In a medium bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, pure maple syrup, dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add a little more maple syrup if you like a sweeter dressing.

Next, shred your brussels sprouts: shave the brussels sprouts by using a food processor with the slicing attachment and pulse until the brussels sprouts are thinly sliced. If you don’t have a food processor, feel free to use a sharp knife to thinly slice. Add shredded brussels sprouts to a large bowl.

In the large bowl with the brussels sprouts, add the shredded kale and cabbage and pour dressing over. Use tongs or clean hands to mix everything together for 1-2 minutes. It may seem long but this helps to break down the kale and evenly distribute the flavor of the dressing. Allow it to sit and marinate while you make the pecan pumpkin seed crunch.

To make the pumpkin pecan crunch: place pecans and pumpkin seeds in a skillet over medium heat. Toast for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently until they turn slightly golden brown and fragrant, then turn off heat and immediately add in maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt. Stir for 30 more seconds to coat, then transfer to a plate or piece of parchment paper to cool for a few minutes. Some of the nuts will slightly stick together but this is what we want for the ‘nut crunch’ in the salad. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Add the sliced apples, red onion and dried cranberries/cherries and gorgonzola to the salad and toss to combine. Sprinkle the nut mixture on top and toss again. If you are serving the salad later, I recommend leaving the nut mixture out until you are ready to serve so it stays nice and crunchy. Enjoy!