Balsamic Brussel Sprout & Apple Quinoa Bowl

The season of eating apples in every meal. This is my Balsamic Brussel Sprout & Apple Quinoa Bowl. It is a light and delicious salad my plant based people and vegans can enjoy for lunch or dinner. As for my non-vegans, this is still a great way to get in your Brussel sprouts without gagging. I know they aren't the most favored vegetable, but you just have to cook them right!

The combo of apple, walnuts, balsamic vinegar, and the Brussel sprouts is sweet and savory at the same time.

The next time you're at the supermarket, grab a bag of brussel sprouts and make this salad to meal prep for work or enjoy for dinner. Your body is going to really appreciate the high source of vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and dietary fiber from the brussel sprouts!

Since Thanksgiving is coming up soon, I highly suggest you save this recipe to batch for a group of people as well. It's perfect for your friends and family to eat with a side of mashed potatoes and turkey, and it's a great dish for any plant-based friends you have.

You're going to need brussel sprouts, radish, honey-crisp apples, tri-colored quinoa, walnuts, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and dried oregano. If you'd like to add cheese to this recipe, I suggest you use either blue cheese or goat cheese - they will pair well with the apple. Also, dried cranberries would be a great addition for extra sweetness. Let's get to the recipe!

Yields: 1

Portion: 1 bowl

Prep time: 15 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

This recipe is dairy free, gluten free, and vegan.

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Ingredients:

14 Brussel sprouts, chopped in quarters

1 cup of tri-colored quinoa (use ⅓ cup in the bowl and save the rest)

½ honey-crisp apple, finely diced

3 TBSPs whole walnuts

1 radish, finely diced

Extra virgin olive oil

1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

Dried oregano

Salt, black pepper

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Optional garnish of bleu cheese/goat cheese or dried cranberries

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Instructions:

1. First, preheat your oven to 400 on bake.

2. Next, wash your brussel sprouts, chop the ends off, peel any excess leaves off, and chop them into quarter chunks. Place them onto a baking pan.

3. Drizzle on a generous amount of olive oil (around 3 TBSPs). Season with salt, black pepper, and dried oregano to your liking. Add the 2 minced garlic cloves in and mix the brussel sprouts well.

4. Bake in the oven until the brussel sprouts are crispy. They will most likely need 12 minutes in the oven.

4. While these are baking, grab a serving bowl and add 1/3 cup of cooked tri-colored quinoa. (I have a blog post on how to cook basic quinoa!)

5. Now, finely dice 1 radish and add it to the bowl.

6. Add the apple and walnuts into the bowl (crush the walnuts in your hands a bit).

7. Now, to make the dressing: grab a small bowl, add 3 TBSPs of olive oil, 1 TBSP of balsamic vinegar, and salt to your liking. Whisk well and leave to the side.

8. Once the brussel sprouts are done, take them out gently, and scoop them into the serving bowl.

9. Pour on the balsamic dressing and mix well. Taste test for any salt and enjoy! Garnish with cheese of choice and/or dried cranberries if you'd like.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I did, so if you do, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I always read through my suggestions and comments, so please let me know your thoughts. If you have any questions you can feel free to DM me here or through Instagram. Speaking of Instagram - please tag me in all of your creations! I love seeing how the recipes come out and seeing how talented you all are. Sending my love.

xoxo,

Jasmin D the RD