I went to Arizona during the holidays and my-oh-my was it an adventure. We hiked the Grand Canyon, climbed a few red rocks, and played golf till sunset. It was absolutely beautiful in the desert. It was surreal. Here’s a glimpse of the Canyons:
After an intense hike at Camelback Mountain, we came across this little pizzeria restaurant in Phoenix. I had their farmer’s market salad and just had to make it. It was so fresh and hardy. Who knew that Arizona had such fresh produce? Seriously that’s all I ate there – fresh salads and fruits. This salad had salami, but I wanted to make it vegetarian. We need that punch of saltiness that the salami gave to the salad, so I took unsalted chickpeas and added black truffle salt. Bam! Let me tell you that the vegetarian version is even better. My husband had his salad with salami but he preferred the vegetarian version.
Ingredients
- 1 stock of fresh Brussels sprouts
- 2 tbsp of quality olive oil
- ½ cup of Gorgonzola cheese
- 1 can of no salt added chickpeas
- ½ shredded red onion
- Pepper
- Black truffle salt or Sea salt
Honey Mustard Dressing
- 5 tbsp of honey
- 4 tbsp of Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ squeezed lemon
Instructions:
1. Cut Brussels sprouts in fine slices or use a mandolin shredder. If you use a knife, cut the stem, then in half, and cut the Brussels sprouts in thin slices.
2. Cut your red onion in very thin slices. I actually used a spiral shredder on 1 whole red onion and placed it in a separate container.
3 Take a handful of red onion from your container and add to the Brussels sprouts. Then add olive oil, pepper, and a pinch of salt. Massage your salad and set aside.
4. Rinse your chickpeas with water. Allow it to dry. Then add about 3 pinches of black truffle salt or sea salt. My sister got me black truffle salt from NYC and it’s simply divine for the chickpeas. You can also get this at Williams Sonoma or a local gourmet shop. Sea salt works fine too.
5. Make your dressing in a separate bowl. Mix honey, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and lemon. I placed my dressing in a mason jar.
6. Now add chickpeas and Gorgonzola cheese in your salad and mix.
7. Don’t mix dressing in the salad bowl. Allow your guests to add their dressing to their heart’s content. I did not add a lot of dressing to my salad, maybe one spoonful.
*Make it vegan: Omit cheese and use agave instead of honey. I tried it and it’s just as good.*
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