Warm Brussel Sprout Salad with Goat Cheese

When it's 20 degrees outside (and in my apartment), cold salads just aren't appealing but I still want to eat my vegetables!  So I give you the warm salad.  Not really a revolutionary idea on my part; it's a lot like a vegetable sauté with a different title.

Warm salads are just as easy to prepare as cold salads and just as versatile too.  Here, I've done a simple brussel sprout salad with only a handful of ingredients (laziness) but you could easily add more variety.  I think chopped apples and shredded carrots or another root vegetable such as rutabaga or salsify would also work quite nicely.  And if I can give you any other advice, it would be not to skip the goat cheese; it melts just slightly over the warm salad and adds a wonderful richness and creaminess to an otherwise modest dish. 

Warm Brussel Sprout Salad
Ingredients

1 lb brussel sprouts, halved and sliced
1/3 cup dried cranberries and/or golden raisins (I used Trader Joe's Golden Berry Blend, which is a mix of cranberries, tart cherries, golden raisins, and blueberries-- so good!)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons grade b maple syrup

pinch of salt, to taste
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Preparation
Warm the coconut oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the chopped brussel sprouts and salt and cook for about a minute or two until the edges begin to brown.  Then add the maple syrup and dried fruit and cook until the brussel sprouts are slightly softened.  Plate and top with almonds and crumbled goat cheese.