BEST BROCCOLI SALAD (seriously)
I have enjoyed broccoli salad my entire life but this recipe is now my ultimate favorite. It is loaded with nutritious ingredients rather than the typical unhealthy bacon, mayonnaise, and sugar found it traditional recipes. I served the salad with a "BLT" but I made the "bacon" out of tofu so I guess it's really a "TLT." I reserved a bit of the salad dressing to use on the sandwich which was delish!
Here is the original recipe from HUMMUSAPIEN blog. I modified it just a bit.
Dr. Joel Fuhrman suggests eating cruciferous vegetables every day because they are nutritional powerhouses. Here is an article about whether you have to worry about cruciferous vegetables interfering with your thyroid function: Do cruciferous vegetables or soybeans harm the thyroid?
Dr. Michael Greger also suggests eating cruciferous vegetables daily. Here’s a brief article from NutritionFacts.org.
BEST BROCCOLI SALAD
Ingredients
For the dressing:
3/4 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup water (this is separate from the water used to soak the cashews)
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup (I replaced it with 3 pitted Deglet Noor dates)
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic heaping (I used 1 small clove)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I used just 1/4 tsp)
Freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
2 large broccoli crowns (florets only), finely chopped (I used 12 ounces)
1 1/2 cups red grapes, halved
1/3 cup roasted salted almonds, finely chopped (I toasted raw unsalted almonds in oven then chopped in a food processor)
3/4 cup diced red onion (I reduced to 1/3 cup)
1/3 cup dried cranberries or raisins (I used reduced sugar cranberries)
Instructions
Place cashews in a bowl. Cover with water and soak for 2 hours or overnight. If you have a high speed blender, simply soak them in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain cashews. Add to blender with rest of the dressing ingredients. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Combine broccoli, grapes, almonds, red onion, and dried cranberries in a medium or large mixing bowl. Add dressing and toss thoroughly to coat.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve chilled.
