I get asked a lot of questions about healthy food. Things like how to eat well on a budget, or how to avoid certain ingredients in packaged foods. The most common thing people want to know, though, is how to make health food taste good. There’s a perception that nutritious foods are tasteless, and that one would only choose said foods as a last resort or as part of a strict diet regimen. I’d like to think that recipes like this, this, and this speak for themselves, but to be clear: my passion for healthy eating is equalled by my love for delicious food. So, yes, I’d say you can eat well and be completely and totally satisfied in life.
Exhibit A: Mediterranean Broccoli Salad. Salty feta, sweet sundried tomatoes, briney Kalamata olives, slightly spicy red onion, tangy lemon-Dijon vinaigrette. Say no more; I’m already in love! Add in loads of thinly sliced raw broccoli and you’ve got a crunchy, plant powered salad that can work as a main or a side dish. The bright, fresh flavors in this salad are particularly satisfying after a long winter, and are always welcome at spring potlucks and picnics.
This broccoli salad could easily become vegan if you leave out the feta, and could please the meat-eaters in your life if you tossed in some leftover grilled chicken. I’d gladly eat a big portion as my meal, but it would be equally delicious as a side with burgers, salmon, or roasted chicken and potatoes. You could even make a batch of my Whole Wheat Pizza Dough and have broccoli salad as a side with your Friday night pizza this week!
If you’ve been struggling to find balance in your diet, this Mediterranean-inspired salad is a great place to start. Broccoli is a humble, underrated superfood that brings protein (yes! In a vegetable! I know!), fiber, vitamin D, and a long list of other vitamins, minerals, and detoxifying substances to your body. Broccoli salad may be grade A certified health food, but it’s also a crowd pleaser that I think you and your family could fall in love with this spring. If you make it, leave me a comment below to tell me what you think! You can also tag me on Instagram with #bakedgreens so I can see all your gorgeous broccoli salads.
Mediterranean Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 2 + Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon each of salt pepper, and oregano
- 1 clove garlic grated on the microplane used to zest the lemon
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Broccoli Salad
- 3 bunches broccoli stems and flourettes thinly sliced
- 1/2 a red onion thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Kalamata olives quartered
- 1/2 cup sliced sundried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled or sliced into small cubes
- 1/4 cup basil thinly sliced
Instructions
Vinaigrette
- 1. Zest and juice a lemon into a measure cup. Then, add vinegar to make 1/4 cup total in the measuring cup. For me this was about 2 Tablespoons of vinegar.
- 2. Add all other ingredients, except olive oil, and whisk to combine. Then, add in oil and whisk again to fully incorporate the oil into the dressing. Set aside.
Salad
- 1. Place all ingredients into a large serving bowl except feta.
- 2. Pour dressing over vegetables, and stir well to combine. Then, add in feta cheese and stir gently (so feta isn't completely dissolved by the mixing process).
- 3. Salad can be eaten immediately, or stored in th fridge for up to 5 days. The longer it sits in the fridge, the more of the lemon-Dijon dressing is absorbed into the broccoli. By day 3 the salad isn't quite as crunchy, but is still completely delicious.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.