Pinterest Project 2.0

Hello hello there! We’re taking our original Pinterest Project and putting a little spin on it with some good and healthy competition. This is how the story usually goes in our home... I find a recipe on Pinterest that I want to try and present it to Harrison (the chef of the house) who then wants to change up the flavor profile or prepare it differently than called for.

So I said, “Okay then, let’s go toe to toe! You do your recipe and I’ll do mine and we’ll see which one comes out on top.”

First up: Brussel Sprouts Salad

I created the basic roasted brussel sprouts for a Friendsgiving affair but saw this recipe on Pinterest and really wanted to try it out! It’s very simple to prepare and only a few ingredients.

My salad had shredded brussel sprouts, toasted walnuts, parmesan, and a Dijon vinaigrette dressing.

Harrison wanted to do a roasted and creamy aioli for his dish.

The salads were judged on the following categories: presentation, flavor, and ingredients. Because this was an official contest, by God!

Final critiques: The sauce for the creamy brussels was too heavy. The sauce for the shredded brussels was too light. Left you wanting more mustard vinaigrette. So if you decide to make it, be generous with it! You'll probably need to make extra dressing.

Presentation was strongest for the creamy dish. At least I transferred my salad into a wooden serving bowl. The addition of sriracha was a nice touch for the creamy aioli. There was a suggestion that a little bit of honey in my brussels salad would have helped. But hey, we’re on a low-carb diet around here so sugar isn’t used.

All in all, it sounds like the creamy roasted brussels won out. Here’s what the master chef did:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut the brussel sprouts into quarters and some into eighths.

3. Toss in a little oil with salt and pepper.

4. Roast in a pan for 10 minutes.

5. Broil on high until brown and crispy.

For the sauce - Mix the following ingredients together:

1. About a quarter cup of mayo

2. 1/8 cup of sour cream

3. 3-4 tbsp of softened cream cheese

4. Balsamic vinegar

5. White wine vingear

6. Teaspoon of smashed ground garlic (place minced garlic onto cutting board and sprinkle with some kosher salt, then mash the salt into it to grind the garlic into a paste)

Add the sauce to the warm brussel sprouts and the cream cheese will melt more to create an even texture. The measurements are estimates so I'm willing to try my hand at it and see if I can recreate it.

We ate our competitive side salads with these yummy chicken thighs! Here's our video critique.