Ok -so sometimes you just hit on a recipe that seems to go down well with everyone. Whether they are plant based or not -this crunchy broccoli salad appears to tick a lot of boxes! It lasts well in the fridge for around 4 days and gets better as it goes along! Eating (well cleaned) raw broccoli means you are not reducing nutrients in the cooking process  – such as vitamin C and sulforaphane (which helps prevent diseases like heart disease, diabetes and digestive issues). Thank you to my friend Angel who served me this at her birthday celebrations and gave me another ‘keeper’ for my recipe book 🙂 Use all of the broccoli chopped finely – no throwing away the stalk! 

Ingredients
1 x whole broccoli head (washed and cut into small florets and pieces)
3 x tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 x tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 x tsp dijon mustard
1 x tsp maple syrup or honey
1 x clove of garlic – grated
1/2 x tsp salt
1/3 x cup of finely chopped red onion
1/3 x cup of dried cranberries
1/3 x cup pine nuts (lightly toasted)

Method
Wash the broccoli under running water and chop into small florets, use all the stalk and cut into fine pieces (discard any woody bits).
In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, grated garlic and salt.
Now add in all the chopped broccoli, finely diced red onion and cranberries coating well in the dressing.
Heat a heavy based saucepan to a medium high heat and gently toast the pine nuts – when they are a golden brown colour, take them off the heat and sprinkle over the broccoli salad (top tip: never walk away from the pine nuts – they burn in seconds!).
This salad can be prepared ahead of time and will only get better the longer it sits – no more soggy, limp salad!