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Broccoli Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

Mar 26, 2018 by Dara 2 Comments

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This lightened-up broccoli salad recipe is tossed with a light Dijon vinaigrette, and is a fantastic option for a light lunch or picnic. 148 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
This lightened-up broccoli salad recipe is tossed with a light Dijon vinaigrette, and is a fantastic option for a light lunch or picnic. 148 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP #glutenfree

Broccoli Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette Recipe

How is it that I’ve been writing this blog for nine years, with not a single recipe for broccoli salad in sight? Since Easter brunch and summertime potluck season are just around the corner and, more importantly, because this wrong needs to be righted, I finally got my cruciferous act together.

As I have a tendency to do, I took some liberties with the original version by turning this side dish from mayo-dressed to vinaigrette-tossed, switching up the cheese (leave that part out altogether if you prefer a vegan salad) and switched one crunchy element for another.

Voilà! My first healthy broccoli salad!

Whip up this recipe for broccoli salad the next time you have to take a side dish to a potluck. Easy, delicious and healthy side dish. 148 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Freestyle SmartPoints #vegetarian #cleaneating

Chopped broccoli, Parmesan cheese, toasted almonds and dried cherries in a serving bowl.

How do you make a mayo-free broccoli salad?

  • The first step is to change up the broccoli salad dressing from mayonnaise to something a little lighter.
  • One option is to substitute half of the mayo with an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt.
  • If you’d like to veer away from “creamy” altogether, a simple Dijon vinaigrette is the way to go. Whisk together white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced shallots, a touch of agave nectar, salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly pour in the extra virgin olive oil to form an emulsion.

Pouring Dijon vinaigrette onto a broccoli salad.

Do you have to cook the broccoli for broccoli salad?

You’ll get different answers depending on who you ask. Some people like to blanch the broccoli for 1 to 2 minutes before adding to the salad. Personally, I prefer to skip the extra step and use raw broccoli. If the broccoli salad is allowed to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before serving and the broccoli is cut into small enough florets, it soaks up the vinaigrette, making it more tender and taking off that raw taste that some people don’t enjoy.

Besides swapping vinaigrette for mayo, I subbed in Parmesan cheese for the traditional Cheddar cheese for a lighter cheese taste. In addition, I left out the bacon and diced red onion. The bacon omission is to give those following a vegetarian diet the option of eating broccoli salad. As for the red onion – well, I just don’t like raw onion. I’ll pick it out every time!

Two other small changes…I subbed toasted slivered almonds for sunflower seeds, through either would work well, and opted for dried tart cherries rather than dried cranberries because I prefer the flavor. Plus, I love how plump and juicy the cherries become as they soak up the dressing!

Switching up a traditional side dish with this Healthy Broccoli Salad, tossed with a light vinaigrette. 148 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP #vegetarian

Other healthy potluck salads:

Healthy BLT Slaw {Cookin’ Canuck}
Primavera Pasta Salad with Shrimp {Cookin’ Canuck}
Spanish Roasted Red Potato Salad with Chickpeas {The Noshery}
Caprese Pasta Salad {Wonky Wonderful}
Avocado & Three Bean Salad {Noble Pig}

This lightened-up broccoli salad recipe is tossed with a light Dijon vinaigrette, and is a fantastic option for a light lunch or picnic. 148 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP

Broccoli Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

This lightened-up broccoli salad recipe is tossed with a light Dijon vinaigrette, and is a fantastic option for a light lunch or picnic. 148 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
Print Pin Rate
Course: Salads, Side Dishes
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Clean Eating, Gluten Free
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 148.3kcal
Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

The Salad:

  • 6 cups small broccoli florets
  • 1/4 cup tart cherries
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons slivered almonds toasted

The dressing:

  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon  minced shallots
  • 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons agave nectar or honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

The Salad:

  • In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, tart cherries, Parmesan cheese and almonds.
  • Pour in the dressing and toss to combine. Allow the salad to rest for at least 30 minutes. Serve.

The Dressing:

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, shallots, Dijon mustard, agave nectar, salt and pepper.
  • While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Whisk until combined.

Notes

Weight Watchers Points: 4 (Freestyle SmartPoints), 4 (Old SmartPoints)

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cup | Calories: 148.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.2g | Protein: 4.9g | Fat: 10.2g | Saturated Fat: 1.9g | Cholesterol: 2.6mg | Sodium: 340.9mg | Fiber: 3.4g | Sugar: 7.7g
Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Signature

Filed Under: Gluten Free, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetarian Recipes Tagged With: almonds, broccoli, clean eating, Dijon, healthy, Parmesan, recipe, tart cherries, vinaigrette

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Comments

  1. Julie says

    Mar 28, 2018 at 9:33 am

    I love the addition of the cherries!

    Reply
  2. Billy says

    Apr 13, 2018 at 1:14 pm

    This looks interesting! Definitely going to try making this at home. Trying to find some more unique salads to try and I venture into the realm of eating healthier! Thank you so much for sharing. Love the addition of the dijon mustard too.

    Reply

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I'm Dara, a Canadian living in the U.S. and sharing my favorite healthy recipes, as well as healthy lifestyle tips. My cooking motto is that healthy eating never needs to be boring!
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