Quinoa Broccoli Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing

Did you know that broccoli is one of THE most healing, healthful foods we can eat?

Tom Malterre, one of my favorite nutritionists, has been so bold as to call it “The DNA Whisperer” in his fascinating TEDTalk.

I’ve written about the incredible health benefits of broccoli in another blog post (which also features my favorite “crack” broccoli recipe – aptly named due to how addictive it is).

Click here for that recipe and to learn more about the cancer-fighting, immune boosting, detoxifying benefits of this tree-like vegetable.

Broccoli is in season locally, so I wanted to find some new and interesting ways to use it aside from the usual steaming it or tossing it in a salad. Make sure you put some in your bag this week!

Since removing dairy from my diet, I’ve been especially driven to come up with creamy dressing recipes. This one uses tahini (sesame paste) and raw cashews to create creaminess, which paired nicely with the light and fluffy quinoa and roasted broccoli.

The trick was making a big pot of quinoa at the beginning of the week, which we’ve since used for a southwest black bean salad, pumpkin breakfast cereal, and now this recipe.

It’s a big time saver to cook once and then use the ingredient 3 times. You can do that with any grain at the beginning of the week (brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat).

Give this salad a try!

Creamy Broccoli Quinoa Salad

 Salad

• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 1 tablespoon oil, melted
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked (Here’s how to cook perfect quinoa!)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• sea salt and black pepper

Dressing

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 4 hours in water (or overnight) then rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2.5 tablespoons tahini
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss broccoli in oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast until golden brown and softened slightly, about 15 – 20 minutes.
2. While broccoli is roasting, prepare dressing. Transfer the dressing ingredients to a blender and blend on high until creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
3. When broccoli is done, remove from oven and transfer to mixing bowl. Add quinoa, drizzle with lemon juice and toss to combine.
4. Pour 1/2-2/3 cup dressing over the broccoli-quinoa mixture and stir until evenly coated.
5. Serve immediately (for a warm salad) or chill in fridge for at least two hours.