Greta’s Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Blueberries, Avocados and Almonds.Greta Podleski/Supplied
To say Greta Podleski is a bestselling cookbook author is an understatement. Since she and her sister Janet self-published the very punny Looneyspoons: Low Fat Food Made Fun back in 1996, which spent 85 consecutive weeks on the national bestseller list and has sold more than 850,000 copies, she has authored (or co-authored) five national bestsellers with sales around 2.5 million cookbooks.
For her sixth cookbook, Podleski wanted to do something new and focus on a single subject: salads. Every Salad Ever: From Grains to Greens and Pasta to Beans Plus Every Salad In Betweens, possibly the first cookbook with an intentionally misspelled word in its title, will be released mid-April but is available for preorder now, exclusively at Indigo for the first six months.
Salads have unlimited potential to combine textures and flavours. They provide an opportunity to combine crunchy, chewy, briny, toasty, sweet, salty, fatty, acidic, soft and crispy in one dish, and use what you have in the fridge while you’re at it. “I ate salad every day for about 10 months, and never got tired of it,” Podleski says. “It made me realize that the combinations and possibilities are endless.”
Because Podleski, who lives on Lake Huron with her dog, Rico, is known for having fun both in the kitchen and with her self-published books, each recipe page has a QR code that links to a sound bite – short, snappy audio clips that bring each dish to life.
“They’re like a mini-podcast, specific to the recipe or an ingredient it contains, and only about a minute long,” she says. “It’s like having a cooking buddy in your kitchen, only I won’t judge how much feta you’re adding.”
Winter is a great time for brassica-based salads, which are sturdy enough to transport to work or school or stash in the fridge to dip into all week. It’s easy to prep Podleski’s shaved Brussels sprout salad with a mandoline (just be cautious of your fingers), and if you are under the misconception you don’t love the tiny brassicas, adding juicy blueberries, buttery avocado, toasty almonds and briny feta may help you realize you actually do.
Greta’s Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Blueberries, Avocados and Almonds
Podleski suggests swapping apples and pears for the blueberries when they’re in season, or topping individual servings with shaved Parmesan instead of the feta, if you like. Reprinted with permission from Every Salad Ever, by Greta Podleski (One Spoon Media).
Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
1½ lbs (680 g) Brussels sprouts, thinly shaved
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
1 large avocado, diced
1/3 cup crumbled light or regular feta cheese (1.5 oz/42 g)
Make the dressing: Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup until well blended. (Alternatively, you can shake them up in a mason jar or whirl them in a small blender.) Set aside.
Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently to avoid squishing the avocados. Add the dressing and mix again, until all ingredients are well coated. Serve immediately or, to make ahead, leave out the avocado, then dice it up and add just before serving. Brussels sprouts don’t get soggy quickly like regular salad greens and taste even better when they’ve had some time to drink up the dressing.
Makes about 12 cups.
