Use what you have: Some of the best salads are born from what’s already in your fridge

How do you define a good salad? For me it needs to have crunch, chew, tang and a really tasty dressing.

I got surprisingly lucky one day when I was digging through my refrigerator for salad ingredients and came across Brussels sprouts. They reminded me of a shaved Brussels sprouts salad I'd once enjoyed at a local restaurant.

Though I did not have the other ingredients I remembered, I did find some crisp red seedless grapes, apples, and a tub of goat cheese crumbles. Hmmm, this was starting to sound good.

I often add dried cranberries to salads, but all I had were dried cherries. They would have to do, but not without adding some toasted nuts — on this day pecans.

The combination of bitterness from the Brussels sprouts, sweetness and chew from the dried cherries, crunch from the apple and grapes, tang from the goat cheese, and richness from the pecans would be perfect together, but what about the salad dressing?

You could easily use a prepared raspberry balsamic or other fruit-forward dressing, but I didn’t have any, so I decided to make my own.

I typically use a ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar or other acid like lemon juice. I have found this makes a well-balanced dressing that doesn’t outshine the other ingredients in a typical green salad. But since there was so much sweet fruit already, I used less oil and allowed the acid in the vinaigrette to be a little more pronounced.

I also thought it needed to be a little sweet. Instead of adding my usual honey, agave, or maple syrup, I opted for orange marmalade. I honestly opened my refrigerator looking for raspberry jam but didn’t have any. The orange marmalade took its place and I am so glad. It added just the right amount of sweetness, and the orange flavor complimented the other ingredients perfectly.

There is one ingredient you should always add to your vinaigrette that might seem like it doesn’t belong — Dijon mustard. Of course it adds flavor, but it also helps to emulsify your dressing, acting like glue to hold the oil and vinegar together so once blended thoroughly they will not separate. The dressing will appear creamy without the addition of cream! Just a teaspoon of Dijon is all you need, but feel free to add more if you’d like more flavor.

If you find the dressing too bitter, add more oil one tablespoon at a time until you like the way it tastes.

Some of you may think shaving the Brussels sprouts will take too long, but if you have a food processor with a slicing blade, it will only take a few minutes. Or, you can purchase sprouts already shaved at the grocery store. (I’ve seen them at Trader Joe’s.) Your other option is to forgo the sprouts and use coleslaw mix instead. The balance won’t be exactly the same, but you will get close enough.

You do not have to follow this recipe exactly. If you have strawberries instead of grapes or dried cranberries instead of dried cherries, it is perfectly fine to use what you have on hand.

I got lucky when I found these ingredients in my house at the same time. The next time you go rummaging through your refrigerator or pantry, be creative and throw some seemingly mismatched ingredients together. The result may surprise you; I know it did me. Enjoy!

• Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the 2011 Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge. Contact Penny at DhCulinaryAdventures@gmail.com.

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Shaved Brussels Sprout and Fruit Slaw

For the vinaigrette:

⅓ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons honey, maple syrup or fruit preserves of your choice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

For the salad

2 lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and shaved, or coleslaw mix

4 to 5 thinly sliced green onions

1 large apple, cored and cut into ¼-inch by ½-inch pieces*

½ cup dried cherries, chopped if large, or dried fruit of choice

1 cup halved seedless grapes, red or green

4 ounces (approximately 1 cup) goat cheese or Gorgonzola crumbles

¾ cup roughly chopped toasted pecans, walnuts, or unsalted pistachios

Optional: cooked chicken pieces

Process all vinaigrette ingredients together in a blender until smooth, or whisk together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning, place in a jar and refrigerate.

Trim Brussels sprouts and thinly slice. (You can purchase shaved Brussels sprouts, but if you are doing them yourself, a food processor or similar manual gadget with a slicing blade works well.)

Combine shaved Brussels sprouts and green onions; toss together. Place Brussels sprout mixture in a large bowl or atop a serving platter.

Distribute apple pieces, cherries, grapes, and cheese over the top of Brussels sprout mixture. Stir if desired. Drizzle with salad dressing and toss, or serve with dressing on the side. Sprinkle with toasted nuts.

Serves 8-10

* Note: If you are concerned about the apple turning brown, toss it in a little bit of the vinaigrette after slicing. The acid in the vinaigrette will keep it from browning, just like lemon juice but without the bitter flavor.

— Penny Kazmier