Italian Broccoli Salad

This delicious raw broccoli salad has a flavorful Italian twist. Think salty sun-dried tomatoes, rich kalamata olives, zingy red onion, and crunchy red bell pepper, all drizzled in a sweet and tangy balsamic dressing. This nourishing dish can be divided into two meals. To serve more, try adding chickpeas and potatoes to give it some added bulk!

Italian Broccoli Salad [Vegan]

Ingredients

For the Broccoli Salad:

• 1 large 17-ounce head broccoli, including the stalk
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped and packed
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 3 Medjool dates, pitted and finely diced

For the Balsamic Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon coconut nectar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation

1. Put the sun-dried tomatoes in 1/2 cup of boiling water and set aside to soak.
2. Meanwhile cut the head off your broccoli, then thinly slice the skin off the stalk. Chop the head and stalk roughly and place in a food processor. Pulse gently until roughly chopped into tiny — some roughness and irregularity is good. If your food processor is strong enough, you can add the red onion at the same time and chop these together.
3. Remove the sun-dried tomatoes from the water and thinly slice.
4. Place all salad ingredients in a bowl and mix gently, lifting to combine.
5. Place all dressing ingredients in your food processor bowl (no need to clean in between) and blend until thick and creamy, then pour over salad and mix lightly to combine.
6. Serve immediately.

Notes

Make sure not to over-blend the broccoli to a mush — you want to keep it dry and with some texture. If washing your broccoli, be sure to dry it off well before blending, again so you don't create a wet mixture. This salad looks its best on the day of making. While it still tastes great the next day, it will lose a bit of its vibrant color. Be sure to keep it in a sealed container if storing in the fridge overnight, to maintain maximum nutrients in the wonderful plant ingredients.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/italian-broccoli-salad/