This post was sponsored by ALDI. All opinions and photos are my own. Thank you so much for supporting my favorite brands that help keep Blog Appetit up and running!
When one holiday ends another one is just around the corner. Although I love Halloween and the idea of everyone showing their creative (or not so creative) side this one day of the year, I’m a total food holiday person at heart. I mean obviously, right?
Thanksgiving is one of my all-time favorite holidays. Every year my parents hosts the entire family at their house. My mom and I stay up until 2am the night before prepping food and cleaning and then wake up the next day bright and early to finish cooking while watching the Thanksgiving Day parade. It’s one of my favorite traditions…minus the whole 2am cleaning part.
Every year my family makes the main dishes and sides, my aunt makes the pies and my uncle and grandparents make the vegetables (Grandma’s famous creamed spinach). Since I’m home for the holiday, my mom always puts me on “coming up with a new dish” duty. Sometimes I opt for a non-pie dessert and other times a healthier side option since none of the family recipes are necessarily on the healthy side, just delicious side.
This year, I’m going healthy(er) and with lots of fresh flavors and ingredients thanks to ALDI and their convenient one stop shop for all my holiday cooking needs. Since I travel in town for the holidays and have limited time to spend with family and friends, I try to spend as little time as possible running around town to find ingredients. With this dish, you can find everything you need at ALDI and conveniently ready to go which helps save on some of the prep time.
Plus you can customize this dish many different ways (ex. sub squash with sweet potatoes, add seeds, replace pecans with chopped walnuts, etc.) and it makes for the perfect side or main dish the day after with leftover turkey. It’s a great dish to be made in a snap and to feel better about when eating that second slice of pie or two. Not to mention, ALDI has the best fresh produce selection and high quality ingredients at an affordable price. I’m not one to usually buy organic items this time of year due to the higher price point and needing large quantities of each ingredient but with ALDI’s affordable price points, I opted for mostly organic ingredients when making this dish! Just keeping my body and my bank account happy;)
First step, roast your vegetables. I opted for just olive oil, salt and pepper to roast them in since there is so much flavor in the dressing and other ingredients.
Don’t mind me, just massaging my kale over here. I always recommend massaging your kale anytime you’re eating it raw, aka not baking or sautéing it. It helps soften the leaves and lessens that stinky smell kale naturally gives off.
Brussels Sprout Kale Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For Salad:
- 1 Butternut Squash
- 2 Bags of Season's Choice Steamable Brussels Sprouts
- 1 Cup Simply Nature Organic Quinoa
- 2 Cups Simply Nature Organic Turkey Bone Broth
- 1 Cup Southern Grove Pecan Halves
- 7 Cups Chopped Kale
- ½ Cup Southern Grove Dried Cranberries
- 4 oz. Goat Cheese
For Vinaigrette:
- ½ Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- ¼ Cup Real Maple Syrup
- 3 Tsp Dijon
- 1 Cup + 3 Tbs Carlini Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degree F Cut squash into small cubes. (Great tutorial on how to prep your butternut squash here -https://toriavey.com/how-to/all-about-butternut-squash-how-to-peel-seed-slice-and-prepare/).
- Steam both bags of Brussels sprouts in the microwave. Allow to cool and then slice in half and chop off bottom stem.
- Place Brussels sprouts and squash on a baking sheet in one even layer (may need to use two sheets pending on your pan size). Drizzle 2 tbs olive oil and toss to evenly coat all sides. Top with fresh ground pepper and salt.
- Put Brussels sprouts and squash into oven for 18 mins. Remove from oven, toss and put back in oven to bake for 18 more mins. Set aside to cool.
- While those are roasting, cook your quinoa according to package instructions but replace water with broth.
- Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan on low-med heat. Place pecan halves in pan and toast slightly. About 5 mins and then set aside to cool. Once cooled, lightly chop halves into pieces (I typically do into about 4 per halve).
- Using a cutting board and large chopping knife, chop kale into thin slices and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Drizzle 1 tbs of olive oil over kale and massage lightly with your hands to soften the kale.
- Add quinoa, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, pecans and dried cranberries to your kale. Toss lightly and set aside.
- To make your vinaigrette combine all ingredients in a large jar with lid. Seal jar with lid and shake until combined.
- Add your dressing to the salad and toss until incorporate. Top with goat cheese crumbles and enjoy!
What’s your go-to Thanksgiving dish? Healthy or Sweet? Do you find all your ingredients conveniently at ALDI? Share your ALDI shopping experience below. Always love to hear or new things to try!