Broccoli Salad with Mustard-Tarragon Vinaigrette

Recently, I attended a potluck party where every one had to bring a dish to share. I noticed that the majority of the people were demolishing a particular glass bowl full of broccoli salad. I walked over to catch a glimpse of it, and goodness it looked amazing. And the taste was fabulous. It was creamy, sweet, and crunchy, but I had a modest portion of it because it was smothered in mayonnaise. Jeez, mayo makes everything taste better! And you shouldn't be afraid to use it. Still, remember the fact that mayonnaise is a full fat ingredient so if you were to use it you must use it in moderation. Luckily, a little bit often goes a long way. 

I thought I could shave down the calories by creating a new broccoli salad in my own kitchen that didn't sacrifice flavor. However, I didn't use a mayo base at all in this salad because I found such fresh herbs in my fridge; so I decided to stick to an extra virgin olive oil to play up the ingredients. The low fat mayo sauce I came up with is going to be used on a coleslaw, that'll be coming soon!

This broccoli salad is ridiculously simple to make. I kept it simple because I have found myself pressed for time more this semester, my final semester, than my previous years in school. So, you will be steaming broccoli in your microwave for 5 minutes, and during those 5 minutes you will be creating a zesty sauce with Dijon mustard, stone ground mustard, fresh tarragon, white wine vinegar, olive oil, and garlic. You'll also be toasting some almonds to top the salad with at the end. Broccoli is a very cooling vegetable, and mustard is bitter, and tarragon has a licorice note to it. So, if you feel the need to add a touch of honey or sugar to this go right ahead. I left it out because I liked the strong savory flavor. This is healthy, easy, inexpensive, and an excellent way to inject more veggies in your diet.

Broccoli Salad with Mustard-Tarragon Vinaigrette

Serves 5

I n g r e d i e n t s

1 pound broccoli florets, chopped to bite size pieces

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely minced                                                                           

1 tablespoon stone ground mustard

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ tablespoon white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoon tarragon, chopped

¼ cup almonds, coarsely chopped (or slivered almonds)

D i r e c t i o n s

1.) Rinse the broccoli florets with cold tap water, shake off the excess, and transfer to a large microwaveable bowl; preferably one made of glass.

2.) Microwave the florets partially covered with a lid for 7 minutes.

3.) Over a medium low heat, toast the almonds in a nonstick sauce pan until lightly bronzed, about 4 minutes. Keep your eye on it so they do not burn.

4.) Meanwhile, grab a medium size mixing bowl and whisk the oil, garlic, stone ground mustard, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper until it is one homogenous mixture. Gently stir in the tarragon; by doing this you avoid allowing the herb to bruise and turn black.

5.) When the broccoli florets are done steaming in the microwave add the scallions and toss everything in the vinaigrette and sprinkle over the toasted almonds.