Brussel Sprout and Black Quinoa Warming Salad
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
Today, I am going to highlight a special ingredient that I used in the sauce… Miso! Miso is usually a soy product, but these days they have many different forms that don’t contain soy. Being I can’t eat soy I decided to try a new product (to me). Chickpea miso!
Unpasteurized miso is a living fermented food containing a vast store of natural digestive enzymes, Lactobacillus, and other probiotic microorganisms, which aid in the digestion and assimilation of all types of foods. On top of all of this, miso is an excellent probiotic. Because of its low pH, it can get past the stomach acid intact allowing for the active probiotics to effectively enter the small intestine.
Miso also contains enzymes that inhibit the overgrowth of bad bacteria within the digestion system. South River Miso (the brand I use) is a fermented, unpasteurized, living food. It will continue to ferment in the jar. This may cause pressure to build up and, especially during warm weather, leakage is likely, this is a normal occurrence. I found mine at a local health food store. So check your surrounding stores. If you can’t find any and you want to give it a try, you can order it from here.
Each variety of miso has its own distinctive flavor and aroma. For darker miso, the flavor is savory, almost meat-like, and rich in protein. The lighter types are relatively sweet, more lively, and refreshing to taste. To sensitive palates, no two varieties of miso taste the same; the range of colors, textures, and aromas is as varied as the ingredients used. For example here are the South River Brand varieties:
Sweet White Miso
- Ingredients: Deep well water, lightly polished organic brown rice, organic soybeans, sun-dried sea salt, organic sea vegetables, and koji culture. Gluten-free and aged for a minimum of three weeks.
- Taste: White miso has a rather sweet taste and has the smoothest or creamiest texture. With its sweet, gentle flavor and smooth, creamy texture, Sweet White Miso has a low salt content (4 %) and a very short fermentation time (three weeks). Sweet White is delicious in spreads, dips, sauces, and salad dressings, or for seasoning light soups.
Sweet Tasting Brown Rice Miso
- Ingredients: Deep well water, lightly polished organic brown rice, organic soybeans, sun-dried sea salt, organic sea vegetables, and koji culture. Gluten-free
- Taste: Sweet, savory, and highly versatile, this caramel-colored miso works well in light soups, salad dressings, and marinades.
Chickpea Miso
- Ingredients: Deep well water, lightly polished organic brown rice, organic chickpeas, sun-dried sea salt, organic sea vegetables, and koji culture. No gluten or soy ingredients.
- Taste: Made with the sumptuous chick pea instead of soybeans, this variety has long been our family favorite. A staple of Middle Eastern cuisine since ancient times, the Chick Pea is one of the most easily digestible beans.
Azuki Bean Miso
- Ingredients: Deep well water, lightly polished organic brown rice, organic azuki beans, sun-dried sea salt, organic sea vegetables, and koji culture. No gluten or soy ingredients.
- Taste: A South River exclusive! We believe this to be the only miso on earth made with the small red azuki beans, which are highly regarded for their nutritional and healing properties in Oriental medicine. Festive burgundy in color, this delicate miso is ideal for seasoning light soups, bean dishes, sauces, and salad dressings.
Golden Millet Miso
- Ingredients: Deep well water, organic millet, organic soybeans, sun-dried sea salt, organic sea vegetables, and koji culture. No gluten ingredients.
- Taste: The tiny, high protein millet grain was considered one of the five sacred crops by the ancient Chinese, as far back as 4500 BC. This unique miso adds its sunny color and gentle sweetness to any dish.
South River offers many more flavors. If you interested in reading about them all, check out their site here.
Ingredients:
Yields 13 cups
- 2 lbs (8 cups whole) brussels sprouts, shredded
- 1 cup sliced baby portabello mushrooms
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup sliced green onion
- 1/4 cup lemon Juice
- 3 Tbsp raw agave nectar
- 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Add-ins:
- 1 cup red or black quinoa, cooked or sprouted
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup dried cranberries or raisins
Sauce: makes 3 cups
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 Tbsp Mellow White Miso, chickpea
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp raw agave nectar
- 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked 2 hours
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 1 Tbsp dried onion flakes
- 1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp mustard seed powder
Preparation:
- Fit the food processor with a top-slicing disc to shred the brussels sprouts.
- You can also do it with the “S” blade and if you do, do this in several batches, so you don’t over-shred the bottom sprouts.
- And if all else fails, you can use a sharp knife to slice them.
- Transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the mushrooms, onion, lemon juice, agave, salt, and pepper.
