Brussels Guac Salad

The Journey

I was out on a date night at an Italian restaurant that served this amazing salad with fresh shredded Brussels sprouts, lemon and pine nuts. I watched my awesome other half chomp this one down quickly, head nodding in appreciation multiple times. Right then I knew that this one has to make its way into my kitchen.  The thought of grating Brussels, while they slip and slide was scary.. To my surprise, the groceries came to my rescue with fresh, organic, shredded Brussels in the salad isle. Hooray! Since everyone at home loves guacamole and brussels have a bad rep for their taste in my household, a guacamole twist to these brussels was the logical choice. I like the balance of creaminess from the avocado with the crunch from the Brussels. The lime in this recipe really helps mellow the tough and mighty brussels. The great thing about this salad is you can make this in advance since the greens here (brussels) don't wilt easily like other salad greens. They hold up pretty well if there are left overs or if you wish to make this in advance for a party. This salad can easily convert into a filling for a wrap or a topping for a warm crostini. Yes, this one got the head nod too!

The ingredients (serves 4)

1 packet store bought shredded brussel sprouts/ 10-12 fresh brussels grated (no knuckles pls :))1 cup of cherry tomatoes halved

1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped

1/2 red onion finely chopped

1 Serrano pepper finely diced (without seeds and white flesh if the heat is too much for you)

2 cloves of garlic, pounded into a paste

1 large avocado cubed (do this last just before tossing into the salad to avoid discoloration)

Juice of 1 lime (only fresh please because you can't zest the plastic bottle ;))

Zest of 1 lime (if you don't have a zester, blame it on me and buy one)

2 tsp avocado oil

1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup walnuts

Now, let's get started..

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the avocado oil, Serrano peppers, salt, black pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic.

Add the onions, tomatoes, shredded brussels and finally add the avocados and cilantro.

Serve with the garnish of the walnuts.

The good in this recipe..

Brussels sprouts are high in fiber and contain sulforaphane, a chemical believed to have potent anticancer properties. It is tough and usually edible only when cooked. However, this magical health benefit is completely lost if boiled, so consuming it raw and grated will bring the most health benefit.It is rich in Vitamin K and is a good anticoagulant - so folks with heart disease need to eat this in moderation. 

Avocados have traditionally had a bad rep for their high fat content but research shows otherwise. They are now recognized for their high fiber content, cardiovascular health benefits, ability to moderate blood sugar levels, increase absorption of carotenoids in salads, have great anti inflammatory properties and the list goes on. Adding Avocado to your salads can help the absorption of phytonutrients in your salad from 200-400%. Wow!

Walnuts are a great source of anti-inflammatory omega-3 essential fatty acids and are rich in antioxidants and Vitamin E. 

Tam Bram - what's up with that?

A typical Tam Bram neighborhood in South India

What is Tam Bram? What does that have to do with me or for that matter food? I answer by saying this.."Everything". Let's start with the boring straight up definition of Tam Brams..Tam Bram stands for the Tamil speaking Brahmins in Southern India. I belong to one such traditional household and my foundation as a human being was shaped in my upbringing as a Tam Bram. For you skeptics who think this is some kind of racist blog, I say "Nooooo, not at all". Just proud of my heritage, that's all and I encourage you to be proud of yours! That's where my roots are, that sub consciously flows into my cooking style. What I like to do is create these original dishes as it was intended to be and then bring those spices to locally grown produce, grains from around the world available in the United States. I am a big believer in creativity and improvisation that builds on a good foundation. 

Some facts about Tam Brams that you probably did or didn't know.  

• They were historically expected to lead a spiritual life and devote their lives either to the study and propagation of Vedas and Hindu scriptures or function as temple or household priests.However, the evidence shows that they were engaged in many activities such as warfare, study of science, medicine, politics, astronomy, astrology, music and many more intellectual fields as early as 13AD. Focus for Tam Brams has always been on the intellectual capital more than the physical strength and valor. I say this knowing this all sounds like generalization and of course it is. I am talking about 70% scenario here.

• Tam Brams despite all the stereotype victimization tend to be a lot more liberal in their acceptance of new ideas and harbor modern, secular views.  

