This Brussels Sprouts Salad is a recent favorite of mine. The ingredients are whole foods, plant-based, incredibly easy to prepare, and amazing for weight loss OR weight gain simply by adjusting your portion size.
Whole Foods Plant-Based
This well rounded salad is packed with healthy carbs, protein, and fats:
- Protein. I used Trader Joe’s High Protein Tofu which contains 14g of protein for just one portion, which is 1/5 of the block. I also included raw spinach, pepitas, and quinoa which are all great sources of protein.
- Fat. Healthy fats are essential in moderation, and this salad features 1/2 an avocado, pepitas, and Primal Kitchen Vegan Ranch Dressing which all together equal out to about 22g of fat.
- Carbs. The quinoa and chickpeas in this salad are a great source of complex carbs. Together, they equal out to around 42g carbs.
Quick & Easy
This recipe in total took me under 30 min to prepare. I marinated my tofu in soy sauce and lime juice then popped it into my air fryer, but if you don’t have one feel free to use your oven or just sautee them in a pan. The brussels sprouts will need to be baked for at least 20 minutes – you can see the full recipe for the SMASHED BRUSSELS SPROUTS HERE. I love this salad as a meal prep option, and store the ingredients in my absolute favorite meal prep container from BENTGO.
Brussels Sprouts Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 1/2 cup kale or extra spinach or any other lettuce
- 1/2 small avocado
- 1/2 persian cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/4 block extra firm tofu, diced into cubes
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1/2 small lime, juice from
- 1/2 cup chickpeas from a can, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 - 2 tbsp primal kitchen vegan ranch
- 1 tbsp pepitas
- smashed brussels sprouts scroll down for recipe
- sea salt & pepper
Instructions
- dice tofu into cubes and add 1/4 of of the block into a small bowl. add the soy sauce and lime juice and gently mix to combine. pop in your air fryer or oven until crispy, usually takes about 10-15 minutes. store the remaining tofu in an airtight container in the fridge.
- assemble all ingredients in a bowl. if you're meal prepping, add the dressing in a separate container so the salad doesn't get soggy. lasts about 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
Smashed Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
- 2 cups brussels sprouts
- 1 - 2 tsp paprika
- sea salt & pepper
- 2 - 3 tbsp violife vegan parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Use a non-stick spray on the pan (I used avocado oil.)
- Boil a pot of water and add in brussels sprouts. Cook until just fork tender, should be no more than a few minutes. Make sure not to overcook them.
- Drain your brussels sprouts then arrange on your baking tray. Use a fork to gently smash the sprouts - don't fully smash them or they will come apart.
- Add a generous amount of paprika to each sprout, then sprinkle the crushed red pepper flakes on top with sea salt and pepper. Grate the violife parmesan on next.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then serve!
