Broccoli Crunch With Creamy Almond Dressing

Sharon123's Note:

Tiny green florets, crisp apples, crunchy shallots, candied nuts and slivered red onions are tossed in a barely sweet, creamy almond vinaigrette. Find the freshest broccoli you can and be sure not to overcook them, you just want to blanch them quickly. A wonderful mix of crunch and color! You can make the components ahead of time, but don't dress the salad until you are ready to serve it; preserving the various crunches. Adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

• Total Time: 16 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 4 -5 cups tiny broccoli florets (and chopped stalks if you wish)
• 1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (or mineral salt)
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 -1 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 2 small crisp sweet apples, cut into small bite-sized pieces (if you aren't going to use the apples immediately, let them sit in a bowl of water with the juice of)
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts (or candied) or 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/3 cup pan-fried crunchy shallot (see below on how to fry or if you must substitute crunchy fried onion rings)
• chives (optional)

Directions:

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and place about 1/4 teaspoons salt in the water. Boil the broccoli just long enough to take the raw edge of - 10 or 15 seconds. Drain and immerse it in cold water (or let cold water run over it). Shake off excess water(or dry with a clean towel or paper towels). Set aside.
2. Make the dressing by sprinkling the salt over the clove of garlic. Smash the clove and chop, smash and chop, making it into a paste. In a small bowl whisk the salty garlic paste with the almond butter, lemon juice, honey and olive oil. Add the hot water and whisk until light and creamy. Taste, make adjustments if needed, and set aside.
3. In a large bowl gently toss the broccoli, apples, red onion, most of the shallots(saving some to garnish) and nuts with a generous drizzle of the almond dressing. Turn out onto a platter and finish with the rest of the shallots and chives if you like. Serve family style or on individual plates if desired. Enjoy!
4. To make pan-fried crunchy shallots:.
5. Stir together the shallots, a splash of clarified butter (or olive oil) and big pinch of salt In a large skillet over medium heat. Stir every few minutes, you want the shallots to slowly brown over about fifteen minutes. Let them get dark, dark brown (but not burn), and if needed turn down the heat. Remove from skillet and onto a paper towel to cool in a single layer where they will crisp up a bit.

Reviews

[Enjolinfam]

What a yummy salad! I used regular chopped walnuts because that's what I had. I used the crunch fried onion rings, and green onions instead of red. Such a healthy salad with your veggies, fruits, and nuts! It's delicious too!

[Katzen]

Lovely salad, Sharon! It was good and cruchy, and the red onion added a nice zip to the flavours. I used slivered almonds for the nuts. I ran out of time for the shallots, unfortunately, but it went over well without them. I think candied walnuts would be amazing in this. Thanks for posting, Sharon! Made for In Support of Sharon & her Husband Tag.

[Chef #1366238]

This was truly a wonderful way to prepare broccoli. The flavors blend beautifully and who doesn't absolutely love a wonderfully crunchy salad. This is a keeper!