The colorful mixture of vegetables before adding the dressing.
Okay, we all know broccoli is good for us. So it behooves us to find ways to serve the vitamin-laden vegetable more often. I must admit, I’ve not always appreciated its fibrous crunch. As a child, I remember being unsuccessful in hiding my last bite of broccoli in a glass of milk. Nor would our wire-haired terrier, lounging beneath the table come to my aid. But I grew up.
These days I’m excited by all the new ways of serving broccoli. Sure, it works steamed or buried in a stir fry, but here’s a raw salad that bulges with creaminess and tang. It’s a lot like World Food’s Broccoli Crunch, their deli salad that’s so doggone yummy. Sometimes I make this salad an entire meal by tucking in some protein—cheddar cheese, chicken or chopped bacon. Or I leave those out and feel quite virtuous in being a vegetarian for a day.
Broccoli apple salad ingredients
Chop, Drop and Plop
All you need to do is chop the vegetables, drop them in a bowl and plop on the dressing. Or you can mix the dressing in a large bowl first and throw all the other chopped ingredients on top. That’s unless you want to be more measured in the amount of dressing you use and prefer adding just the amount needed atop the mixture.
Whichever you do, it’s hard to go wrong; this is a flexible salad. Some versions use vinegar rather than lemon juice; some use all mayo instead of cutting it with sour cream or yogurt; others use honey rather than sugar, or dried cranberries over raisins. I went with the version that lightly steams the broccoli for a few minutes, but if you like more crunch, the cooking’s unnecessary. Despite the many variations, on line testers agreed the salad is best refrigerated over night or, at least, for several hours before serving.
So nutritious, yet so good . . . and even better the next day.
Broccoli Apple Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 2 large apples, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Creamy Dressing:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 Tbs. lemon juice
- 1 Tbs. honey or sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine broccoli, carrots, red onion, apples , pecans, and dried cranberries. To make the dressing, whisk together all the Creamy Dressing ingredients. Add dressing to salad and toss to coat. Chill a few hours before serving.
