Raw Brussels Sprout Salad with Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette

If you don't know already by reading my salad blogs, I am a salad L-O-V-E-R. I love salads! I can eat salad everyday, anytime of the day, even for breakfast. It's my comfort food. Of course I also like tacos and chili as my comfort foods too, so don't laugh too hard at my uncommon salad fixation. I realize that not too many people would say salad is their comfort food. :)  
Anyway, like most things I cook or prepare in this case, they usually come about by accident and by necessity. Necessity being the mother of invention and all that...So, I wanted to make a salad for dinner the other night and I opened my veggie drawer and found that I had no lettuce or greens to make a salad with. Instead, I had some Brussels sprouts and mushrooms. Not your normal salad ingredients, but I thought I could throw something together and that something turned into this Raw Brussels Sprout Salad. 
The Brussels sprouts, Baby Bella mushrooms and the Gouda are all pretty earthy tasting so I wanted to complement their earthiness with a piquant vinaigrette. I tossed it with my Garlic Balsamic dressing which I usually make with spinach salads but I thought it would work well with this salad, and I was right. The balsamic vinegar pairs well with the Brussels sprouts, mushrooms and smoked Gouda. The crispy onions and pine nuts add the crunchy texture as well as incredible flavor. With all the ingredients chopped small and bite-sized, the Garlic Balsamic dressing coats every inch of the veggies infusing flavor throughout. Super yummy!
This salad turned out so terrific it'll definitely be one of those salads I'll make again and again throughout summer. In fact, I can picture this salad in the fall too. It would be a great salad to serve along side some of my slow cooked fall meals. Hope you give it a try. Enjoy!


Raw Brussels Sprout Salad with Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette
Serves 4

8-10 Brussels Sprouts, thinly sliced (3-4 cups)
1 cup baby Bella mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup smoked Gouda, grated
1/2 cup french fried onions
1/4 cup pine nuts

Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup Olive oil
1-2 T Dijon Mustard
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tsp dried Thyme
salt and pepper, to taste

Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Thinly slice Brussels Sprouts and transfer to a large bowl. Roughly chop mushrooms. Add mushrooms, Crispy Onion pieces, smoked Gouda cheese and pine nuts to prepared Brussels sprouts.

Toss Salad ingredients with about half of the vinaigrette, adding more until you get desired taste. Top with extra cheese and pine nuts and serve.