Honey Mustard Broccoli Salad

This is one of my favourite recipes from Sara Forte's The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook. I have changed it slightly from the original by adding some raisins, and often make it without the parsley. I'd imagine this would also be good with some sharp cheese.

The only downside to this salad is that it needs to be enjoyed the day of - otherwise it turns an unappetizing yellowish colour. (But it's still delicious!) I've been told that coating the broccoli in a little bit of oil first might help, but I haven't tried it yet.

Author: Adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen by Sara Forte

Recipe type: Salad, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free

Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 bunches broccoli with stems (about 1 lb/454 g total)

• ½ cup (125 mL) toasted sunflower seeds

• 1 apple, such as Gala, Fuji or Honeycrisp, cored and diced

• ¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped parsley

• ¼ cup (60 mL) raisins

Honey Dijon Dressing

• 3 Tbsp (45 mL) Dijon mustard

• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) honey or maple syrup

• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) olive oil

• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) red wine vinegar

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Cut the stems from the broccoli and set aside. Cut the florets into bite-size pieces. In a large pot with a steamer insert, steam the florets just long enough to take off the raw edge, about 1-2 minutes. Drain and let cool. While the broccoli florets cool, julienne the stems finely.

2. To make the dressing, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey, olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the broccoli, sunflower seeds, apple, parsley and raisins to the bowl and toss to coat.

3. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.