. Or, use a mandolin or a very sharp chef's knife.
For cooked brussels sprouts: If you don't care for raw brussels sprouts, you can blanch them by placing your shredded pieces into boiling water for no more than 30 seconds—just until they start to turn bright green—then drain them and immediately place into a large bowl of water and ice to stop the cooking. You can also quickly and thoroughly rinse them in a colander in the sink under very cold tap water. Either way, you want to get them cold to stop the cooking. Be sure to dry them completely by pressing between paper towels or clean kitchen towels.
To make it nut free: omit the almond butter or sub tahini, omit the walnuts or sub sunflower seeds or pepitas
To make it free of added sugars: omit the maple syrup or add 2 teaspoons of date paste
About the mellow white miso paste: I like using mellow white miso paste in a lot of recipes that might call for oil, such as this strawberry vinaigrette. It’s great where you don’t quite want the stronger flavor of something like tahini. It's considered a 'green light' salt (video) that's less damaging than table salt. You can usually find it near the tofu in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.