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Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad
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Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad (vegetarian)

Slightly adapted from Neighbourhood by Hetty McKinnon 
Author Izy

Ingredients

  • 150 g bread
  • 3 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • 250 g brussels sprouts
  • 1 tbsp refined olive oil or rapeseed oil
  • 1/2 red onion , very thinly sliced
  • 1 can (230g/8oz drained weight) (1 cup) cooked borlotti beans
  • ~50 g (1/4 cup) sunflower seeds, toasted
  • a handful fresh basil , roughly torn
  • a handful fresh parsley , roughly chopped
  • shaved parmesan cheese (see notes)

Dressing

  • 125 ml (1/2 cup) full fat yogurt
  • 1 tbsp white miso (optional but delicious!)
  • 1/2 lemon , juiced
  • generous pinch fresh black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 200oC (400oF). Tear or cut the bread into bite-sized chunks and place onto a baking tray along with the garlic cloves. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes until deep golden. Leave to cool.

Make the dressing:

  • Take the cloves of garlic which you just roasted and peel them. Discard the skins and place the sticky flesh into a small bowl. Mash with a fork then mix in the yogurt, miso, lemon juice and black pepper. If you're not using miso, season with salt to taste. Thin out with a tablespoon or two of water to make a drizzleable dressing. Set aside.

Prep the salad:

  • Heat the refined olive oil in a small pot or frying pan over a high heat. Place the capers onto a piece of kitchen towel and pat dry. Add the capers to the hot oil and fry until darkened and 'popped'. Remove to a piece of kitchen towel to drain. 
  • Use a slicing attachment of a food processor or a mandolin to thinly slice the Brussels sprouts (you can also do this by hand with a sharp knife but it's time consuming af). 
  • Place the sliced Brussels sprouts into a large bowl along with the red onion, borlotti beans, half the sunflower seeds, the basil and parsley. Pour the dressing in and toss it all together. Let sit for at least 20 minutes to soften up.
  • Pour the contents of the bowl onto a serving plate. Top with the remaining sunflower seeds, the fried capers, shaved capers and croutons then serve!

Notes

- Parmesan cheese isn't technically vegetarian so if you need to, replace the parmesan with a vegetarian hard cheese of your choice.
- to make vegan: leave out the cheese. Instead of yogurt: soak 1/2 cup cashews in boiling water for 1 hour. Drain then blend with the juice of 1/2 a lemon + 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup (50 to 80ml) of water in a high speed blender until you have a thick cream.