Sadly the word salad does not necessarily equal healthy; potato salad, pasta salad, and what I find myself craving the most… broccoli salad. It is the evil mayonnaise that always brings down the nutrition factors, but man, is it good. What is seemingly better, however, are the easy and accessible substitutes for it.
Luckily I found the most amazing recipe with just the right substitutes to make an absolutely killer broccoli salad. I try and incorporate at least one meal of raw food into my diet a day, with the help of an awesome blog Rawmazing that has guided me along this path. Instead of mayonnaise she chooses a cashew dressing sweetened with a bit of raw agave. Along with a bountiful amount of broccoli she throws in cashews, raisins, and red onion.
This recipe alone is wonderful. When I made it I didn’t have raisins on hand and instead threw in goji berries and it was positively magical. I also added some apple cider vinegar into the dressing for a bit of added zing, but that’s just me.
Dressing:
- 1 C Cashews, soaked at least 2 hours
- Juice from 1 1/2 lemons
- 2 T Oil
- 1/4 C Water
- 1 shallot (2 T chopped)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 T Agave
- 1/2 T Mustard Powder
- Pinch Celtic Sea Salt
Combine all ingredients in vitamix. Mix until silky smooth.
Salad:
- 6 C Chopped Broccoli
- 1/2 Red Onion, medium, chopped
- 1 C Raisins
- 1 C Sunflower Seeds
- Dressing
Mix together broccoli, raisins, onion, raisins, and sunflower seeds. Top with dressing and combine until well coated.