Broccoli, Blueberry, & Mango Salad
My time in Umbria will be cut short this summer because we just moved into our new house and are still getting things completed, unpacked, and organized. Instead of spending my usual six months in Italy, this year I’ll be spending almost three weeks the end of June, and then two months in the fall.
As much as I love our time in Italy, moving into a new house has taken priority. I am happy to say that as of last week, we now have a driveway, and our landscaper has been able to start beautifying the mud plot of our yard. Soon the exterior of our house will be as lovely as the interior! When this recipe gets posted, I will be enjoying a break away from new house chores and will be relaxing in our farmhouse in Umbria, Italy with family. I just can’t wait to get back to Italy and relax by the pool for a couple of weeks.
Our usual schedule when we have family visiting us in Italy is to relax on our property every other day and make day trips exploring Umbria and it’s joining regions on the other days. This works out really well as it allows everyone a chance to explore but still keeps the vacation relaxing.
This trip we will be taking a trip to Venice, staying two nights to have enough time to enjoy the city, eat a lot of fresh seafood, and fit a quick trip to the island of Burano as well. I know my trip to Italy will fly by, but I am going to do my best to relax and enjoy every minute I am there.
During the heat of the summer, I tend to eat a lot more salads than I do the rest of the year, and I enjoy varying the ingredients depending on what I have on hand, as well as what is seasonally available. I just started adding broccoli to my salads after reading just how good for you raw broccoli is.
This salad actually uses broccoli as the base, adding to it fresh blueberries, diced mango, ripe avocado, green onion, toasted walnuts, and bacon bits for interest. The ingredients may sound like an odd combination but I can assure you that pulled together in this salad they are delicious!
Like all salads, you can just use this recipe as inspiration and adjust it to your own personal taste. You could add chopped bell peppers, cucumbers, and even grilled, sliced chicken if you wanted to turn it into a dinner entree. For this salad I decided to create a creamy buttermilk dressing which worked perfectly to bring all the flavors together.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele
Broccoli, Blueberry, & Mango Salad
A unique crunchy salad pairing sweet blueberries and mango with raw broccoli.
Ingredients
- 1 Small Head Broccoli, Thick Stem Removed And Cut Into Bite Sized Pieces
- 1 1/2 Cups Blueberries
- 1 Large, Ripe Mango, Peeled & Diced
- 1 Cups Coarsely Chopped Lightly Toasted Walnuts
- 4 Green Onions, Chopped
- 1 Ripe Avocado, Diced
- 1/2 Cup Crispy Bacon Bits
Dressing:
- 3/4 Cup Light Buttermilk
- 1/3 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Instructions
- Place all the dressing ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed.
- In a large bowl, toss together the salad ingredients.
- Pour the dressing on top of the salad, and toss to coat.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 1/2 cupsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 553Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 33gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 546mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 10gSugar: 25gProtein: 13g
