Smashed Brussel Sprouts Salad With Quinoa!
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Please welcome to the stage our smashed Brussel sprouts salad with quinoa! We’ve taken the festive season’s most infamous vegetable and given it a flavour makeover!
What are smashed Brussel sprouts you ask? The key is in the name. After boiling your sprouts, you smash them open with a plate, then sautée or roast them.
The smashing opens up more surface area for the sautéed brussel sprouts to absorb herbs and spices and get deliciously golden and crispy when you fry them!
We serve ours up in a healthy salad with quinoa, carrots, chopped almonds and a maple soy sauce (it’s actually one of our favorite vegetarian quinoa recipes!).
You’ve never had such tasty Brussel sprouts!
Health benefits of a smashed Brussel sprouts salad!
Are Brussel sprouts good for you? Absolutely yes! If you’re going to eat one healthy dish this Christmas, let it be this!
Overall this Brussel sprouts salad has a very healthy profile:
A solid 482 calories per serving, 13g fibre, 14g protein, 259% of your vitamin A requirements and 97% of your Vitamin C requirements!
Brussel sprouts are part of the brassica family, which is basically the cabbage family. They have high levels of vitamin C and K, plenty of fibre and very few calories and fat.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant. It helps your body to absorb iron, to repair tissue and contributes to the healthy functioning of your immune system.
Vitamin K contributes to bone health and wound healing, by helping your blood to coagulate around open wounds.
Brussel sprouts also contain high levels of other antioxidants, such as kaempferol. This antioxidant may help to prevent cancer, ease inflammation and support heart health.
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Crazy for quinoa
Quinoa is a certified superfood and key player in our Brussel sprouts salad.
It is one of very few plant-based sources of complete proteins, which means it contains all the essential amino acids. Amino acids are vital to the healthy functioning of your body.
It can be hard to come by complete proteins in vegan diets, so a dish like this vegan quinoa salad is a great addition to your repertoire.
Quinoa is also a fantastic source of fibre, phosphorus, magnesium and iron!
What’s more, it’s gluten-free and easy for your body to digest – so for any IBS sufferers or coeliacs out there, this quinoa salad is for you.
We think that the addition of a food as SUPER as quinoa is one of the things that makes this the BEST Brussel sprouts recipes out there.
If you want more quinoa inspiration, check out our quinoa breakfast porridge or Thai quinoa salad.
What about weight loss?
So we already know this is a healthy Brussel sprouts recipe, but is it a good weight loss salad?
Well the fact that it is generally healthy is already a good sign! If the food you eat is full of good stuff and keeps the bad stuff at bay, your body will be functioning at full capacity.
If you are physically well and healthy, you will be more likely to stick to your weight loss goals, than if you are following some fad diet that leaves you feeling weak and malnourished!
What’s more, this smashed Brussel sprouts salad is full of fibre and protein, two of the most important elements that make a food appropriate/inappropriate for weight loss.
One serving contains 13g fibre and 14g protein.
Both these things make you feel full, which means that you are less likely to need to snack between meals if you eat a hearty bowl of protein rich Brussel sprouts salad for lunch.
Find out more about healthy weight loss as a vegetarian by checking out our vegetarian weight loss course or downloading one of our free weight loss meal plans.
But for now, enjoy tucking into this yummy smashed Brussel sprouts salad with quinoa!
Ingredients
- ½ cup quinoa
- 5 oz Brussel sprouts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 oz carrot (cut into ½ inch pieces)
- ¼ tsp thyme, dried
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ¼ tsp sesame oil
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 2 oz spinach
- 1 handful parsley, fresh
- ½ avocado (diced)
- 2 tbsp almonds (chopped)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook ½ cup quinoa according to package instructions. Reserve until needed.½ cup quinoa
- Meanwhile, in a small pot of salted boiling water, cook the Brussel sprouts until a knife can easily go through them, about 5-8 minutes depending on the size of the Brussel sprouts. Take the cooked Brussel sprouts off the water and smash them with the back of a plate.5 oz Brussel sprouts
- In a medium sized skillet over medium heat add 1 tbsp of olive oil, thyme, smashed Brussel sprouts and carrot pieces. Cook, mixing often, until the Brussel sprouts and carrots are slightly browned and charred. Take off the stove and add cooked quinoa, parsley leaves and spinach and mix. Season with salt. Rest until needed.1 tbsp olive oil, 4 oz carrot, ¼ tsp thyme, dried, 2 oz spinach, 1 handful parsley, fresh
- In a small bowl mix maple syrup, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic powder. Rest until needed.2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp soy sauce, ¼ tsp sesame oil, ¼ tsp garlic powder
- Serve salad and top with avocado and chopped almonds. Sprinkle black pepper to taste and drizzle maple soy dressing.½ avocado, 2 tbsp almonds, Salt and pepper to taste
NOTES
Nutrition
Dave Bell
I’m not a foodie, although I do love eating. I believe food should serve us and our goals, not hinder. Taking control and responsibility for what I eat is important to me. Lots of veggie protein is my way forward.
Abril Macías
Creator of this wonderful recipe!
I am a culinary creator and food photographer from Quito, Ecuador. I have a Master’s degree in New Food Thinking and a Bachelor’s degree in Gastronomy, my expertise lies in crafting and capturing creative dishes. Collaborating with websites and blogs worldwide, I develop recipes and bring them to life through captivating photographs.
I dedicate my work in the kitchen and through the lens to explore food from different backgrounds, origins and diets. I would describe my style as “comfort food with a twist”. My goal is to create recipes that are homely, yet attractive, delicious and have something different and exiting to them.
This article has been medically reviewed by James LeBaigue MSc Learn More
James LeBaigue MSc
James has a Masters Degree in Sport and Exercise Nutrition, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Human Nutrition.
He loves combining his scientific knowledge along with food in the real world, and these recipes are the result.
He’s on top of all the latest evidence and guidelines to make sure our nutrition advice on the website is as accurate as it can be.
By day he works as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner in a busy NHS GP Practice.
Each recipe is tested and then eaten (much to James’ delight), many times before it is deemed worthy to be published. Bon appetit!
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