Garlic Sesame Broccoli Salad

With summer swiftly approaching, cooking sounds less and less appealing. On a hot day, the thought of laboring over the stove sends me running to the nearest ice cream shop. And since bacon peanut butter ice cream is gaining in popularity in Brooklyn, I count each scoop towards a complete meal. While healthier and equally cool in terms of preparation, salads and raw vegetables often cannot fully satisfy my taste buds. Or so I thought until I encountered this “raw” broccoli salad. The delicious garlic cooked in oil softens the veggies and makes the broccoli a brilliant green as well as so incredibly delicious that calling the salad raw feels like a lie. A nice alternative to coleslaw, this broccoli salad would make a perfect addition to any picnic or barbeque. And considering you are only over the stove for ten minutes, I consider this an ideal summer recipe.

Since the main ingredients of the recipe consist of oil and broccoli, it’s not a surprise that this recipe falls under the diabetic friendly category. But just to point out how few carbs this salad contains, eating the entire salad--all six servings--only amounts to 6% of you daily carb intake! So have a serving and enjoy being in the 1%.

Garlic Sesame Broccoli Salad

Time: 10 minutes, plus 1 hour marinating

Serves 6 as a side

A little less than 3 grams of carbs per serving or 1% of your daily intake

adapted from nytimes

1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar (0 grams of carbs)

1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste (0 grams of carbs)

2 heads broccoli, 1 pound each, cut (10 grams of carbs)

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (0 grams of carbs)

6 fat garlic cloves, minced (6 grams of carbs)

2 teaspoons roasted sesame oil (0 grams of carbs)

Large pinch crushed red pepper flakes (0 grams of carbs)

1. In a large bowl, stir together the vinegar and salt. Add broccoli and toss to combine. Cover bowl. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Oil should be hot but not smoking. Add garlic and cook until just golden, about 1 minute. Stir in sesame oil and pepper flakes. Pour mixture over broccoli and toss well. Let sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature, and up to 48 hours (place in refrigerator if want to keep for more than 2 hours). Add salt if necessary.

Enjoy!