Broccoli Crunch Spoon Salad with Warm Chili Crisp Dressing
Also, unabashedly filling your cup first.
This broccoli crunch spoon salad with warm chili crisp dressing is “the best thing that’s ever happened to broccoli,” as my husband declared. I agree.
Happy Friday, friends!
With chopped peanuts, golden raisins, cilantro, and a warm garlic-ginger chili crisp dressing, this broccoli spoon salad is spicy, sweet, savory, and totally addicting. It gets even better with time, so this is the perfect make-ahead side dish for busy weeknights or for parties, potlucks and barbecues.
Speaking of which, do you “entertain” often? (Admittedly, that word makes me a bit squirmy.) There was a time of my life where we had people over all the time, and I would cook all day and greet my guests with appetizers (and a sparkly kitchen, with all the prep work done so that things looked easy!). Entertaining was a performance, and I put an immense amount of pressure on myself to make everything perfect (and damnit, it better be delicious).
It wasn’t until the pandemic hit and we were forced to stop having people over (which I talk about here and in this podcast episode with ), that I could finally see that entertaining had become a cage of perfectionism—a cage that I had built myself (albeit, buttressed by our patriarchal programming). I felt like I had to prove my worth with every meal. Once things opened back up, we started ordering take-out with friends instead of cooking, and it was an immense relief.
While I want to tell you that I’ve regained my love of entertaining, the honest truth—which I’ve had a hard time admitting to myself—is that I’m still not quite there. While I’ve dropped the desire for perfectionism (well mostly—old habits do die hard), having friends over often still feels exhausting. Part of me attributes this to the fact that our kids are all big now (with real appetites), so having three couples over with their kids means I’m actually feeding sixteen hungry humans, but that’s not entirely it. It’s that my energy has changed. I’m at a stage of my life where I require a lot more stillness. Or, more likely, I’ve always required this amount of stillness, it’s just that in the past I ignored it.
I’m trying to be okay with this. I still feel like I “should” be happily hosting weekend parties (and sometimes I do, but those are most often spontaneous affairs, where it feels fun in the moment to invite people over instead of dinners that were planned weeks in advance). But I’m also coming to recognize that the more I honor my energetic needs, the more grounded, joyful and vibrant I feel.
I guess I’m sharing all this with you to let you know that it’s okay if you too are in a season of life where you need more quiet. While this is a newsletter about cooking, it’s also about coming home to yourself. It’s okay to order take-out or go out to eat instead of cooking for others. It’s okay to say no or stay in. Or, if having parties and socializing sounds amazing, that’s brilliant too!
When we start paying attention to where we’re at, dropping any judgements about our energetic needs, we create so much more power in our lives. We can give ourselves exactly what we need or desire in any given moment (after all, we’re the only one that can do this for ourselves). While it doesn’t always feel comfortable (my mind constantly wants to battle back every time my body says, “sit”), when we tune in and put ourselves first, we’re better able to show up in this world as the truest, brightest expression of ourselves.
Invitation
My invitation to you this week is to take stock of your energetic body. Listen in, repeatedly. Are you energized, tired, serene, stressed? Can you tune in to the soft urges of your body and heart instead of to the noise of your mind, and then give yourself exactly what you need? What will fill you back up, or bring you more pleasure, or help you find balance? (This could be as simple as taking a few deep breaths, or taking a nap, or making a meal of your favorite things, or pouring a frosty glass of iced tea and sipping it with your feet in the grass, or going to dinner with friends, or having friends over, or sitting in silence, or singing out loud…) There is no right or wrong answer, just your answer.
If, like me, you have a busy weekend ahead (family is visiting and it’s my daughter’s eighth grade graduation!), can you carve out pockets of time just for you, unabashedly? The more we do this for ourselves—without the weight of guilt or shame—the brighter we shine, able to authentically uplift those around us.
Stay tuned because we’ll be exploring more in next Tuesday’s podcast conversation, which is such a good one. ❤️
Broccoli Crunch Spoon Salad with Warm Chili Crisp Dressing
So here we are, about to make this spoon salad, which, yes, is a fantastic side dish for a barbecue or party. But it’s also a damn fine side dish to a weeknight dinner, eaten barefoot on your front stoop, quietly enjoying an evening at home.
