For those in the northern hemisphere, it’s almost winter and our eating gravitates to more meats, soups and heartier dishes.
Although I’m not a big salad person in the winter, I think it’s still important to get your dose of veggies in your diet. This salad features broccoli and cauliflower which are low in fat, high in dietary fiber and a good source of vitamin C. I’m presenting this salad as part of Weekend Herb Blogging #112 which is hosted by Simona of Briciole. Stop by her site and you might even learn conversational Italian!
I saw this salad in the last issue of Gastronomos and I was intrigued enough to try it as broccoli and cauliflower are in season and it’s a simple salad…I’m sold!
The recipe in the magazine calls for little pickled onions in it but I substituted them with slices of red onion that were simmered in some oil and balsamic vinegar.
This salad is best if you wait for the dressing to break down the vegetables a bit in the fridge and you won’t have a super crunchy salad, more “al dente”.
I really liked this salad as it’s easy, suitable for winter, healthy, unusual and Greek! Credit for the recipe is given to a Myrsini Lambraki.
Salad of Broccoli and Cauliflower
2 cups of raw cauliflower florets
2 cups of raw broccoli florets
1/2 cup of sliced red onions, simmered in balsamic vinegar & softened
1/2 cup of grated carrot
Dressing
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp of honey 1 tsp. of ground cumin
1 tsp. of sea salt
- Using a jar, combine all the ingredients for the dressing and shake well to mix.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables for the salad. Toss well, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
- Serve cool.
Peter, do you eat the broccoli and cauliflower raw? When you say “al dente” you mean it? I usually cook them, never use them in a salad… well always learning new things!!! It’s so easy and good colour looking that I will try it ;-)
Nuria, they are raw “per se” but you may certianly boil/steam them if that’s what you prefer.
How very interesting! And perfect for my penchant for all things simple. I love both raw, but rarely use them this way, and I like the added touch of cumin in the dressing. I might just try this one.
BTW last night for dinner I had simple salads of capsicum, tomato, cucumber and zucchini with – yes, fetta. Thanks for that tip.
VegeYum
Peter I never had them raw before either. Still have a lot to learn. They look really nice, although I am not really a fan of broccoli.
Sounds good. Come to think of it I don’t normally eat either cauliflower or broccoli raw. Now I am curious. I will have to try.
I learned to eat raw broccoli and cauliflowers in the US. I prefer them a bit softened so I like your idea of having the dressing do that.
Looks good. I have to say, I do prefer cauliflower and broccoli in salads to by lightly blanched first, but I suspect marinating it for while will have almost the same effect.
That’s a keeper for me. I love to eat cauliflower raw, more than cooked, and often keep a bowl of it on reserve, as a snack. Your recipe would be much better tasting, I think! And I like broccoli raw too.
Peter, what a wonderful way of having these vegetables – love the idea of using cumin in the dressing!
Sounds great to me. I love raw broccoli and cauliflower both and can’t understand why some people don’t like them.
About a year ago I rediscovered cauliflower and broccolli and started making it part of our everyday meals. And you know from my latest post I always find reasons to cook cauliflower! Can’t wait to make it like this, specially love the dressing with sweetness from honey and earthy kick from cumin.
For a hearty fall dish I roasted the broccoli and cauliflower with olive oil, salt and pepper, cooled it slightly then poured the dressing over. I had neither pickled onions nor red onions so used chopped shallot and shook it up with the dressing. This was so good that my husband and I were fighting each other for the last bits.