I’d give anything to spend a morning at the Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany, wandering the aisles, loading up on bulk-food essentials, sipping an apple zinger, a freshly squeezed ginger-spiked juice (costing a small fortune). Or to pop into Nora’s for labneh and pomegranate molasses or any of the homemade Armenian food the owners have prepared that morning and so generously will sample should you show a whisper of interest. Once, while eyeing an enormous bowl filled with an enticing red paste, my stares were answered: You want muhammara? Come. I’ll show you. Or to cruise the aisles of the Asian Supermarket filling my cart with bags of baby bok choy, giant bundles of scallions, frozen udon noodles, and tins of Korean double hot tuna. In pre-Covid times, this sort of shopping was my favorite pastime, my therapy, outings that always left me feeling rejuvenated, inspired. Recently I’ve been reminiscing about another favorite grocery store, Byerlys, in my husband’s hometown in Minnesota. Partially carpeted — how warm? how welcoming? — Byerlys introduced me to what a grocery store could be, not only a place to buy groceries but dinner, too: fully prepared meals, delicious soups and salads, all packed and ready to go. Can I tell you the best part though? After you paid for your groceries, you left them there! Then you walked to your car and drove to a designated location where someone loaded them into your trunk! This all sounds almost normal given the times, but back then it felt revolutionary. One of my favorite salads from Byerlys was loaded with broccoli, sunflower seeds, raisins, and bacon. Ben’s mom always picked up several quarts of it before we headed off to the lake for the weekend. Oh, Friends, what a dream?! Carpeted grocery stores! Deli salads! Trips to a lake! Will we ever get there again?
About This Broccoli Salad
Inspired by the Byerlys Sunny Broccoli Salad, this one differs in a few ways:
Large-Batch Shallot VinaigretteLarge-Batch Tahini DressingSpicy Cashew DressingMiso-Carrot Dressing
This salad holds up well in the fridge, so if you’re looking for something to make on the weekend to pack up for lunches for the week ahead, look no further. These quart containers are great for that purpose. Here’s the play-by-play:
How to Make Broccoli Crunch Salad
Gather your ingredients. The crunchy elements in this salad include toasted almonds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and the broccoli itself. Chop the florets and tender stems into small pieces. Grate the tough stalks into fine shreds. Thinly slice some scallions. Blanch the broccoli: submerge it into boiling water; then remove it immediately. Boil the quinoa immediately after the broccoli is removed. Combine all of the ingredients. Make the dressing: whisk together sour cream, buttermilk, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Toss everything together. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately or stash away in storage containers for the future. 5 from 9 reviews The dressing here is a buttermilk-sour cream dressing, my favorite for a classic coleslaw. If you are avoiding dairy, this salad would be great with any of these four dressings:
Large-Batch Shallot Vinaigrette Large-Batch Tahini Dressing Spicy Cashew Dressing Miso-Carrot Dressing
