Be Well Recipe: Broccoli Salad With Creamy Avocado Dressing

Broccoli salad with creamy avocado dressing. // Photograph by Maura Manzo

Fresh ingredients and a creamy, tangy avocado dressing give this classic recipe a hip remake—and your taste buds will never know you left out the mayo! Enjoy as a side dish to any BBQ, over a plate of whole grains or alongside herb-grilled chicken breast.

Broccoli Salad With Creamy Avocado Dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 head broccoli, florets and stalk
1 shallot, minced
1 avocado
Juice from one lemon
¼ c. raisins
¼ c. walnuts, chopped
½ c. cherry tomatoes, cubed
¼ tsp. cilantro
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Cut broccoli florets into small, bite-sized pieces. Cut broccoli stalk into small, matchstick-size pieces. Lightly steam all broccoli until florets are a vibrant shade of green. Run under cold water when finished to stop the cooking process. In a large bowl, add broccoli, shallots, raisins, walnuts and cherry tomatoes. Add half of the fresh squeezed lemon and mix together. Then, in a blender or food processor, add avocado flesh, remaining lemon juice, and cilantro. Blend until creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add dressing to broccoli mix and fold ingredients together. Enjoy immediately or let sit for 2-3 hours in refrigerator and serve cold.

Shopping Tip
This summer, make a point to purchase broccoli from a local produce stand, farmer’s market, or CSA. The difference in taste will blow you away. You’ll never want to buy supermarket broccoli again. Try it!

Food Fact
We all know that avocado is high in heart-healthy fats (right?), but did you also know that this delicious food is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, not only keeping cancer at bay, but also helping to kill cancerous cells, too? Well, now you know!

Nutrition per serving: 180 calories; 23 g. fat, 19 g. carbohydrates, 3 g. protein, 0 mg. cholesterol, 436 mg. sodium

Maura Manzo is a health coach and yoga instructor at RYAH Yoga and Health in Conshohocken.  To learn more about her classes and workshops, visit mauramanzo.com or ryahyoga.com. Read her full bio here.