plant-based, free of gluten and top 8 allergens
This crisp and refreshing fruit and broccoli slaw takes a dynamic twist from the classic coleslaw.
We’ve traded the sweet mayo dressing for a homemade dressing made with papaya, onion, Dijon style mustard, white balsamic vinegar, a little agave, and sriracha.
To make it more interesting, the salad is studded with strawberries, grapes, and bananas. Yum!
A dressing made with papaya seeds? You’d better believe it!
This past week, my brother Dan sent me some food pics for inspiration, saying it’s gotta be tough coming up with recipe ideas. Wasn’t that sweet?
One of the pictures was a broccoli and fruit slaw. It looked great, but there was no slaw. Fruit, nuts and broccoli florets were tossed with bottled poppy seed dressing. It got me thinking…
I’ve been on a mission to create recipes using the much neglected broccoli stems. Why not make a fruit and broccoli slaw using the broccoli stems?
As for the dressing, you can definitely substitute your favorite prepared poppy seed or coleslaw dressing. We like making our dressings from scratch, because we know what’s going into it.
This fruit and broccoli slaw was made with ingredients we had on hand. We didn’t have poppy seeds, but we had papayas. While most people throw them away, papaya seeds are edible. They are similar to black peppercorns, with a peppery flavor.
With just a few ingredients, this delicious dressing is a breeze to make.
Combine white balsamic vinegar, papaya flesh, onion, mustard, sriracha, agave or honey, and salt in a food processor or blender. Mix well. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture emulsifies. Add papaya seeds and pulse just until the seeds are coarsely chopped.
mise en place for papaya seed dressing
For the slaw, trim the broccoli stems and square them off for easier cutting. Make sure to remove enough of the outer broccoli stems or the slaw will be woody and taste bitter. We used a mandoline to cut the stems into thin strips, about 1 1/2-inches in length. It’s time consuming to cut by hand, so if you don’t have a mandoline, grate the stems.
Place the broccoli, cabbage, strawberries, celery, grapes, and bananas in a large bowl. Pour in 1/2 cup of dressing, tossing gently to coat evenly.
Whatever you do, don’t leave out the bananas! They’re simply amazing in this slaw.
mise en place for fruit and broccoli slaw
And talk about crunch! This delicious slaw is as refreshing and crisp as they come.
Fruit and Broccoli Slaw
Yield 4 Servings
Free of: gluten and top 8 allergens.
This crisp and refreshing fruit and broccoli slaw takes a dynamic twist from the classic coleslaw.
Ingredients
Dressing
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (see recipe notes)
1/4 cup diced papaya
1 tbsp grated yellow onion
2 tsp Dijon style mustard
1 tsp sriracha, or other hot sauce
1 tbsp agave or honey, or sweetener of choice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp fresh papaya seeds
Slaw
1 1/2 cups broccoli stems, julienne cut (see recipe notes)
1 1/2 cups grated red cabbage
1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced (about 1 stalk)
1/2 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1 banana, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
Instructions
- For the dressing, in a food processor or a blender, combine the vinegar, papaya, onion, mustard, sriracha, agave, and salt. Mix well. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil until the mixture emulsifies.
- Add the papaya seeds and pulse just until the seeds are coarsely chopped. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Dressing makes more than you'll need for this recipe, about 1 cup and can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Enjoy leftover dressing on mixed greens.
- For the slaw, combine the broccoli, cabbage, strawberries, celery, grapes, and banana in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the dressing, tossing gently to coat evenly. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you don't have white balsamic vinegar, you can substitute white wine vinegar. However, you may need to increase the agave or honey by an additional tablespoon.
- Trim the broccoli stems and square them off for easier cutting. We used a mandolin to julienne the stems, which were cut about 1 1/2-inches in length. It's time consuming to cut by hand, so if you don't have a mandolin, grate the stems.
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