Fall Inspired Kale & Brussels Salad

Fall is in full swing! Okay, the weather certainly doesn’t show it in San Diego, but that isn’t stopping me from soaking in the flavors, scents, and colors of the season. This fall inspired salad is one for the books! Combining the feel of a light summer salad with the delicious flavors of sweet potato and sweet Italian chicken sausage for an autumn vibe. I guess if it’s going to 80° outside I’ll mix the two together!

This salad is absolutely delicious, but I must admit I added a dollop of the Trader Joe’s Red Pepper Spread with Eggplant & Garlic and I feel like it amped it up even more. I think that’s the beauty of sharing recipes, I love to give you inspiration, but I like to see what you add as well to make it your very own! If you make this salad (or a version of it!) be sure to tag my page on Instagram so I can see!

Ingredients -

1 sweet potato chopped into cubes

1 tbsp. avocado oil (or EVOO)

1/2 tsp. chilli powder

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

4 sweet Italian chicken sausages sliced into 1/4 inch pieces

1 bunch of curly kale

1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts

4 tsp. EVOO

2 tbsp. tahini

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp. honey

Salt & Pepper

Instructions -

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place cubed sweet potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with avocado oil and sprinkle the chili powder, paprika, & garlic powder over the sweet potatoes (as well as a dash of salt and pepper!) Use your hands to mix it all up making sure the sweet potatoes are coated evenly. Place in the oven to roast for 20 minutes. Remove the tray, flip over the sweet potatoes, and add the sausage to the tray as well. Place back in the oven for 15 minutes.

Use your hands to pull the kale leaves from the stem, and then roughly chop it. Place in a bowl and drizzle with 2 tsp. EVOO + a dash of salt. Massage the kale for about a minute. Chop the end of the Brussels off and then place in a food processor. Use the pulse option to shred the Brussels, but don’t overdo it! (A tip for this is to only do half at a time so you can make sure they are all getting shredded and the bottom doesn’t get too processed while the top is still chunky!) Mix in with the kale. For the dressing add the tahini, juice of the lemon, honey, 2 tsp. EVOO + salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk together. Drizzle over the greens and mix well.

Top the greens with the sweet potatoes and sausage - devour!