Add cashews to any of these salads for a tasty side dish
If you go nuts over anything made with cashews, you've come to the right place. This article offers four yummy versions of broccoli-cashew salad and they're each so delicious, you'll want to experiment with several. Each recipe packs a protein punch while sneaking in a healthy serving of the broccoli your family members have been avoiding so creatively. As a bonus, there's very little prep time involved with any of the four styles---yet another reason to enjoy your favorite nuts as a side dish or main lunch course.
Instructions
1. Try the Chinese version of broccoli-cashew salad by steaming six cups of florets in a saucepan for 5 to 8 minutes. Strain the water and put the veggies into a large bowl. Toss in these ingredients: 2 medium tomatoes (small chunks); 3 tsp. chopped red onion; 1 can (2 oz.) sliced, drained olives; 1 cup mayonnaise; 1 tbsp. soy sauce; 2 tsp. lemon juice and ½ cup cashews. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle canned chow mein noodles over the top. Serves four to six.
2. Toss a bacon broccoli-cashew salad. Fry a pound of bacon in a skillet until it's brown and crisp; drain and crumble the bacon into small pieces. In another bowl, whisk together 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tsp. cider vinegar and ½ cup sugar. Add 2 pounds fresh, chopped broccoli, ½ cup raisins, 1 cup roasted cashews and ¼ cup finely chopped red onion. Mix well. Refrigerate (covered) for at least two hours; overnight is even better. Remove the salad from the refrigerator around 20 minutes before serving. Delight six to eight people with this version.
3. Make a quick, kosher version of broccoli-cashew salad that requires no cooking at all and includes very few ingredients. Pour boiling water over a colander that contains a 16 oz. package of frozen broccoli spears. Drain thoroughly, place in a bowl and toss in (at least) ½ cup broken cashew nuts and a thinly sliced red onion. Mix up a dressing made of 2 tbsp. sugar, ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately to four hungry diners.
4. Prepare cranberry broccoli-cashew salad for Thanksgiving or any other occasion. In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 heads of broccoli (cut into bite-size pieces), 1 small onion, 4 to 6 slices of crumbled cooked bacon or bacon bits, ½ cup cashews and ½ cup dried cranberries. Next, prep the salad dressing by combining these four ingredients: ½ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup plain, non-fat yogurt, 2 tbsp. sugar and 4 tbsp. vinegar. Let the salad marinate in the refrigerator overnight before serving this colorful salad to four of your favorite people.
Tags: broccoli-cashew salad, before serving, chopped onion, pepper taste, salt pepper, salt pepper taste, side dish
