broccoli apple crunch salad
crunchy! punchy! colorful! a smidge sweet! a tad tart!
The minute the calendar switches from January to February, it’s like my brain snaps out of restful winter hibernation mode and jumps straight into OH SH!T SPRING IS BASICALLY HERE mode.
I know folks in more northern climates still have a lot of winter ahead, but here in central North Carolina, February is when we start our earliest spring plantings. Next week, our sugar snap peas and carrots will get seeded outside, and we’ll start planting our early greens (think lettuce, arugula, kale, swiss chard, etc) in the caterpillar tunnels. And February is also a big month for starting seeds indoors, and those seedlings will get transplanted outside later this spring.
This week we had a few warm, bright blue sky days where we stripped off our winter layers and our bare arms saw the sun for the first time in months. It was glorious. (And short lived – the forecast is calling for an entire week of cold, dreary rain).
My team and I made the most of the sunshine and finished the big task of weeding and mulching our herb + flower garden. It looks pretty boring and bare in there right now (see photo below), but come summertime I promise this garden will be an explosion of bright blooms, fragrant herbs, and a cacophony of native pollinators, happily drenched in pollen and flitting from one plant to another.
If you’re also gearing up for the upcoming growing season, I’d love to be a resource and help guide you through the process!
ICYMI, earlier this week I shared my 4-Part *Guide to Start a Garden*, which breaks down how to grow your own vegetables into manageable steps, giving you the knowledge + tools for an abundant growing season.
This comprehensive guide covers the following:
PART 1: Establishing goals and figuring out your ideal garden set-up
PART 2: How to make a planting plan
PART 3: How to cultivate healthy soil
PART 4: How to start your own seeds
Basically, this is all the info I wish I’d had when I first starting growing vegetables 15 years ago! I genuinely hope this guide is helpful and empowering for all the budding gardeners out there.
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Keep reading for this week’s new recipe, broccoli apple crunch salad. And good news, it’s the first Friday of the month, which means the recipe is available to ALL subscribers!
I freaking adore this salad. Honestly, it’s everything you could really want in a salad… crunchy! punchy! colorful! a smidge sweet! a tad tart!
And the best part? The salad itself has just five (!) ingredients, and the zippy apple cider vinaigrette is incredibly quick + simple to whip up. Start to finish, this takes no more than 15 minutes to make. And because there aren’t any leafy greens, this salad stores great in the fridge (and if anything, it’s better the next day).
PRO TIP to *really* eat like a farmer – don’t throw away the broccoli stems! It’s crazy to me that most recipes only use the broccoli crowns/florets, which means you end up wasting about half of the vegetable. Broccoli stems are crisp, juicy, and absolutely delicious – it’s silly to toss them! Just peel (or carefully cut off) the thick outer skin on the broccoli stem, and then just dice and add to your salad bowl. See photo below for a guide:
I picked up this recipe from my friend Kristen of Flagstone Pantry, and it’s been in our family’s regular rotation ever since. (PS – Kristen is an amazing chef and she shares hundreds of straightforward and nourishing recipes on her website, go check it out!)
Keep reading for today’s recipe, along with a 1-page PDF for easy printing.
PS – This week *everyone* gets access today’s recipe! If you enjoy this newsletter and want to receive a new hyper-seasonal recipe every Friday, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Paid subscribers also get access to my (ever-growing) full recipe archive, handy gardening guides, video tutorials, and access to private community chats.
Broccoli Apple Crunch Salad
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
For the salad
1.5-2lb broccoli (2-3 medium sized broccoli heads), crown chopped into small florets (about 6 cups florets) and stem peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces (about 1 cup)
1 medium apple (Pink Lady, Honey Crisp or similar variety), chopped to small (¼”) dice
1 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
1 medium shallot, chopped to very small dice
½ cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
For the apple cider vinaigrette
½ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup honey or maple syrup
¼ cup dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large salad bowl, combine the chopped broccoli florets and stems, 1 chopped apple, 1 cup chopped walnuts, 1 diced shallot, and ½ cup dried cranberries.
To make the vinaigrette – in a mason jar combine ½ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup honey or maple syrup, ¼ cup dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Tighten the lid and shake vigorously until well combined. (Alternatively, combine ingredients in a bowl and whisk until emulsified).
Pour the vinaigrette over the broccoli apple mixture and toss to coat (a note that you might not need to use all the vinaigrette, just use as much as you’d like). Taste and add additional salt if desired. Allow the salad to sit and soak up the vinaigrette for at least 10 minutes, then stir everything together again and enjoy!
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The stems are my favourite part!! And my dog loves them even more than I do lol. He gives me the stink eye when I eat them without sharing.
Yum love this