Broccoli Salad with Whole Grain Dijon & Dill Vinaigrette

We celebrated my son’s 10th birthday a couple weekends ago. In between trying to wrap my head around the fact that my baby boy had reached the double digits and preparing the house for company, I tried to convince said baby boy that German potato salad would be a great dish to serve with his favorite Garlic Burgers. He did not agree. He might be only ten years old but he is very opinionated about food and made it very clear that potato salad of any kind was not acceptable. I tried to change his mind by pointing out that German potato salad has bacon in it (which he loves) but he did not give in. Although, he did suggest that we fry up some bacon to put on the burgers, a thought which I did seriously entertain. But then I went grocery shopping for the party and forgot to buy the bacon so that was that and no one had any bacon for their burgers. We finally agreed upon a marinated broccoli salad. I sort of couldn’t believe it. Given a choice between a potato salad with BACON and broccoli, my kid chose the broccoli. What can I say? Best. Kid. Ever.

This recipe makes enough for 10 because it was created for a party but you can cut the ingredients in half to serve 4 or 5 people if you want. This salad keeps incredibly well in the fridge so you might want to make a full recipe and eat the leftovers throughout the week. The broccoli only gets better the longer it marinates in the vinaigrette.

BROCCOLI SALAD with WHOLE GRAIN DIJON & DILL VINAIGRETTE

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons dill
2 pounds broccoli florets
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
12 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 romaine heart, shredded
1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley
2 lemons

Whisk together oil, vinegar, salt, garlic, mustard and dill in a small bowl.

Blanch broccoli florets in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and shock in an ice bath to preserve color and to stop cooking. Drain again.

Combine the broccoli, cucumber, red onion and red peppers in a large bowl. Toss with the vinaigrette. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.

Right before serving, place the shredded lettuce and parsley in a large serving platter. Pour the marinated vegetables over the lettuce.

Zest the two lemons and add the zest to the salad.

Juice the lemons and pour the juice over the salad.

If desired, toss gently before serving.

Serves 10.

Coriander Steak Tips with Broccoli

You’re probably familiar with coriander in its leafy form as cilantro, an herb commonly tasted in Mexican and some Asian cuisines. Coriander, as a spice, comes in seed form or ground to a powder. It carries a completely different flavor profile compared to cilantro, even though they come from the same plant. Ground or seed coriander has a clean, subtle citrusy taste whereas cilantro has a bolder, more astringent taste. Coriander in all its forms is popular at my house so you will see it popping up in many different kinds of recipes because it marries well with so many other herbs and spices. In this particular dish, the coriander really makes the broccoli sing and nicely underscores the beefy goodness of the steak tips.

CORIANDER STEAKS TIPS WITH BROCCOLI

1 1/4 pounds steaks tips, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 cups broccoli florets
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly

1/2 tablespoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
1 1/2 teaspoons cold water

Crush spices together with a mortar and pestle. Rub into steak tips.

Heat oil in large saute pan with high sides over medium heat.

Brown beef well on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove beef from pan onto a plate. Set aside.

Add onions and broccoli to pan. Saute until vegetables begin to soften and brown on the edges, about 5 – 7 minutes.

Add garlic and 1/2 cup of beef broth. Cover and steam/simmer until broccoli is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Add beef and any accumulated juices to the pan.

Add remaining one cup of beef broth. Bring to a boil

Mix together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Quickly stir mixture into pan.

Lower heat to low and simmer uncovered for another five minutes.

Pair with hot jasmine rice or noodles.

Serves 4.

Substitution: Swap broccoli with 2 cups of chopped red and yellow peppers.