Honey Dijon Broccoli Salad

I'll admit it: I haven't always been a broccoli salad fan. Most broccoli salads I encounter are either really boring, really mayo-forward or contain bright orange shredded cheese (why would anyone ever??), all of which are major food turn-offs for me.

But! the broccoli salad at a cute little cafe near my hometown changed the game for me. Their broccoli salad is crunchy, fresh, pleasantly sweet and just creamy enough. This salad inspired me to make broccoli salad actually good. Although my salad isn't an exact replica of the game-changing broc I fell in love with (my addition of Dijon packs a bit more of a punch), it's equally as delicious.

There's no better way to beat these cold, snowy and windy January blues than an uber-fresh broccoli salad.

Let me know what you think of the recipe and don't forget to follow the sustainability tips below!

Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 8 as a side

Tools: immersion blender

Ingredients

Vegan Honey Dijon Mayo

• 1/4 cup soy milk

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 1/2 cup neutral oil

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

Broccoli Salad

• 2 medium heads (500g) broccoli

• 1 small shallot

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Steps

1. First, make the vegan mayo. To do this, first combine soy milk and lemon juice in a medium bowl and let sit for 5 minutes to curdle. Once the milk has curdled, use an immersion blender to blend for about 15 seconds (a regular blender doesn't work for this because it doesn't let in enough air). Then, continue blending while you slowly pour in the oil. Keep blending until the mixture thickens to mayo consistency. Add the honey, Dijon and salt and stir to combine.

2. Chop the broccoli (including the stems: no waste here!) into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Dice the shallot and rinse it under cold water for a few seconds to take the edge off the flavor. Combine the broccoli and shallot and pour sauce over top, stirring to combine. Mix in the dried cranberries and refrigerate. Serve cold.

Sustainability tips

• Lemon juice: No need to waste plastic on pre-squeezed lemon juice: buy a real lemon during citrus season (winter)! Use the rest of the lemon in another dish, perhaps my lemon french toast bake...

• Honey: Local honey is p dang easy to find if you look for it. Buying local means that the honey didn't waste as many GHGs during travel.

• Broccoli and shallot: Both of these are fall crops, but they are available from local storage through the winter, so be sure to make this dish in the fall or winter. Try to buy these locally to cut down on GHG emissions from travel.