Charred Broccoli + Date Salad

I cannot stop making this salad.  It’s quick + easy to throw together, it’s the perfect balance of salty + sweet, and it’s so freaking good!  A simple Charred Broccoli + Date Salad that is exactly what it says - a mixture of charred broccoli pieces + chopped dates, and amped up with pistachios, parmesan, and a honey balsamic glaze.  We recently went to a sourdough bread-making class that sent us home with quite the supply of sourdough loaves (like 6), and veggie sandwiches have been cranking out of our kitchen as a necessity.  Seriously - it was veggies sandwiches for dinner like 4 nights in a row.  I wanted a super healthy side to go with, and I landed on the broccoli salad, and it’s a new staple.  I’ve made it as a little cheeseboard side to round out some happy hour snacks when I had some girlfriends over, and even made it on its own as a quick “bring to the bar to snack on before trivia” dinner.  I love it and I continue to add broccoli + dates to my grocery list so I can whip this up on the spot.  A Summer staple that’s totally perfect!!

 
 

For the salad

  • 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets

  • EVOO

  • Salt + pepper

  • 2 tbsp balsamic

  • 1 tbsp honey (or mape syrup)

  • 6 dates, pitted + roughly chopped

  • 1/4 c. Pistachios

  • 1/4 c. Shredded parmesan

Turn the oven to 375.  Toss the broccoli florets with 2 tbsp EVOO, salt, and pepper, and lay on a foil lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven.  Add the balsamic + honey directly to the pan, drizzling over the broccoli, toss, and continue to bake for 15 minutes.  You want the broccoli to be slightly charred + tender.  Let the broccoli cool on the pan for about 10 minutes.

Add the broccoli + all of the sauce-y drippings to a bowl (I just pick up the foil + spatula everything into the bowl).  Add the dates, pistachios, + parmesan to the bowl, and toss.  Serve with a little sprinkling of extra pistachios + parmesan on top.  It’s ready to go.

Lesley ZehnerComment