Broccoli Salad Recipe with Apple & Walnuts | Vegetarian

This Broccoli Salad recipe with Apple & Walnuts is an easy and quick salad with just 3 ingredients and a simple dressing that doesn't require any fancy ingredients or advance preparations.

This salad is a wonderful way to add broccoli in your daily diet especially if you also, like me, don't like mayo. Not only this salad is without mayo but is also vegan and a low-calorie salad.

Broccoli Salad Recipe

Broccoli comes under the list of wonder foods. But unfortunately, not many people have a liking for it. And at my place too, no one liked it much. In fact, when I add this along with other veggies to my Pasta salad then also it is not relished much. Then how could I even think of making a salad using broccoli as the main ingredient?

Want to know how? Actually, seeing the enormous benefits of broccoli especially in sugar control and healthy functioning of heart, my husband expressed his desire to eat broccoli but not in a mundane way rather in some interesting way so that he likes it too. Thus began my hunt! After scrolling through n number of recipes, I finally decided to try this one as it suited our taste buds, of course, with some changes, and it was very well approved by my dear hubby. He was not only satisfied but in fact happy eating this salad. And since then, its a regular at my place.

And if you are fond of fruits, then do check this Hawaiian Fruit Salad Recipe

 

 A Make-Ahead Salad 

The best thing about this salad, among many others is that it is a make-ahead salad.

Since this salad has neither mayonnaise nor curd, it remains good in the refrigerator for a day or two. It tastes good after an hour of preparing it but it tastes excellent the next day. Yes, trust me when I say this. This is because the juices are well soaked and give out the best. This is the reason that my husband not only eats it in the evening but also prefers taking it to his office the next day.

So, go easy. If you have a get together then you can make this salad a day before and keep it in the refrigerator. Just take care to add nuts only at the time of serving else they may get soggy.

 

 Truly Nutritious

This vegetarian broccoli apple salad is truly nutritious and something to be added off and on to your meals.  It has broccoli, apples, walnuts and orange juice. What else is needed! A perfect salad with just one veggie, one fruit, and one nut each. The benefits of all these 3 ingredients are well known.

• Broccoli comes under the category of wonder foods. The benefits of broccoli are not much known and therefore thought of sharing these here so that you have an idea. It is a good source of fibre, protein, and contains iron, potassium, calcium, selenium and magnesium as well as vitamins. (Read more)
• ''An apple a day keeps the doctor away'' is an age-old idiom and we all are aware of this. So, not saying much about the benefits of apples.
• Walnuts, which come naturally in the shape of the brain are excellent for keeping you mentally active and strong. Again, its benefits need no mention.

 

 Easy to Make 

This super powerful Broccoli Apple Salad is also super easy to make.

The dressing is a simple one using vinegar, olive oil, honey, and orange juice. Orange juice adds a tangy taste to this salad but is not necessary. As I prefer using fresh orange juice only so I have to skip it many times when I don't have fresh oranges.

Honey can be substituted with maple syrup or stevia.

Though I add walnuts to this salad but these can be easily replaced with any other nuts. Nuts basically add a crunch to the salad and thus make it more delicious and thus I normally add some or the other nuts to my salads. Like, Peanuts in Macaroni Salad, almonds in Pasta salad and so on.

 

Highlights Of Broccoli Salad With Walnuts

If I have to jot down the benefits or say highlights of this healthy salad then here they are:

• Vegan
• Low Calorie
• Without Mayonnaise/Yogurt
• Just 3 ingredients
• Make-ahead salad, remains good for up to 2 days in the refrigerator
• Easy and quick to make
• Simple dressing using just vinegar and olive oil
• Perfect salad having one fruit, one veggie and one nut each.

 

How To Blanch Broccoli?

Broccoli can be eaten raw as well steamed. Raw is too crunchy and the steamed one is too soft. So, for this salad, we are using blanched broccoli. Now how to blanch it? My method is very simple and gives me perfect results so sharing the same with you.

• Put water to boil in a large container.
• When the boil comes, add florets of broccoli.
• Wait till the water starts boiling again.
• Let it boil for just 1 minute.
• Remove the florets and add to ice-cold water. Adding in ice-cold water serves 2 purposes. Firstly it stops the cooking process immediately. And secondly, it helps in retaining the bright green colour of the broccoli.

 

Water In Which Broccoli Is Blanched

The water left after blanching broccoli is super nutritious and do not ever let it go down the drain. Add it your soups, curries or for kneading flour. The very first time I added this water to my tomato soup then though the colour of the soup got a little pale and thus was not very appealing but its taste was awesome. And my husband who knew nothing about this addition just commented that the soup tasted too good. So, use it, in whatever way you can.

 

Step By Step Recipe

• Wash broccoli and take out its florets.
• Blanch broccoli florets. For this, boil water, add broccoli. When the boil comes again, wait for a minute and drain all the water. Put the blanched broccoli in ice-cold water for 10 to 15 minutes. And then put it in a strainer to get rid of excess water.

• Wash the apple and dice it into small pieces, preferably of the same size as the florets of broccoli.
• Chop walnuts into bite-size pieces.

 

• In a bowl, take blanched broccoli and apple pieces.
• Add salt, pepper, olive oil, vinegar, honey and orange juice.

Tip: Replace honey with Maple Syrup or Brown Sugar to make it Vegan

 

• Toss nicely.
• Keep it in the refrigerator at least for half an hour.
• At the time of serving add chopped walnuts and give it a toss.
• Serve with love, soup optional.

 

Looking for more interesting salad recipes? Then have a look at these and you will definitely be tempted to make these too:

• Chana Salad
• Brown Rice salad
• Quinoa Salad

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q) Can I make this vegan?

Yes! Simply replace honey with maple syrup or any other sweetener and your vegan broccoli salad is ready.

 

Q) I don't have orange juice, then? Can I use canned orange juice?

Canned juices are loaded with sugar. So, either use fresh juice or skip it. Add lemon zest if possible.

 

Let's Connect!

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you will surely try out this interesting and low-calorie Broccoli Salad Recipe for your loved ones. If you try this recipe then do share your feedback. Your feedback fuels my enthusiasm to post more good content. Also, if you like this post then feel free to comment in the comment section below. You could share it in your social media circle by clicking little buttons below.

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Stay Happy & Healthy...