Winter Citrus Broccoli Salad - Low Carb and Gluten Free
Try this Winter Citrus Broccoli Salad - Low Carb and Gluten Free recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Winter Citrus Broccoli Salad - Low Carb and Gluten Free recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 6 cups broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup shredded radicchio
- 1 tbsp tangerine zest
- 2 tbsp tangerine juice
- 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 3 tbsp avocado oil (or light olive oil)
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp granulated sugar substitute (i used swerve
- Carbohydrate 106.622062831935 g
- Cholesterol 21.0000000177524 mg
- Fat 36.9844500166594 g
- Fiber 38.9307486975229 g
- Protein 43.9224750003564 g
- Saturated Fat 4.47146500253271 g
- Serving Size 1 1 cup serving (1502g)
- Sodium 1227.51183764745 mg
- Sugar 67.6913141344123 g
- Trans Fat 21.2644850141372 g
- Calories 832 calories
Step-by-step
- Place the broccoli in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high for four minutes (or steam for several minutes until bright green and slightly tender.)
- Rinse in cold water and let drain for five minutes.
- In a large salad bowl, toss the broccoli with the shredded radicchio and sliced almonds.
- Combine the tangerine zest and juice, oil, vinegar, ginger, swerve, salt and mayonnaise and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture and toss gently to coat.
- Serve room temperature or chilled.
Rinsing the blanched or microwaved broccoli florets in ice-cold water immediately halts residual carryover heat, locking in a vibrant green pigment and preventing the cell walls from collapsing into mush. Broccoli is a resilient brassica, yet its delicate sugar compounds degrade quickly when exposed to sustained internal heat without a sudden thermal shock. By plunging the warm florets into chilled water and allowing them to drain thoroughly for five full minutes, excess surface moisture is eliminated so the mayonnaise and avocado oil emulsion can cling to the surfaces rather than pooling at the base of the bowl. Salads featuring dense vegetables require deliberate moisture control to prevent the dressing from diluting into an unappealing puddle.
Emulsifying Acid and Fat Without Separate Equipment
Building a smooth dressing directly in a bowl without a blender relies on mechanical friction and ingredient order. Whisking tangerine juice, red wine vinegar, and granulated sweetener together before streaming in the avocado oil creates a temporary suspension, while the mayonnaise acts as a stabilizing surfactant containing lecithin to bind the oil and aqueous liquids. Fresh ginger contains fibrous strands that can disrupt this emulsion if not minced finely enough, so ensure your knife work yields pieces smaller than two millimeters. When combining the sliced almonds, shredded radicchio, and broccoli, toss the mixture gently with silicone spatulas to distribute the dense dressing evenly across the uneven florets.
- If the dressing separates after standing, whisk vigorously for ten seconds to reincorporate the oil and vinegar phases.
- Store dressed leftovers in a sealed glass container for up to 24 hours; beyond one day, the salt will draw excessive water out of the radicchio and soften the broccoli beyond acceptable crispness.
- Substitute light olive oil for avocado oil at a strict 1:1 volumetric ratio without altering the viscosity of the dressing.
