Asian Broccoli Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 head broccoli (or broccolini)

2 cups spinach (baby spinach, or even kale)

1 onion (red or 3 green, scallions)

1 cucumber (small, English or Persian are best)

3-5 sprigs cilantro (omit if not a fan, or add scallions if you used red onion above)

1 Tbsp peanuts (or cashews/almonds, or sunflower seeds)

1 tsp sesame seeds (raw or toasted)

1 red chili (or chili flakes/cayenne pepper; adjust amount to taste)

1/2 inch ginger

1/2 Tbsp sesame oil

1/2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 garlic clove

1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1/2 Tbsp sugar or maple/ dandelion honey (or honey, not vegan; optional)

Directions

Give the broccoli a quick rinse. Then, bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil. Once it's boiling, carefully add the broccoli and allow it to cook for one minute (for firmer results) or 2 minutes (for slightly more tender results).If you prefer it even more tender, feel free to cook for longer.

Immediately remove the broccoli from the heat and transfer it to an ice bath (bowl filled with ice-cold water and a few ice cubes). This will stop the cooking process, so the broccoli remains firm and fresh.Alternatively, you can sauté the broccoli lightly for a few minutes.

Prepare the dressing - grate or mince the ginger and garlic and finely chop the red chili (remove the seeds!). Then combine those ingredients with the remainder of the dressing ingredients and whisk to mix.

Chop the onion and cucumber. Then remove the broccoli from the ice bath and transfer it to a layer of paper towels to remove excess liquid. Then separate the broccoli into florets or cut into smaller bite-sized pieces.

Assemble the Asian broccoli salad - transfer the chopped ingredients, the spinach, and cilantro into a large bowl and pour the dressing over them. Gently toss to combine. Top with the peanuts and sesame seeds (raw or toasted) and enjoy!

How to Make Ahead and Store?

Make ahead: you can prepare this Asian broccoli salad and sesame ginger dressing separately 1-2 days in advance. Store covered in the fridge (the dressing will taste even better on day two after time to meld and develop). Assemble the two 20-30 minutes before serving the salad.Store: it's best to consume this fresh salad within 3-4 days, storing it in an airtight container in the fridge to store.

Nutrition

• Calories: 116 kcal
• Total Fat: 4 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
• Sodium: 193 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 17 g
• Dietary Fiber: 6 g
• Total Sugars: 6 g
• Protein: 7 g