New Year’s Resolutions? I don’t think I have ever been a person who makes specific New Year’s resolutions. I’m more of a resolutions through out the year kind of person. To keep my brain from overloading, with little wisps of smoke coming from my ears, I do like to make a list of things I want to accomplish in the new year at the beginning of the year. Once it’s on paper, I don’t have to run the continuous list loop in my head. It may sound funny but when you check an item off the list, it feels really good! I mean really good! We call it “getting credits” at our house. In case you were wondering, it is legal to do something you forgot to put on the list, go back, add it to the list and check it off “for credits”! I like the idea of evolving, changing as new thoughts or epiphanies come to me. Being open to change and new paths of thought have always been appealing to me. Today’s new thought….
I was in one of our local healthy food store, Sprouts, the other day and the cashier asked me if I had any New Year’s resolutions. I said nothing really specific other than to be happy. She looked at me in a thoughtful way and asked, “Do you think being happy is a choice?” And I said, “Yes, I do!” She told me that in 2013 she was miserable and very unhappy, which in turn made everyone around her unhappy. She decided she had had enough of being unhappy and made the choice, in 2014, to be happy. I asked her how that had worked out for her and she smiled and said, “What a difference that one choice has made in my experiences and relationships.” Since we all have a choice to be happy or not, why not choose to be happy, everyday. That’s what I call a great New Year’s resolution!
Back to today’s new thought….eat more vegetables….and be happy!
Brussels Sprout, Fennel and Apple Salad
Lemon Vinaigrette Ingredients:
Place all ingredients in a mason jar or container with a lid and shake vigorously. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. If the dressing has been in the refrigerator for a long time, let it set out while you make the salad so the olive oil warms and can be shaken back into the citrus and re-emulsify.
Dressing can be kept in the refrigerator for about 1 week. Makes about 1 Cup.
Salad Ingredients:
Thinly slice the Brussels sprouts and fennel bulb on a mandoline or with a sharp knife. Place in a bowl and set aside.
Julienne the Granny Smith apple. Cut the apple into thin wedges and then lay the wedges on their side and cut into matchstick slices (julienne).
Chop the parsley and zest the lemon and add to the bowl.
Toast the pine nuts. One the pine nuts start to get a little color, watch them very carefully. Nuts toast very fast once they get going! And Pine Nuts are very pricey now!
Dress the salad with a small amount of the dressing to coat the vegetables. Top with the toasted pine nuts, shave the cheese with a vegetable peeler and sprinkle with a few of the fennel fronds.
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and very thinly sliced
- 1 Fennel bulb, very thinly sliced – set aside some of the chopped fennel fronds for garnish
- 1 Granny Smith Apple, cored and julienned
- 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
- Lemon zest from one lemon
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- Shaved Parmesan or Aged Gouda
- Vinaigrette: Place all ingredients in a mason jar or container with a lid and shake vigorously. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Dressing can be kept in the refrigerator for about 1 week. Makes about 1 Cup
- Salad: Thinly slice the Brussels sprouts and fennel bulb on a mandoline or with a sharp knife. Place in a bowl and set aside.
- Julienne the Granny Smith apple and add to the bowl.
- Chop the parsley and zest the lemon and add to the bowl.
- Toast the pine nuts.
- Dress the salad with a small amount of the vinaigrette to coat the vegetables. Top with the toasted pine nuts, shave cheese with a vegetable peeler and sprinkle with a few of the fennel fronds.
Yum, it was delicious!
Made this for Thanksgiving Day dinner side; a hit!
It was a great complement and contrast to other hot traditional sides. Thanks for the recipe. Will be sure to make it again soon!