Servings: 6 Prep Time: 15 Min
I get why broccoli gets a bad wrap. I do. I don't blame my children for not wanting to touch it, but I still feel like I would be a bad parent for not making them eat it. It always goes a little something like this...
Makes me laugh every time!
I gotta be honest, I get a kick out of watching them go through what I had to go through as a kid. The above gif paints an accurate depiction. But, I still hold out hope, because maybe, one day, like me, they will grow to love broccoli. But let's be honest, even the most hardcore broccoli lovers, rarely eat it plain and by itself. It's either A) used to transfer large amounts of ranch dressing into ones mouth or B) cooked to the point where it loses all nutritional value.
Well, I think I have come up with a solution. It both satisfies my desire to maintain the benefits of eating broccoli (by not dunking it in a vat of ranch or over cooking it), and gets my children to eat it. Trail mix broccoli salad.
I am a big fan of fruit in salads. Not sure who first started the trend, but it was a game changer in my house. In the same way that fruit changed my children's view of salad, trail mix changed their view of broccoli. Who woulda thunk, little pieces of dried fruit and nuts make the perfect pair with broccoli. Well at least it did for my children.
If you've noticed, a lot of my cooking has a lot to do with adapting recipes so that they will be desirable (more like edible) to my children. Sometime necessity is the mother of invention. Emphasis on mother, am I right?
While there is nothing earth shattering about this recipe, it can sometimes be the simplest solution to bring food to life. Plus, you gotta try this dressing!
What you'll need
Dressing
3/4 Cup Raw cashews, soaked 1/4 Cup Water 2 tbsp Pure maple syrup 2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar 1/2 tsp Minced garlic Heaping 1/2 tsp Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper
Salad
2 Large broccoli crowns (add the stems if you’d like), finely chopped
1 1/2 Cups blueberries 2/3 Cup Trail mix 3/4 Cup Diced red onion
Step 1
Place cashews in a bowl. Cover with water and soak for 2 hours or overnight. If you have a Nutribullet or high speed blender, simply soak them in hot water for 10 minutes.
Step 2
Drain cashews. Add to blender with with rest of the dressing ingredients. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
Step 3
Place broccoli, blueberries, red onion, and trail mix in a medium or large mixing bowl. Add dressing and toss thoroughly to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve chilled.
Serving
This is not your typical potluck broccoli salad. You know the one with the heavy mayo and raisins (dry heave)? I know you've all tried it on accident or at least passed over it. If that was your salad, I won't fault you for it, just make this recipe next time. It's hardy enough to serve as a main dish, and pretty enough to compliment a protein as a side dish. Trust me, your kids will eat up more broccoli in one sitting than they have all year.
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