- With your hands mix everything together, gently messaging the lemon juice into the brussels sprouts, this will help the “breakdown” process which will cause the sprouts to wilt and become soft.
- Cover and let rest overnight. You can speed this process up by spreading the mixture out on the teflex sheets that come with the dehydrator. Set it at 145 F degrees for one hour.
- In the meantime, make the sauce. This will make extra sauce which you can use as a salad dressing or veggie dip.
- After soaking the cashews, drain and rinse.
- Add to the blender in the following order; water, miso, lemon juice, agave, vinegar, cashews, and spices. Blend on high until creamy. Stop occasionally to scrape down the side and text the mixture. If it is grainy, continue blending. This can take 1-4 minutes, depending on your machine.
- Pour into a glass jar and seal. This will taste even better the next day as the ingredients meld together! This will last 5-7 days.
- I recommend adding the sauce as you plate the dish. Also, if you wish to eat this salad warm, you can place it in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and dehydrate for several hours at 115 F.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Alkaline, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, sugar free, Vegan
Thank you for this recipe. I wanted to make a ‘special’ salad for Thanksgiving. This looks incredible.
Your welcome Beth. Enjoy and have a blessed weekend. amie sue :)
Sounds dynamite! But won’t use agave-can I sub with stevia of raw honey? Tkx!!
You bet Lisa… use any sweetener that you enjoy. :) You will want to add a lessor amount and taste test to see if more is needed. Each sweetener adds a different level of sweetness. Have a blessed weekend, amie sue
Hola Amie Sue!
I hope all is going good for you and Bob, and the two of you are enjoying life. It always seems you guys are so busy with things.
I’m still working on my journey of finding what’s right for me, and most reasonable for me to accomplish that here in the other “down under” land. But you know something, while I’m figuring it all out, you and your website keep coming back to help me out! I’m so grateful for what you’ve generously offered in recipes, advise, and support!!
So, I digress… tonight I spied some brussel sprouts at the local market and knew right off I that I needed to buy them or I’d regret it, because things come and go here quick. Literally within just an hour! I remembered you had something on your site that had brussel sprouts as the main part, so I zipped off to find it. I was right! I’m going to have to modify the recipe, due to resources available, but I’m looking forward to the outcome!
This week my goals are to start some sauerkraut and fermented garlic, so I need some crackers lady! Now, I’m off to grab some other things from your site to help me with making those crackers.
Until next time, take care Sweetie!
-Laurie
LAURIE! I have been thinking about you. I hope all is going well for you. :) I think we are all on a journey, one that will never end. hehe I am glad that you can still find some inspiring recipes throughout my site. I know ingredients are tight were you live but you always manage to tweak things to work. Have fun fermenting! I just loaded my fridge with sauerkraut myself. Blessings and love! amie sue
I came back to recheck the ingredients before running out to get some cashews. I’m out of luck on the dried onion flakes and onion powder, so I thought I’d substitute a wee bit of garlic powder. Not the same, but should be a good alternative.
Um, I did have a question on occasionally scraping down the sides and to text the mixture – what text do I send it and what is the number?
*giggle*
Don’t mind me. I’m feeling like a goofball today and couldn’t resist the typo. It must be the strange Uruguayan weather we are having.
Have a great day Amie Sue!
-Laurie
LOL… well I am glad that I made you laugh… now you got me laughing too, contagious weather you are having. haha hugs, amie sue
Another wonderful recipe. My husband [Dan] loves Brussles Sprouts and he says this is his new favorite recipe. Blessings LOL Jacqueline
That is wonderful to hear. :) Thank you for sharing. amie sue
What is meant by mellow white miso, chickpea, could you recommend a brand?
I highly recommend the South River brand. http://www.southrivermiso.com/store/pg/139-Online-Store-Closed-for-the-Summer.html I can’t eat soy so I use miso that is made from chickpeas. Have a great evening, amie sue
Made this for our family Thanksgiving, as well as our raw vegan community potluck, and it was delicious! My son (16yo) was a little dubious about the Brussels sprouts, as he knows I typically avoid them, but I assured him that the recipe sounded great. He gobbled up 2 helpings so I would say he agreed! Thanks Amie Sue!
Good morning Gracefulheather,
Thanks so much for sharing. It just pickles me pink when people make some of my recipes, unsure that they will like them due to an ingredient… but ends up loving it. So happy that this dish was well enjoyed. :) Have a blessed and wonderful holiday season. amie sue