Brussels Sprouts Salad w/Caesar Dressing

img_1187 img_1179
4-6 servings

Tip: This salad can easily be a vegetarian dish. Just leave out the bacon or pancetta, add some toasted almonds or cashews and serve it up. We had Homemade Caesar Dressing in the fridge and liked this salad so much we made it once to serve with grilled chicken breast and once to have with quiche. I can picture this being a regular dish on our menu throughout the year.

Ingredients
½ lb Brussels sprouts
1-2 carrots
1 stalk celery
¼ of a yellow or red bell pepper
3 scallions
¼ lb bacon (also great with 4 oz pancetta)
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Homemade Caesar Dressing
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Optional: Handful of flat leaf parsley leaves for garnish and/or chopped and stirred into salad.

Prep
Cook bacon or pancetta until very crisp; cool slightly, then chop coarsely. Set aside, reserving a few sprinkles for garnish.
Wash and dry all produce.
Cut bottoms off Brussels sprouts, cut in half (top to bottom), shave into shreds by slicing thinly across each half with a sharp knife.
Peel carrot and shred on coarse grater.
Peel and discard strings from celery; slice thinly across the stalk.
Dice bell pepper.
Dice scallions, including most of green tops.

Directions
Toss together brussels sprouts, carrots, celery, bell pepper and scallions. Coat mixture lightly with dressing, then add cheese and most of chopped bacon (add chopped parsley if using). Season with S&P to taste and add more dressing if needed. Garnish with bacon or flat leaf parsley. Serve immediately or store up to 1 day covered in refrigerator.