Simple Broccoli Salad

I often make this simple and nutritious broccoli salad for dinner when the day has been hot and the evening is still warm.

Healthy and delicious broccoli salad.

Broccoli is full of bright-green goodness. When it's very lightly steamed and tossed together with crunchy cashews, salty little cubes of haloumi cheese and tart cranberries, it forms the basis of this very healthy and tasty salad.

The recipe below, which details how I make this broccoli salad, has evolved from one that my aunt sent me years ago. I don't know who developed the original recipe which incorporates bacon, red onion and a dressing heavy on mayonnaise and sugar (which, in my opinion, would overshadow all of the broccoli's goodness). This is my version:

Simple Broccoli Salad

2 heads of broccoli, washed and cut into florets

1 handful of raw cashews, chopped roughly

2 tablespoons dried organic cranberries

80g rinsed haloumi cheese, cut into very small cubes

Optional Ingredients:  sweetcorn kernels, diced capsicum, snow pea strips

Dressing:  

I use a glug of homemade Garlic-Herb Vinaigrette. The recipe for the dressing I use can be found here. (Just scroll down and you'll find it.) Alternatively, you could use your own favourite dressing.

Method:

1. Very lightly steam the broccoli until bright green. Remove from heat straight away and plunge into some iced water to stop the cooking process. (You want this broccoli to maintain a crunch!) Drain.

2. Put steamed broccoli florets and chopped cashews and cranberries into a salad bowl.

3. Lightly fry cubes of haloumi cheese over medium heat until golden. Add to other ingredients in salad bowl.

4. If using, lightly fry any or all of the optional ingredients and add them to the salad bowl.

5. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Pour a generous glug of dressing over the ingredients in the salad bowl just before serving.

6. Lightly toss your salad.

7. Enjoy while feeling good about all the health-promoting properties of broccoli!

Meg