When the two of us started dating I was finishing up college, Gabe was about to start paramedic school, and we were both pretty dang broke. Like, laughably broke. We didn’t have money to go out to eat every time we hung out so instead we cooked most meals at Gabe’s tiny little studio in a kitchen that was roughly the size of a closet. For years, his favorite thing to eat (and he at it every day) was this broccoli salad. Every time he was in charge of cooking you could bet that we were going to eat broccoli salad. Gabe ate it so much that he developed a food sensitivity to broccoli and can now only eat broccoli once or twice a month without it upsetting his gut. I remember calling him one time and I could hear him chewing so I asked what he was eating and, of course, his answer was “broccoli salad” only this time he followed it up with “I ran out of the grapes and feta though”. It was just a big bowl of broccoli. Not the salad, just broccoli.

The veggies are great, healthy, nutrient dense, and all that jazz but the real shining star of this recipe is the dressing. This is one of our absolute favorite dressings and a definite staple in our kitchen. We like really tangy vinaigrettes so we almost mix 50/50 oil and vinegar but if you like a more traditional vinaigrette I’d change the ratio to 75/25 oil to vinegar. This is one of the easiest sides you can make and it goes great with just about any entree.

Happy Cooking!

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Broccoli Salad

This is one of the easiest salads to pull together and the unexpected combination of grapes and broccoli is a delightful surprise. The dressing is tangy, the grapes are sweet, the feta is salty, and mixed together they create a delicious addition to any meal.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword broccoli, salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 165kcal

Ingredients

Salad

• 8-9 cups Broccoli florets, break up any large pieces
• 3 cups red grapes, halved
• 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped into pieces
• 6 oz feta cheese

Dressing

• 3/4 cup avocado oil
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tsp granulated garlic

Instructions

• Cut the broccoli into bit sized florets. Cut the grapes in half. Roughly chop the walnuts into small pieces. Add to a bowl along with the feta and mix to combine
• Add the oils, salt, and garlic to a wide mouth mason jar and mix with an immersion blender on low for about 15 seconds, or until the oil thickens and becomes cloudy. Add the vinegars and blend for an additional 15-20 seconds until thoroughly combined. Alternatively, you can follow the same steps and use a blender
• The dressing makes 10-15 servings depending on how heavy or light you like your salad dressed. You can either pour the dressing on the salad and serve it or serve the dressing on the side. If you have mixed preferences then we'd suggest lightly dressing it and then serving the remaining dressing on the side for those who prefer to add more.

Nutrition

Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g