Lunch at Home. TGIF! And even more so now that my company does half-day Fridays in the summer. Normally I don't have the opportunity to make lunch at home, I'm usually eating at work or on the weekends eating out. But today I am home in time to once again dig into that pile of yummy fresh veggies in the fridge and see what I can whip up.

I'm a salad lover of all kinds, I don't discriminate. However, I really love my salads chopped. All those Dahlicious goodies in bite sized pieces so that you get a little of everything in one bite - perfection. So today's lunch is a chopped salad of sorts. I've also recently been inspired by shaved/chopped brussels sprouts. In Chicago they are quite trendy in the restaurant scene, and recently Trader Joe's started selling pre-chopped brussels sprouts in the produce section, just my luck! I love using them in salads because they change things up (lettuce can get tiresome) and they add a crunch while being JUST the right size for those chopped salad bites of goodness.

On the Menu: Brussels sprout chopped salad with: baby heirloom tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, baby pea shoots, scallions, and dates.

How To:

The Dressing:
You can use plain old oil and vinegar but today I spiced it up by adding brown grainy mustard, organic blue agave, black pepper, and dried oregano. Just a dash of each, whisk it with a fork.


The Salad:
Put the brussels sprouts in a large salad bowl and pour the dressing over the brussels sprouts giving them a good mix, then let them sit while you chop the other veggies. Since they are rather crunchy it's good to let them absorb some of the dressing before digging in. Next chop up whatever you've got on hand. For me it was a combo of veggies I had leftover from my weekly grocery run and those wonderful dates I couldn't help but adding to the cart. This was another bit of inspiration I recently had... While studying abroad in southern Spain I was introduced to some Moroccan food that had dates in the sauces and I fell in love with them. Now they too are quite trendy, and having just spent the long MDW weekend in Palm Dessert, I enjoyed a famous Date Shake from Shields Date Farm and decided I NEEDED to pick some up at the grocery store. They add a great sweet touch - just like crasins or other dried fruits do.

Dressed Brussels Sprouts

Chopped Veggies

Brussels Sprout Chopped Salad 

This was simple and a good use of what I had in the fridge, not to mention healthy! Hope yall are eating a Dahlicious lunch too!