Whole Broccoli Salad

Let's be honest-typically we all eat the floret part of broccoli. The pretty little flower like top part. And there's nothing wrong with that because who really wants to the stem? Quite honestly, Will and I usually just buy fresh frozen broccoli, so it's never really bothered me until I read this recipe and the author talks about wasting the stem of fresh broccoli. Since Will and I both like broccoli, we figured why not give this whole-broccoli recipe a go for our lunch this week? Well we tried it and our assessment is that the pesto got a little dry and bland since we had made it on a Saturday and didn't eat it until Monday/Tuesday, but the broccoli flavor was still strong and good by the time we ate it. The blandness disappears if you just add salt!

Cooking Notes: We used tamari almonds and pine nuts in place of the walnuts (mostly because we somehow skimmed over that ingredient). We also don't think we used 1/4 cup of olive oil, but we did use a fair amount to get a creamier pesto. Our pesto did not turn out very green like the the picture on the blog, but it tastes fine!

Whole Broccoli Salad (adapted from Tastespotting; serves 6-8)
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 large broccoli crown cut into small florets
1 1/2 cups cooked white beans
About 1/4 cup broccoli stem pesto*
A few drops of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add broccoli florets and cook until water boils again, about 30 seconds. Remove pot from heat, drain, and rinse in cold water. Add to a bowl with quinoa, then add the pesto, tossing to coat. Add white beans last, mixing carefully as to not squish the beans. Add drops of lemon juice, salt and pepper, and more pesto if necessary.


*Broccoli Stem Pesto
1 garlic clove
2-3 broccoli stems, cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces
1/2 cup toasted walnuts (or tamari almonds and some pine nuts, in our case)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup-ish olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Pulse garlic, broccoli and almonds/pine nuts in food processor until chopped down. Add lemon juice and begin to add olive oil, continuing to pulse. Continue adding olive oil and blending until reaching a satisfactory creaminess. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe: Taste Spotting: Broccoli White Bean, and Quinoa Salad with Broccoli Stem Pesto