• Most Tam Brams are die hard fans of Filter Coffee. I believe this is down to the genetic make up and it is nothing short of a divine revelation when you take that first sip. I am drooling as I am typing this up..I am even starting to wonder if this is why there are so many Tam Bram Java programmers... 

• Most Tam Brams are 100% vegetarians not vegans. They do consume milk and milk products and use it in their cooking and for their worship.  

• Tam Brams typically end their meals with yogurt rice. This is simply white cooked rice mixed with salt and plain yogurt that is usually homemade. From this base, you can get creative with the spices and toppings and condiments to accompany. A typical Tam Bram will feel amiss without this happy ending to their meals. You might even hear some folks bullying Tam Brams this way : "Seriyaana Thayir Saadam"...jokes apart, this has amazing health benefits and it only makes perfect sense to include your probiotics daily. 

•  Tam Brams are renowned for making traditional comfort foods such as rasam, sambhar, vathal kozhambu, more kozhambu, paruppu usili and the 100s of different varieties in the same. For those of you tongue twisting your way through that last sentence, I have detailed recipes heading your way soon. 

•  Tam Bram cooking has roots in Ayurvedic cooking and when followed to the tee it has many health benefits.

• The traditional Tam Bram kitchen shuns onion and garlic. There are specific days when consumption of onions and garlic is strictly prohibited. I have seen my grandmother almost show the same reaction to garlic as meat! I have never seen a head of garlic in her kitchen. It is crazy but true. Bing a modern cook and after learning about the health benefits, onion and garlic are staples in my kitchen. The roots run deep however...so I don't use onion or garlic when cooking for religious occasions. My son is on a strict garlic diet and will take it on everything except dessert :) Wonder how my grandmother would react to his plate...I wish she was alive for me to test that out.

 Here is a very funny, exaggerated cartoon creation on Tam Brams..original.. http://tambrahmrage.tumblr.com  

My Journey...

into the food world was one that was born out of necessity and ignorance. I will not claim to have a born interest in making food or that I was always the first to jump in and stick my nose in my mother's or grandmother's kitchen. Growing up, my interests were simple and my palate was even more limited. I stuck to my comfort foods for the longest time and then high school came upon me. That's when I started exploring the street food in India and restaurant eating, which slowly started expanding my palate. It was the first time I ate a pizza or sampled cheese! Although I loved eating out and exploring the flavors, I still showed no interest in making food. From there, I went on to college where the food choices were not only limited but also awful. After I graduated, I met my awesome other half and when I entered wedded bliss, I vividly remember not being able to cook a single meal or worse still the nightmares of a pressure cooker or microwave explosion in our apartment. I needed to eat homemade food but it was even more important for me to be able to satisfy someone else's need and see that person enjoy that moment while they savor my creation. So right at that moment, my cooking skills were born and started taking shape. I learnt all my cooking skills in the kitchens of America; so clearly my cooking benefited from the comforts and facilities of a modern kitchen. I had a newfound appreciation for the way my grandmother used to make food and how much more it took for her to make the same food I was able to pull off in a jiffy with all the tools and facilities. I tried to make one new dish a week and I perfected the ones I already tried, all for one nod of appreciation from my awesome other half. I am a vegetarian but that does not necessarily have to limit the variety. 

Conscience, by definition is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment of the intellect that distinguishes right from wrong. I decided that my food would always be fresh, tasty, healthy and visually appealing (even if the only two people who ate is were me and my other half)and that was so satisfying.  I decided to make food with a conscience. I usually did not follow a recipe to the tee (realized that was a bad idea when I started baking) but followed what I called "gut-feel recipe", born out of an inspiration in a traditional recipe or a particular ingredient. I explored several ingredients, spices and herbs that were not part of the traditional Indian palate, but fit beautifully with the flavors and theme of the recipes I was cooking. I grew my own herb garden (after an accidental trip to a lavender farm in Maui) that brought me more awareness and excitement to blend these flavors. Today, my kitchen is the central hub in my home - for my friends, family and anyone who walks in the door and no one leaves my home with an empty stomach. This journey, in my mind was truly worth sharing with you - but please do me a favor..don't take my word for it, add your own twist to it and be true to your conscience. It makes it that much more satisfying.