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In our house we always are trying new recipes. Sometimes they fail miserably, sometimes they simply exist, and sometimes they are huge winners. Last night I tried three new recipes, and all three were hits. It was kind of like a hat trick for me. Granted, two of the recipes were courtesy of cookbooks and online searches, but the third was all mine. So, it was quite pleasing to have such good results.
As the other two dishes were ribs and french fries, I wanted to have a healthy veggie dish to round out the meal. Broccoli is always popular in our house, but serving it plain seemed way too dull. Plus, it’s summer, so it felt like the perfect time to give a broccoli salad a try. As it turns out, that was a great choice.
So many broccoli salad recipes tend toward the unhealthy side, as they are laden with bacon and mayonnaise. While that may be tasty for some, it seemed like a poor pairing for the rest of our meal. Once I started thinking about how to make my broccoli salad, I realized that I could make a broccoli salad that was tasty without being unhealthy.
The most important part of this recipe was finding ingredients that provided an enjoyable array of flavors and textures. Thus, the sunflower seeds added crunch and saltiness, the onions added a savory taste, and the dried apricots added some sweetness. Using Greek yogurt in the dressing helped to keep the sauce lighter in calories and fat.
Reflecting on this salad today, I am certain that the ingredients could be adjusted to meet the flavor preferences in your house and keep the salad healthy. Instead of apricots, craisins or golden raisins could be used. Instead of sunflower seeds, slivered almonds or peanuts could be used.
I plan on trying this salad again in the near future. Maybe it even could be a family project where each person chooses one of the add-ins. It could be a fun way to make this dish.
- 1-1/4 lb. broccoli florets
- 3 Tb. plain Greek yogurt
- 2 Tb. mayonnaise
- 3 Tb. cider vinegar
- salt & pepper
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, shelled
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup dried apricots, diced
- Trim broccoli. Heat a pot of salted water to boiling, and add broccoli.
- Cook for 2 minutes, and drain well.
- In a small bowl combine yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
- Place broccoli in a large bowl, and add dressing, seeds, onion, and apricots.
- Stir to combine. Chill for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to meld.
