Creamy Raw Broccoli & Cabbage Salad

There’s something about the beginning of summer.

The first weeks in June, the first few days at the pool-they always bring some nostalgic dishes to the surface. My aunt’s cranberry walnut chicken salad that I veganized into a Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad. A not-yet-veganized version of my mom’s apple cheddar pizza (I should work on that) or the stuffed shells I loved in Italy that I made dairy-free.

This season is teeming with meals with memories. I’ve got three more in queue after this one, but I went with this one first. Because it’s the weirdest one to me.

Growing up, my dad would NEVER eat veggies. Scratch that, he STILL doesn’t eat veggies. But I assume I noticed his lack of vegetables more as a child, because while he was trying to force me to eat them, I always resented him for not eating them himself. But there was a salad my mom always made that he adored-and it was raw broccoli. For someone who despised vegetables, I found it especially strange that he would voluntarily inhale this raw broccoli dish. Raw broccoli was no friend of mine either as a kid, and though the dish itself made me want to puke, the smell was intoxicating to me. I would literally open the fridge just to take a wiff of this dish.

SO weird, I know.

I didn’t want to eat it, but it smelled amazing to me. It did have some cheese in it and some bacon bits (ironically, those are vegan in case you weren’t aware). So here I was huffing this salad I swear I hated for so many years growing up.

Maybe it’s because it reminds me of my parents. Maybe because the people I nanny for made a similar (yet MUCH healthier) version of this the other day and I was drawn to it in a different way. It still smelled great, but I was actually WANTED to eat it.

Food can makes me crazy I think.

Anyways, I was determined to make my own version and dreamed about force feeding it to my dad. I suppose I could make some for him as a Father’s Day gift-ontop of our Tom Petty tickets I bought us. It’d be a semi-miracle if he actually ate some of my vegan creations, but I think he’d actually enjoy this salad. That is, if I’m willing to share any of it with him!

3 broccoli crowns, chopped very small with most of the steams removed

1 1/2 cups chopped cabbage

1 1/4 cups chopped cranberries

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1 carrot, shredded

SHALLOT DIJON MAYO

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for two hours

1/3 cup water

1 small shallot, chopped

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar