Cold Broccoli Salad Recipe

by Easy-meal-planning.com

I recently came across this cold broccoli salad recipe and it is perfect for the summer time. It is great if you are a healthy eater like I am...

Give your family a change of pace from the same old pasta and potato salads and offer a variety of fresh vegetable salads that are not only delicious but can turn a simple meal into a nutrient powerhouse. An easy to prepare broccoli salad wins top honors in the nutrition department.

One cup of broccoli contains nearly double the vitamin C of an average orange, is high and calcium and recent studies have revealed that regular broccoli consumption may lower risk of colon cancer, reduce the incidence of cataracts and may protect against stroke. With all those benefits it makes sense to add broccoli as a main staple to your family's diet.


Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes in all
Serves: 4 - 6
Budget meal planning tip: Use leftovers for beef and broccoli stir fry.


Ingredients:

1½ lbs / 700g fresh broccoli

4oz / 120g slivered almonds

2 red bell peppers (8oz / 250g)

2 tablespoons Pesto Sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

A little oil for shallow frying


Method:

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Break the broccoli into florets and add to the water. Boil for 3 - 5 minutes depending on the size of the florets. AVOID overcooking the broccoli at all costs. The broccoli is ready when a skewer can just pierce one of the stems.

The florets should not be allowed to become limp and gray. The color should still be a vibrant green. Rinse the broccoli in cold water to stop the florets cooking. The broccoli should be just crisp to the bite - not too hard, and certainly not soft. This is after all, a salad!


Heat a frying pan over a gentle heat (with no oil). Add the slivered almonds and dry fry until they are slightly brown, turning them continually to stop them burning. As soon as they are brown, remove them to a dinner plate so that they stop cooking.

Heat a little oil in the pan. De-seed the bell peppers and slice them thinly. Fry gently until they are just soft. Alternatively, you can roast the bell peppers. Massage a little oil into the slivers and bake at 350° F / 180° C for about 30 minutes.

Mix together the pesto, balsamic vinegar and oil.
Place the broccoli florets on a platter. Scatter over the bell peppers and slivered almonds. Sprinkle over the pesto mixture.


*Here I'd like to tell you about my favorite diet program that uses a lot of the healthy lower GI foods: Isabel de los Rios' 'The Diet Solution Program'.

The Diet Solution Program favours a long term health orientated approach to fat loss, but not offering anyone a quick fix to their weight troubles. It has loads of valuable data and research to support its approach. I personally investigated the program thoroughly and my mum has been using it for a while now. I have to say she got some great results.

The nutrition plan is one of the healthiest we have seen, a strong core focus on vegetables, fruits, vitamin dense foods, lean proteins, select dairy produce and a clear approach to not expecting one diet to work for all body types. So give it a try and let me know how you’re doing.*

Original Cold Broccoli Salad Recipe