Breathe some happiness into your dinner with a side dish that sings: Broccoli Raisin Salad! Trust us; it’s nothing like the stuff grandma brought to family parties.
Nothing beats the satisfying crunch of a bite of broccoli. For this salad, you can take extra pleasure in the fact that we’re removing the “uglies” from the traditional broccoli-and-raisin salad: no mayo, sugar, or bacon. For sweetness, we’re relying on the natural sugars in the raisins—including the water used to soak them—and adding just a dab of maple syrup.
Another unconventional twist in this recipe is the added zing of mustard and lemon juice, which act as more flavorful replacements for the vinegar. Feel free to experiment and add more mustard if you want to bump up the tanginess!
Did you know nutrients are condensed when a food is dried or dehydrated? Once grapes transform into raisins, their nutrients become concentrated, so even a handful of raisins is chock full of B vitamins, iron, and potassium. Additionally, snacking or including raisins in a salad like this one is a great way to sneak good carbohydrates for energy into the body.
Unlike other broccoli and raisin salad mixes, which may contain dairy or meat, this one is vegan. For a decorative sprinkle and extra crunch, hold the sunflower seeds until the end for a topping instead of blending with the rest. Want to ramp up the nutrition even more? Sprout the sunflower seeds for a day before adding them to the salad.