The only trick is to finely chop the broccoli so that it can mingle with all the other ingredients and bathe in the warm dressing (the beauty of a spoon salad is that you get a little bit of everything in every bite). And oh, that dressing. Garlic and ginger gently cook in olive oil until fragrant, then it’s finished with Sherry vinegar, maple syrup, and chili crisp (you can use as much or as little chili crisp as you desire—I usually go for 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons, which is still mild enough for my kids).
The salad should sit for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld, but it gets even better with time, so if you can refrigerate it for a few hours or even overnight, all the better!
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Recipe tips:
You should use 1 1/2 pounds of broccoli (or 6 cups of finely chopped broccoli), which I’ve found is usually 1 big-ish bunch. Try not to use more, as then there won’t be enough dressing to fully coat everything (and this salad is all about the dressing-to-salad ratio).
I use whole garlic cloves in the dressing then remove them, but if you love garlic, go ahead and chop them and leave them in the dressing instead.
I’m partial to golden raisins, but you can absolutely use regular raisins or even chopped dates.
The salad incorporates roasted, salted peanuts but you could do chopped cashews instead, or, for a nut-free version, go for roasted salted pepitas.
If you’re gluten-free, but sure to use a GF chili crisp (I love Fly by Jing brand).
You might also like this Roasted Cauliflower Salad, which is another summer favorite. We serve it in wraps—it’s even better than chicken salad.
You can download a PDF of the broccoli crunch spoon salad recipe here (I’ve also included text and JPEG versions of the recipe at the bottom of the newsletter):
Watch the salad come together in this video:
Thank you so much for being here, and please let me know if you give the salad a try! As always, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions (comments are open to paid subscribers only).
Have a wonderful weekend, and remember to nourish yourself with intention and love.
xo, Nicki
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Broccoli Crunch Spoon Salad with Warm Chili Crisp Dressing
This broccoli crunch spoon salad is “the best thing that’s ever happened to broccoli,” as my husband declared. With chopped peanuts, golden raisins, cilantro, and a warm garlic-ginger chili crisp dressing, it’s spicy, sweet, savory, and totally addicting. It gets even better with time, so this is the perfect make-ahead side dish for parties, potlucks, or busy weeknights. The only trick is to finely chop the broccoli so that it can mingle with all the other ingredients and bathe in the warm dressing (aim for no more than 6 cups of finely chopped broccoli—or 1 1/2 pounds). And oh, that dressing. Garlic and ginger gently cook in olive oil until fragrant, then the dressing is finished with Sherry vinegar, maple syrup, and chili crisp (you can use as much or as little chili crisp as you desire—I usually go for 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons, which is still mild enough for my kids). Feel free to swap out the golden raisins for regular raisins or chopped dates, and you can swap out the peanuts for cashews or toasted pepitas.
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: 15 minutes
1 1/2 pounds broccoli (about 1 bunch), finely chopped (peel and chop the stems too!), 6 cups chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/3 heaping cup roasted salted peanuts (or cashews), coarsely chopped
1/3 heaping cup golden raisins
1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 tablespoons total) extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1-2 tablespoons chili crisp (well stirred)
Put the broccoli, shallot, peanuts, raisins, and cilantro in a large bowl.
In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, garlic cloves, and ginger (have the chili crisp, sherry vinegar, and maple syrup close at hand). Cook the garlic and ginger over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden, about 3-4 minutes. Discard the garlic cloves. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vinegar, maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon of chili crisp.
Pour the warm dressing over the broccoli salad, and toss to combine. Season well with salt and pepper. Give the salad a taste. If you prefer a spicier salad, add another tablespoon (or more!) of chili crisp. Let the salad sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld, or refrigerate it for up to one day. Serve the salad at room temperature or chilled.
Do Ahead: The salad can be refrigerated for 1 day before serving.
Sounds yummy
This looks like the perfect summer salad! And thanks for the reminder to slow down and embrace the quiet. It can be so beneficial!