Broccoli Salad w/Tangy Peanut Dressing - vegan/gluten free

Back in June 2013 I posted a favorite recipe of ours called Peanut Sesame Pasta Salad.  While it is a favorite, we don't like to eat pasta very often and I've experimented with ways to make it a little less calorie heavy and more carb friendly.

I finally decided to replace the pasta with fresh crunchy raw broccoli and also cut back on the soy sauce a bit to reduce sodium levels.  I also added 1 more tablespoon of vinegar to compensate for that.

I always thought the peanut sauce was the best part of that recipe so this new one retains the pea-nutty goodness.

GLUTEN FREE:  To make it gluten free use a gluten free tamari in place of the soy sauce.  

Add as many or as little veggies as you like depending on how many people you are feeding.  We like to make enough to have  bowls of it for dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day.

BROCCOLI SALAD W/TANGY PEANUT DRESSING

INGREDIENTS:

FOR DRESSING:
1 cup Peanut Butter
5 Tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce (or tamari or Braggs Liquid Aminos)
1/3 cup Warm Water
2 Tbsp peeled, chopped Ginger (or jarred pureed ginger)
2 Tbsp peeled, minced Garlic
5 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
4 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
 ** optional - Hot Sauce such as Sriracha

FOR SALAD:
3 - 4 large Broccoli Crowns, rinsed and cut into mini florets
1 Red or Green Pepper, chopped
1 cup Snow or Snap Peas, cut in 1" sections
1 medium Carrot, sliced
4 - 6 Green Onions, sliced including whites and greens
1- 15.5 oz can of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 - 15.5 oz can of Baby Corn, cut into sections
      Sesame Seeds and Red Pepper Flakes for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In a food processor, blender, or with a whisk mix all dressing ingredients together and process until smooth.  I like to add a little hot sauce as well.  Pour into large mixing bowl.  I use the largest stainless steel one I have.  Mixture might look slightly runny but will firm up when chilling.  Put dressing in the refrigerator to chill while preparing the rest of the ingredients.  If you prefer a thinner dressing, do not refrigerate.

2.  Chop all veggies and drain and rinse the chickpeas and baby corn.  I place all of the veggie ingredients, except for the broccoli in one large bowl as I prepare them.

3.  Remove dressing from the refrigerator.  Add broccoli. Toss to coat making sure you bring up all the dressing from the bottom of the bowl.

4.  Add the rest of the veggies to the broccoli/dressing mixture and toss again. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and toss again repeating this a few times to incorporate the sesame seeds and make sure all of the veggies are coated.

5.  Serve sprinkled with additional sesame seeds and red pepper flakes if desired.

This is a very versatile recipe.  I have been known to add other veggies if I have them such as mushrooms or cucumbers.  Whatever veggies you fancy or have on hand, go ahead and add them. Water chestnuts are also a good addition.

- Au Revoir

"A well-made salad must have a certain uniformity; it should make perfect sense for those ingredients to share a bowl." - Yotam Ottolenghi
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