Brussels Sprouts with Blueberries

Brussels Sprouts with Blueberries

This recipe is the one that made me fall in love with Brussels sprouts. The combination of Brussels sprouts and blueberries might sound unusual, but it’s simply a brilliant idea.

Ingredients

20 fresh Brussels sprouts, juice from 1 lemon, ½ teaspoon flake salt, 125 g blueberries, ½ dl raisins, ½ dl sunflower seeds, ½ dl cashew nuts

I like to serve the salad with an avocado on the side, sliced and seasoned simply with salt and pepper.

How to prepare the Brussels sprouts with Blueberries

Start by removing any outer leaves that don’t look fresh. Cut off the bottom of each sprout and gently peel off the leaves one by one. The small hard centre of the sprout doesn’t taste good and should be discarded.

This process takes a bit of time and patience — but don’t give up. The result is a unique salad and well worth the effort.

When all the sprout leaves are prepared, sprinkle them with the flake salt and pour over the lemon juice. Massage the leaves gently so the salt and lemon juice are evenly distributed. Let the sprouts rest for at least 15 minutes, allowing the lemon juice to soften them.

The sprout leaves can easily rest for several hours or even overnight. This makes them much easier to digest.

Before adding the remaining ingredients — whether you mix them in or use them as topping — carefully pour off the excess lemon juice from the bowl.

My journey with raw food really began with a small cookbook by Gitte Heidi Rasmussen, published by Gyldendal in 2011. I’ve always appreciated the clarity and simplicity of her ideas.

One of her iconic recipes combines Brussels sprouts, blueberries, and avocadocreme — and what makes it truly special is that it shows how Brussels sprouts can be enjoyed raw, without cooking.

I’ve told so many people about this recipe, and most of them look at me in disbelief. I think that’s because cooked Brussels sprouts often have a strong, unpleasant taste — at least for me, they are almost impossible to eat. But when prepared raw like this, that flavour simply doesn’t appear. It’s nothing short of genius.

In my version, I’ve left out half og the ingredients from Gitte Heidi Rasmussen’s original recipe:
• Asparagus (not in season when Brussels sprouts are)
• Sun-dried blueberries (very hard to find)
• Enoki mushrooms (as authorities do not recommend eating mushrooms raw)

Olive oil, and salt and peber can be added if the salad is served for lunch or dinner, but for breakfast it doesn’t quite fit. I prefer to serve the avocado on the side, sliced and seasoned with salt and pepper.

It may no longer be her recipe — but the idea of eating sprouts raw with blueberries is hers, and for that, she deserves full credit.