Broccoli/Bean Sprout Salad

Checking your garden to see what veggies are in season, and planning your meal around them, is not only satisfying, but is seasonal eating at its finest. The nutrient content of  a vegetable starts to deteriorate as soon as it is picked, so eating fresh out of your garden provides the maximum amount of nutrients and flavor a plant has to offer.

Broccoli/Bean Sprout Salad

This week, the broccoli was in season, thanks to an early start in my mini-greenhouse. I combined bean sprouts, a sweet onion, and a sweet and sour dressing with the broccoli to make a side dish that was fresh and flavorful.

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Before I started growing broccoli, I thought once the flowering head was cut off your harvesting days were over - but I was wrong.  Once the center stalk of the broccoli is cut, side shoots begin to grow providing little mini flowering heads all summer long.  Broccoli is cold hardy and will continue to grow, even through mild frosts, until you get a killing freeze.  This makes broccoli a prolific and long season crop.

Broccoli growing in the garden.

The book; Ani Phyo's; Ani's Raw Rood Asia has amazing dressing recipes that contain ingredients like; raw apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne. These ingredients not only taste good, but are good for you.

This dressing recipe was inspired by one of the recipes in Ani's book and contains key ingredients that we can grow or produce from our backyard; raw apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, and cayenne pepper.  

Broccoli/Bean Sprout Salad

2 C broccoli - about 1 head

2 C bean sprouts

3/4 C chopped sweet onion

Dressing;

2 TBS raw apple cider vinegar

2TBS toasted sesame oil

1 TBS maple syrup or honey

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 small clove garlic - crushed

1 tsp fresh ginger root - minced

1 pinch cayenne pepper

Steamed and bright green.

• Cut up the broccoli into small pieces, keeping the large stems for another purpose.  Soak the florets in salt water for about 20 minutes to drive out the cabbage worms that usually inhabit the nooks and crannies of organic broccoli.

Those white butterflies that frequent your garden, lay their eggs on cabbage and other vegetables in the brassica family.  The eggs hatch and the small green worms eat the leaves of the plants.  Row covers can be an effective barrier if secured to prevent the butterflies from getting in and set up well before the butterflies visit your garden.

Dang cabbage worms!

• Steam the florets for just a few minutes - until they are bright green and have softened just a bit.

• Put all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk to blend until all the salt is dissolved.

Healthy salad dressing.

• Rinse the bean sprouts.

• Peel and chop the sweet onion.

• Add the broccoli, bean sprouts and onions to the dressing and toss until well coated.

Sweet onions add flavor and texture.

You can eat the salad right way if you like the crunch of bean sprouts.  Or let it marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes if you like the veggies more flavorful and a bit softer.

This salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days - if it lasts that long!