This week at the farmers market, cauliflower and broccoli were in great abundance. One farm had broccoli on the stalk, instead of just the flowery crowns, and to me that was absolute perfection. I think the broccoli stem is highly underrated! It’s delicious, raw or cooked, great in soups, salads, or even sautéed. This week, though, I made some very easy broccoli and carrot slaw with the stems and reserved the crowns for steaming later.
Next time you are debating between paying more for the crowns and skipping the stalks, don’t! Get stalks! Then do this!
You could dress this slaw with anything you like, really, even a bottle dressing or regular coleslaw dressing. I used this tangy, slightly spicy, Dijon mustard dressing recipe because John is not a fan of mayo-based or creamy sweet dressings. The recipe for both the slaw and the dressing are simple enough that you could really personalize it — a sweeter slaw dressing with dried cranberries, a milder slaw with a ranch-style dressing and the addition of some other veggies, an Asian slaw with a sesame dressing … The possibilities are pretty endless. I’d love to hear about your choices if you decide to make this salad your own!
As is, though, it was great with some delicious pork chops, some couscous and yellow squash, and some Mizeria salad. The tang and crunch were just perfect!
Don’t you dare botherwith the dried-up, old, pre-grated “broccoli slaw” in a bag, either — that stuff is like chewing on twigs compared to taking a few minutes and cutting it up fresh. You really won’t believe how much of a difference there is!
Yay for veggie salads!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 8 | 30 Minutes |
| Passive Time |
| 1 Hour |
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A recipe for a tangy, crisp slaw made from the stalks of fresh broccoli. So versatile, you can make the slaw and choose a different dressing to suit your meal or mood!
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- 4 Ea Broccoli stems About 1.5 pounds
- 2 Ea Whole carrots, large
- 1/2 Cup Green onions, chopped Or chives
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp Vinegar/juice from pickled jalapeños
- 1/2 Cup Plain Greek yogurt Or mayo, sour cream, or regular yogurt, or a vegan mayo
- 1/4 Cup Rice wine vinegar Rice vinegar is less acidic than white, cider or wine vinegar, so adjust by diluting with 2 tbsp water when substituting
- 1 Tsp Black pepper, ground
- 2 Tsp kosher salt
- Wash the broccoli stalks after separating them from the flowery crowns. Wash and/or peel carrots. Using a grater or a mandoline, shred or julienne carrots in up to two-inch lengths. Set aside into a bowl and toss with 1tsp kosher salt.
- Using a very sharp knife or a mandoline, slice broccoli stalks lengthwise into 1/4" thick slices.
- If your slicer has a julienne blade, skip the previous step and just julienne the stalks into a 1/4 inch julienne, in about 2 inch lengths.
- If you don't have a special julienne slicer, use a sharp knife to cut the sliced stalks into uniformly-sized matchsticks. Toss with 1 tsp salt just like the carrots.
- In a bowl combine yogurt, rice vinegar, jalapeño juice, Dijon, and black pepper, mixing until there are no lumps. Feel free to adjust for your own seasoning tastes at this point, but remember the veggies have been salted.
- Put broccoli, carrots, all liquid they may have given up after salting, chopped green onions or chives, and dressing in a container and combine well until all the veggies are dispersed evenly and well-coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour for flavors to combine.
- Stir or toss before serving, and enjoy! Will stay crisp up to a week.
The veggie base for this salad is very versatile and goes well with all types of dressings. Try it with a sweeter dressing, maybe some dried cranberries and pecans; a citrus vinegarette; a ranch-style creamy dressing ... Anything goes!