Truth be told, I actually developed this broccoli salad recipe in late 2016, and was going to put it into an e-book with a bunch of unpublished recipes. I was all ready to go, and then my dad got sick in January 2017 and subsequently died in March. As you can imagine, my life has been a bit crazy since the beginning of the year while I cared for him and then dealt with estate stuff (NEVER be an executor unless you have to..it’s like being a bridesmaid – an honour for the first 5 minutes, then a total pain in the ass..and my dad would agree). I’m only just now getting my life back on track, and the e-book has really fallen by the wayside. Don’t worry, I’ll still do it, but I really wanted to get this recipe to you before then. Because riced broccoli is becoming a thing, I think. I always like you all to stay current with food trends!
This broccoli salad is super-simple to make. In fact, it’s pretty much done entirely in the food processor/blender (I used my Vitamix). It’s just a series of chopping vegetables and then doing the dressing at the end. Ahhhhhhhh the dressing is so good. You’ll love it.
I never thought of blending chunks of cheese into a salad dressing, but in the Fall of last year, I went to an event at Cafe Belong in Toronto. They served a broccoli salad (it was a bit different than mine) and I could NOT stop eating it. In fact, I asked the server to bring a bowl of it to the table so I could continue eating it. I mean, I was with a bunch of food professionals so everyone understood my desire to stuff myself with this incredible salad. When I asked the chef what the dressing was, he told me it was made with gouda. It was like the clouds parted and the sun shone down…gouda in salad dressing! Wow. I knew I had to test it out, and here’s the result.
The riced broccoli, yeah. So we all know riced cauliflower, as in, cauliflower rice. Why not do the same thing with broccoli? When I first developed this salad, that was my line of thinking. It’s really easy to throw broccoli florets into a processor and ‘rice’ them. The little bits are easier to eat, and they catch the creamy dressing so well. Love.
Trader Joe’s has clearly caught on, as they now sell riced broccoli in their stores. So if you’re lucky enough to live near a TJ’s (there aren’t any in Canada, which sucks), you should check it out.
How to Quickly Rice Broccoli for Broccoli Salad
- Wash and dry your broccoli.
- Remove the stems and separate the crown into florets.
- Working in batches, add the broccoli into a food processor or high-speed blender and pulse or blend until the broccoli is in small bits.
This is the perfect salad for a crowd! Crunchy almonds, sweet currants, and creamy gouda dressing make the riced broccoli irresistible.
- 7 cups broccoli florets and top part of stems separated from stalks, about two heads
- 1 cup whole almonds toasted
- 1 gala or granny smith apple cored
- 1/4 cup dried currants
- 6 radishes
- 1.5 cups roughly chopped smoked or regular Gouda (around .6 lb)
- 1 large shallot chopped
- 2 oil-packed anchovies
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
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Working in batches, process the broccoli in a food processor or high-speed blender until it’s in small bits (see my photos).
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Pour each batch into a large bowl once it’s in the proper size.
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Do the same with the radishes, the apple, and the almonds.
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Add the currants to the bowl with the vegetables and toss lightly.
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In the washed and dried food processor or blender, add all of the dressing ingredients and blend well, slowly going from low to high speed, until the mixture is smooth.
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Pour the dressing onto the salad, tossing well. You don’t have to use the entire batch of dressing - use as much as you want, and save the rest for another salad (try not to eat it directly out of the blender…it will be difficult)
Got extra broccoli? Try this Creamy Tuna and Broccoli Casserole Recipe!
