This has been a challenging week already at work, things aren’t slowing down with our workload being over double what it was just a few months ago. I’m thankful, but stressed just a bit. And living off of smoothies, leftovers, and simple salads the last few days while cramming in gym time and the “to do” list at home. How can a house get so messy when we don’t have kids? Still trying to figure that one out. Summer is in full force here too with high temps in the triple digits every day this week, so I’ve been heading to the gym after work still to get in runs on a treadmill. I’m actually enjoying treadmill running for short runs because I’ve been upping the speed and incline to get a better workout and up my pace and what a workout! Incline is a killer, I need to work on hill running more!
Tonight’s workout got my creative juices flowing after a long day at work, so I decided to experiment with a raw version of a summer classic broccoli salad.
I was working with what ingredients I had for the salad which were a little scarce, instead of raisins, I chopped up this huge sweet heirloom tomato for the salad.
For a simple combo of chopped broccoli, tomato, and sunflower seeds.
But the sauce is what makes it – thick, creamy, sweet, tangy, and perfect for a hot and busy summer weekday.
Creamy Summer Dressing
- 1/2 cup shelled hemp seeds
- 1/2 cup cashews
- juice of one lemon
- 2 tbsp. of turbinado sugar
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 cup water
Place all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend to a smooth and creamy texture. Makes 4 servings.
I used half cashews and hemp seeds to keep the dressing creamy and rich, but higher in protein and omegas. But you could use all cashews for a creamier version or all hemp seeds for a high protein version.
The dressing is very thick, I had to scoop it from the blender with a spatula and toss into the veggie mixture a little longer to spread and coat, but it was worth it!
The salad had a wonderfully sweet, tangy, and savory balance, I didn’t add salt and found it didn’t need any with the lemon juice and onion powder. The flavor teetered between a sweeter summer treat and a savory bright salad and it did wonders for raw broccoli which I find difficult to enjoy raw in many recipes with it’s slightly bitter flavor and rough texture.
My plate cleaning service also had rave reviews of the dressing.
That tomato is awesome! :)
This salad looks great! I hope things calm down for you at work soon!
That looks FANTASTIC!