Brussels Sprouts Slaw with Maple Mustard Dressing (and lessons learned...again!)

Sometimes, in the interest of saving time, you end up not saving much time at all in the end.  Case in point: I saw shaved Brussels sprouts at the grocery store the other day and thought, "I hate shaving those darn things!  This will save me so much time and effort!" Friends, I was wrong.  Here's why.

I bought those pre-shredded things at the store, thinking they would be good for an easy slaw as a side dish with salmon.  When I tasted them before I got started making the slaw, they were really bitter (who knows how long they've been sitting in transit and such before they got to the store shelf?). So, to make them a little less bitter and bring out some sweetness, I ended up roasting them for a few minutes. I also added some carrots to offset the bitterness some more.  While the final product was still really tasty, the lesson to be learned here is to use the freshest ingredients you can.  Sometimes it takes a few missteps (mistakes??) to set us back on the right path...

Brussels Sprouts Slaw with Maple Mustard Dressing

1 package (14 oz) shaved Brussels sprouts
2/3 cup julienned carrots
olive oil, salt, pepper
1/2 cup Maple Mustard Dressing

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F).  Toss sprouts and carrots with a little olive oil to coat, and salt and pepper.  I did this in a bowl, but if you're careful, you could do it directly on the baking pan you'll be using.  NOTE: If you are using fresh Brussels sprouts (like, from the garden or farmer's market), you can skip the whole roasting step and use them raw.

Put the prepared veggies on a large baking sheet and spread them out to an even layer.  Roast in the oven for just a few minutes -- about 10.  After the first 5 minutes, stir the veggies around a little.  The roasting will bring out a little more of the sweetness and decrease any bitterness the sprouts might have.

Pull the veggies out of the oven and let cool for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.  While still a little warm, toss with about half of the dressing (1/4 cup) and let the veggies soak up some of the flavors of the dressing.  Once cooled to room temperature, you may add more dressing, to your taste.  This dish can be served at room temp or cold.

Serves 4