The salad is a refreshing break from all of the stews and cozy food you’ve probably been consuming for the entire month of January. I love wintery foods and I suppose this falls into this category simply because of its seasonal ingredients, but to me, when I ate this, I thought of warmer days. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very content it’s not hot and mosquitos are flying around; I’m more of a fall and winter gal.

This salad has many of the attributes of a summer salad: it’s crisp, crunchy and slightly sweet because of the pomegranate and pear). The diced up bacon adds a nice salty element to it that contrasts with the fruit in an amazing way. The boiled egg is totally optional, but it makes this salad feel more like a meal versus something you’d begin your meal with. So, if you’re feeling particularly lazy and you just want to make one thing, be sure to include the egg—you’ll be super full yet still sprightly!

Crunchy Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pear and Pomegranate

Top this crunchy Brussels sprouts salad with pear and pomegranate for a bright and healthy dish. (Recipe Courtesy: Adrianna Adarme of the Fresh Tastes blog)

Ingredients

• 16 ounces brussels sprouts 
• 3 slices of bacon, cooked, diced, plus warm bacon fat reserved (*see below)
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped 
• 1 pear, cored and diced
• 1 pomegranate, seeds removed  
• 3 eggs, boiled and quartered 
• For the Dressing:
• 2 teaspoons reserved bacon fat (*see above)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions

1. To prep the brussels sprouts, start by removing the outer leaves and trimming off the stem; discard both. Using a sharp knife, slice the brussels sprouts thinly. If you like, you can also use a box grater, but often slicing them with a knife works best. Add the sliced/shaved brussels sprouts to a colander and run under cold water. If you own a salad spinner, dry the leaves in the salad spinner, if not they usually dry by the time the dressing is prepped and made. 
2. To make the dressing, add the warm bacon fat, olive oil, shallot, juice from 1 lemon and a few pinches of salt and pepper to a small bowl. Whisk together and set aside. 
3. To a large bowl, add the shaved brussels sprouts, bacon, walnuts, pear and pomegranate seeds. Pour the dressing atop the salad and toss until evenly coated. Give it a taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking. Divide amongst plates and serve with a few slices of egg.

Yield: 4 servings

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. She’s a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.