Raw broccoli salad

Yes, you can absolutely eat broccoli raw. Raw broccoli is a good source of vitamin C, which heat can partially destroy during cooking. It is also rich in sulforaphane - a sulphur-rich compound found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage, and linked to numerous health benefits (one of them being oestrogen detoxification, which is extremely important for women).

If you are not used to eating raw broccoli and suspect it could cause some digestive discomfort, just start with small quantities, and increase over time, to allow your gut microbiome to adapt.

Add your favourite toppings and mix and match the ingredients in the dressing—it's a truly versatile dish! I like adding peppers, cucumber, and feta cheese to mine, but you can really adapt the recipe to whatever you have in your fridge.

A salad full of colours, textures and nutrients!

Ingredients

Serves 4

Salad

1 head of broccoli, cut into small, bite-sized pieces

1 pepper, cut into strips (you could also use marinated peppers - in that case, reduce the quantity of olive oil in the dressing)

1/2 cucumber, sliced (or diced, or cut into half-moons, it doesn’t really matter!)

1/2 block of feta cheese, crumbled (blue cheese would be a great option too)

1 tbsp each sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds

a small handful of walnuts (optional)

1 apple, grated or diced small (optional)

Dressing

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp mustard

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp honey or maple syrup (optional, for added sweetness)

Other suggestions: lemon juice, soy sauce, pesto diluted with some water

Preparation

In a salad bowl, add the broccoli florets, peppers, cucumber and feta cheese. Add your optional ingredients.

In a small bowl, mix the ingredients of the dressing.

Add the dressing to the broccoli salad, then top with the seeds and nuts.

Enjoy!

Ps: you can eat the salad straight away or leave it to marinate for 20 minutes or so. It will keep in the fridge for a day, if you really want to give the broccoli a chance to soften. In that case, add the nuts and seeds just before serving, or they will become too soft.