Easy Broccoli Salad

Summer of 2021 is soon coming to an end, that's for sure. I felt like I should grasp the last bit of summer and enjoy the most of it this past week. I wore sundresses as much as I can, and backyard cook out is going on full blast this weekend here.

Or maybe it's just because my husband's uncle and aunt came to visit, and I had no idea what I can cook for dinner that fits their palate. Scratch out the previous time when I did cook for them, Brandon neglected to inform me his uncle absolutely hate onions, and can sniff the smell of a onion powder granulate from a mile away. Long story short, I put onions in all the sides, the only thing he ate that night was the smoked pork chops they bought us.

Total fail, no kidding.

So my game plan for this entire weekend includes cinnamon bun, biscuit and sausage for breakfast. Pizza, bratwurst, wings, and my favorite buffalo chicken dip (sub with regular cream cheese and sour cream) for the rest of the day. Meals for the champion, I must say.

We had a great time doing absolutely nothing but sitting in front of our TV, cranked football to the max volume. Chitchatting, drinking beers, and eating all day, literally. By default, the next day we all felt a little... constipated blah.

Wait, is that a bad word to use in a food blog?

Come dinner time last night, Brandon requested a salad (rarely, does that happen). The only catch is, I really hate to go to the grocery again. So I managed to make a simple broccoli salad with what I have in the pantry and fridge.

What you will need?

Broccoli: 1 large no; separate into smaller florets
Red cabbage: 1/3 small one; sliced into slaw like sizes
Carrots: 1 no, julienne into 1 cup slices
Roasted Pine nuts: 1/2 cup

Dressing:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 1/3 cup
Lemon: 2 no; juice into 1/3 cup
Whole grain Mustard: 1 tablespoon
Fresh basil: 8 to 10 leaf, sliced
Honey: 1/2 tablespoon
Salt and pepper, to taste.

How to make it?

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the broccoli florets for about 2 minutes. Drain and place in a pot with ice water.

In a small mixing bowl, combine dressing.

In a mixing bowl, simply add in cooled broccoli, cabbage, carrots, and toss with dressing. Garnish with pine nuts.

Tips:

1. My dressing recipe comes just the right amount if your lemon is pretty juicy. If you feel like the salad is a little to the dryer side, feel free to add juice of an extra half to a whole lemon. The longer you have this salad made before eating, the more liquid the cabbage will be drawn out by the lemon dressing. Just the perfect amount of dressing keep this more crisp! It's good in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days!

2. Red cabbage is a great color dye! So much that if you make salads with red cabbages, it will nearly dye everything with it. So don't freak out if you have slightly reddish broccoli the next day.

3. Add a little tuna, or better, marinated tofu for protein. Yum! Hope you enjoy it.