Put your leftover sprouts to good use in this crunchy, tangy and refreshing coleslaw.

I threw this coleslaw together a few Christmases ago to use up a leftover bag of brussels sprouts and generally clear out the fridge in the days after the big day, and it has now become a firm favourite with the family.  It’s a great way to use up whatever vegetables and salad items are still lurking in the fridge and goes beautifully with cold turkey and ham.  And not only that, it will give your body a lovely injection of light and fresh food – always welcome after the over-indulgence of the previous days!

It’s easy to make and you can play around with the ingredients.  I love replacing the traditional cabbage with brussels sprouts, but you can use whatever you like.  Just make sure you have a cabbage-like base, some crunch (chicory, celery, carrots, radishes), something oniony (spring onions, or finely chopped red onions steeped in lime juice), some fruit (pomegranate seeds and tinned clementines) and if you’re a nut-eating household, some nuts for sweetness (I like pecans).  But the most important part of this particular salad is the dressing, combining mayonnaise for creaminess, buttermilk for tang, maple syrup for smoky sweetness, and lemon juice or wine vinegar for acidity.

DOWNLOAD THE TWIXMAS COLESLAW RECIPE HERE

Makes 6-8 portions

Ingredients

500g    Brussel sprouts

1          Red or white chicory

1          Bunch of spring onions

2          Carrots

2-3      Sticks of celery

100g    Radishes

50g      Rocket

150g    Pomegranate seeds

1 can   Clementine segments

100g    Pecans, toasted

Dressing:

6tbsp   Mayonnaise

3 tbsp  Buttermilk

2 tbsp  Maple syrup

1 tbsp  Lemon juice or wine vinegar

Method

• Pecans: Preheat the oven to 180C.  Place the pecans on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 6-7 minutes.  Remove from the oven, cool and roughly chop
• Brussel Sprouts: Trim and finely shred the sprouts (use the fine slicing blade of a food processor or mandolin if you have one) and place in a large bowl
• Radishes: Top and tail the radishes, then finely slice them in your food processor or with a mandolin
• Carrots: Peel the carrots and remove the ends, then coarsely grate (use your food processor for this) and add to the bowl
• Celery: Finely slice the celery and add to the bowl
• Chicory: Roughly slice and add to the bowl
• Spring onions: Trim the onions and remove the outer leaves, then finely slice and add to the bowl
• Clementines: Drain the clemetines and add to the bowl
• Dressing: Whisk all the ingredients together.  Check for seasoning and add more syrup or lemon juice if you feel it’s needed
• Toss the dressing with the ingredients in the bowl until well-combined. Add the rocket and pomegranate seeds and toss again.  Arrange the coleslaw in a nice serving bowl and scatter over the spring onions and pecan nuts

Tips:

• Replace the brussel sprouts with any kind of cabbage, finely shredded
• Use fresh clementines, segmented, instead of tinned
• Use any type of nut instead of the pecans – pinenuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds would also work well
• Finely sliced fennel would also be delicious in this coleslaw