" I ate salad for dinner, take that world!"

Whenever I say the world "salad" my husband Justin freezes and I'm pretty sure beads of sweat start to come about on his forehead. Somehow in his head he has conjured up this plate of raw broccoli, beets and carrots..dry, with nothing but a raw cracker to wash it all down with. Now while I might eat that one night if I was alone, I would never in a million years make that for dinner and expect even a morsel of food to be gone from his plate. So I made a Justin salad. Justin salads can be compared to salads one might get at a TGIFridays, or an Applebees..because while yes technically it is a salad...there is more dressing and condiment action going on then there is a pile of vegetables. But as you will come to know, I always find ways to sneak in some healthy stuff, he just doesn't need to know.




Brussel Sprout and Grilled Peach Salad
raw and roasted brussels with carrots, curried pecans, grilled peaches, caramelized onions and a smokey barbecue dressing


Smokey Barbecue Sauce/Dressing
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion,chopped
1 bell pepper seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves
2 chipotle chilies
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
3/4c light brown sugar
1/4c cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2c soy creamer
In a sauce pot over medium heat, heat extra virgin olive oil and add the onions, green peppers and garlic. Cook until soft and translucent. Add tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar, salt and oregano and bring to a boil.Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook stirring
frequently for 30 minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Add creamer. Refrigerate to cool while preparing the rest of the salad.


Curried pecans
1 1/2 tsp Curry powder
2 tbl Garam masala
1 tbl Salt
8 oz Brown sugar
1lb Pecans, toasted
1/2c Butter, melted as needed
Preheat oven to 325
Combine spices and brown sugar in a bowl. Add toasted pecans and enough melted butter to coat in spices. Layer on a sheet pan and bake in the oven for 10 min or until browned.

Salad
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lb brussel sprouts, thinly sliced and divided
1 carrot
1 white onion, sliced thin
1 tbl evoo
1/4 tsp organic sugar
1 tsp salt
2 peaches, sliced into 6 wedges each
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
On a sheet pan layer half of the brussel sprouts, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 10-15 min until browned.
In a small pot over medium heat, heat 1 tbl oil and add onion. Cook until soft and translucent. Reduce heat to low, add sugar and salt and cook until sugars are released and onion is soft and browned.
Shred the carrot or use a spiralizer.
Heat a grill or grill top to hot and spray with cooking spray. Grill peaches until soft with nice dark grill marks.
Combine raw brussels with roasted ones, carrot and onion. Add peaches and curried pecans and drizzle with smoked barbecue dressing.