I Know I Am Really Pushing Some Culinary Boundaries By Introducing A Broccoli Recipe.

But I Like Living On The Edge.

I am honestly not a big broccoli fan.  I don’t like steamed broccoli, I don’t like broccoli in soup, I don’t like broccoli baked in stuff.  Broccoli has too bold a flavor to hide it in anything, and steaming it just brings out all the bitter flavors I don’t like.

You know what I do like?  Fresh broccoli.  Fresh broccoli is fantastic, and it is a vegetable that stands alone in the kitchen.  So, what if you made a broccoli salad from fresh broccoli, and didn’t try to hide the flavors with creams or sauces?  What if you simply enhanced how good the flavors are, in a beautiful balance?

This broccoli salad is so good, my kids love it.  It is so good, I have given it to guests, whom I love.  This broccoli salad is so good, my husband likes it.  And he isn’t telling me that just because he loves me!

It is that good.

Do not let the incredible simplicity of this dish defy it’s incredible taste.  The flavors and textures are a perfect balance of sweet and savory, crunchy and juicy.  This isn’t your old-fashioned plate of overly steamed broccoli: this is a dish you could use weekly and not get tired of it.

This is also a really easy recipe with zero cooking involved, so you can throw this together as fast as your hands can move.

Bonus!!

What you’ll need:

• About 4 cups of broccoli florets (or more, or less, depending on the size of your eating company)
• 1 can of sliced black olives
• 1/2 cup of diced cheddar cheese
• kosher salt, ground pepper, a little parsley
• 1/2 c olive oil
• a variable amount of balsamic vinegar…I tend to over do this one.  Because I love it.

What you’re going to do:

Wash the broccoli florets and put them in a big mixing bowl.

Pour the olive oil over the top of it and toss gently.

Sprinkle on 3 fat pinches of kosher salt, grind pepper on top and add 1 fat pinch of parsley, then toss.

Now add the diced cheddar and olives and toss gently.

Then pour about 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar on top and put it in the fridge to chill a bit.

This is a very easy side recipe, and a fantastic compliment for any dish.  

It is also loaded with great vitamins that can come in super handy during the flu season: 3.5oz of broccoli has 2.82g Protein, Vitamin C 89.2mg (1 orange has 70mg of Vitamin C, for comparison’s sake), Magnesium 21mg, Potassium 316mg.