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SUMMER BROCCOLI SALAD WITH SWEET BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

At my nephew's soccer party, a parent brought a pretty decent broccoli salad, which was a novel idea to me. However, while the salad was good, it was a bit bland, and it contained mayo (kryptonite to me). Suffice it to say, the salad needed to be...shall we say...kicked up a notch? The following recipe was thrown together on a hot summer's day and successfully cooled off a family of 8. I suggest serving as a counterpart to a hearty/spicy dish, like chili and cornbread, or Moroccan chicken and rice. Everything is to taste, and everything is arbitrary, so add ingredients and toggle proportions to your heart's content. Just enjoy!

Recipe information

  • Yield

    8 people

Ingredients

For Salad:
5 crowns broccoli, broken into bite-size pieces
5 broccoli stalks, shredded
4 carrots, peeeled and shredded
2 Granny Smith apples, chopped into thin, bite-size pieces
1/2 red onion, diced small
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, salted and roasted
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
8 strips bacon, cooked and broken into tiny bits
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. fresh tarragon, chopped
For Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 3/4 lemon
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 sweet red onion, diced
2 tsp. fresh tarragon, chopped

Preparation

  1. Make Salad: Combine ingredients into bowl one at a time, folding the salad thoroughly for even distribtuion.

    Make Vinaigrette: In a large mixing bowl, begin whisking balsamic vinegar vigorously, slowly adding vegetable oil. For proper emulsion, it is best to add the oil over a period of about twn minutes of whisking. Then, slowly whisk in the olive oil and lemon juice. Whisk in brown sugar to offset the vinegar's acidity. When the dressing is blennded uniformly, whisk in the onions and tarragon, and let the flavors meld for a while.

    Bring it all together: Finally, filter the vinaigrette through a fine mesh seive to remove onions and tarragon. Mix the sweet dressing into salad mixture to taste (you'll probably end up using most of it).

    Serve right away, or chill for a few hours. Either way, results should be pretty awesome.

TagsAmericanSaladVegetableSideNo-Cook
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