Broccoli Slaw

If you happen to follow along on facebook or instagram, then you saw some gorgeous broccoli that was brought to me from my neighbors who happen to also be the farmers responsible for Two Happy Children Farm. These are the same fine folks from whom I procured my bulk purchase of artichokes and launched me into an artichoke extravaganza (Yes, yes we did eat 30 artichokes over the course of a week. Well, not exactly true as I pickled some and those are still in the fridge. But who's counting.) With 3 large heads of broccoli at hand, what's a gal to do? Then I remembered a great slaw we'd had during a visit to Port A (Port Aransas, Texas). We had picked up some fried chicken and sides from a chicken shack on Alister St. The chicken wasn't remarkable, but one of the sides was a broccoli slaw. Up until that point, all of the slaws I'd had were the standard cabbage. This broccoli slaw was a mixture of broccoli and cabbage with a sweet and tangy mayonnaise based dressing tossed with raisins and nuts. A nice combination that would make an appropriate spring side to go along with grilled pork ribs.

Broccoli Slaw

• 2 heads of broccoli 
• 1/2 C purple onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 C raisins 
• 1/4 C sunflower kernels (The garlic flavored from Buc-ee's *  that I had on hand from our last   shopping spree pit stop worked pretty well.)
• 1/2 C mayo
• 3 Tbsp of rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp sugar

1. Cut broccoli into smallish florets and stems into small chunks. Lightly steam the broccoli to set a bright green color and to lightly cook. (I'm not a fan of raw broccoli at all, if you are, you can skip this.) 
2. In a large bowl make the dressing: whisk together the mayo, vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. 
3. Stir in the onion, raisins and sunflower kernels. Add the cooled broccoli and toss to coat with the dressing and add-ins. Chill in fridge until ready to serve.

Notes: 

• I like to steam vegetables using the microwave as it is super quick and easy and uses very little energy or water. Place the broccoli in a microwave safe dish with about a 1/4-1/2 in water in the bottom. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave for right about 2 minutes. The broccoli will be a nice bright green rather than the blue/grey green when it is raw and will cook it just enough to soften it but still retain its crispness.
• If you don't have sunflower seeds, nuts (roasted and salted) of any type, but especially almonds,  would be a fine substitution.
• Crispy fried bacon bits could be added to gild the lily.

This slaw was delicious with my daughter commenting it was the best she's had. The sweet-tart dressing, the sweetness of the raisins, the salty nuttiness of the sunflower kernels and the sharpness of the purple onion are fabulous when mixed with fresh, crisp broccoli. 

Happy Cooking!

sld

* For those of you who are not from around here, Buc-ee's is chain of convenience stores in the Gulf Coast and Central regions of Texas. It can be described as nothing short of fabulous. The location we frequent is in New Braunfels and as of this writing it is the largest convenience store in the world with 67K sq ft of store, 60 gas pumps & the best restrooms in the US (2012) as rated by Cintas. In addition to its enormity, it has a vast array of delicious food items including your standard convenience store fare along with a rather astonishing selection of private label items and even some things that could be found in specialty/gourmet shops. I'm not ashamed to say I love the place & that is where I picked up those garlic sunflower kernels on my last trip home to my parents' place in the Hill Country.

The Beet Goes On...{Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese Salad}

So, Texas has funny weather. Not funny "ha-ha" per se, but funny peculiar. The saying goes "If you don't like Texas weather, wait five minutes...it'll change." There is even a whole movie about our crazy Texas weather at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Today is sunny and clear and gorgeous and teasing us of spring. But,yesterday was gloomy and overcast, a bit drizzly and (for us) chilly. In addition to the winter weather, I needed to make space for my latest produce pick up from Johnson's Backyard Garden (cannot say enough good things about this CSA.) A root vegetable roast was in order. All of the beets and all of the turnips made their way via separate pans into the oven for a roast. Once they were finished up, the question was what to do with them. Since I am so very ready for Spring to have sprung, I decided to use those beets in one of my favorite ways - a roasted beet and goat cheese salad. This pairing appears in no fewer than 5 of my recipe books, and it is a good one. It uses root vegetables (which I usually think of solely as Fall/Winter fare), in a bright and springy way.  As for those turnips, they are waiting patiently in the fridge, already roasted, for their turn in the spotlight another day.



Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad 
(serves 4)

• 1/4 C balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 Tbsp shallots - minced
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/3 C extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 medium beets, roasted, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
• 6 C salad greens of your choice
• 1/2 C nuts, toasted and chopped (I've used walnuts and pine nuts with good results - pick what you like)
• 1/4 C dried cranberries
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
• 4 oz. soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled (I selected a Honey-flavored goat cheese that was nice with the honey of the dressing, but plain ol' goat cheese will be great too.)

1. Make salad dressing: In a small mixing bowl or pint sized mason jar, whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, oil and shallots. Season with some salt and pepper to taste. Whisk well until the mixture is emulsified and slightly creamy.
2. In 4 large salad bowls, divide the greens evenly. Add beet pieces. Top with avocado chunks. Sprinkle with cranberries and nuts. Add the cheese crumbles. Drizzle with dressing to suit your liking and serve.

Happy Cooking!

sld