Spiralized Broccoli Stem Carrot Slaw with Dried Cranberries and Sunflower Seeds is a delicious, wholesome salad with a twist. Spiralized sweet broccoli stems are the star along with curly carrots!
I’ve made no secret of my obsession with my Spiralizer* and creating delicious, fun recipes using it. I’ve challenged myself to use it and create a new recipe at least once a week. I prowl the produce section of the grocery store considering the texture of every fruit and vegetable as my next conquest.
I really don’t love to waste food ever and this week an idea popped to mind that addressed both the Spiralizer quest and ‘no waste’. For the broccoli eaters out there, do you use the stems or only the flowerets when you cook?
When I was learning how to cook in college, stir-frying was in frequent rotation in my kitchen. I would include the often neglected stems as they are sweet and crunchy. However on an average day in the Boulder Locavore home kitchen they get composted for lack of time (e.g. laziness).
I had an idea of a slaw which included the delicious broccoli stem portion along with carrot, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds in a luscious but light dressing. I am completely mad for this salad. In fact I just went to have some for lunch and realized my husband took the rest for his lunch; drat, I’m out of luck.
Spiralized broccoli stems have a wonderful crunch and as mentioned have a sweet, light flavor that will make you wonder why it took so long to use them too!
Prepping the Broccoli Stem for Easy Sprializing
Preparing the broccoli stem to be spiralized is key for success. Cut the stalks into three 2-inch pieces and take off the outer layer with either a vegetable peeler or a sharp paring knife leaving only the light green inner core.
The lower part of the stem can become woody and it’s imperative to remove it before spiralizing or your slaw will taste like bamboo (literally). After removing the outer peel on the bottom of the stalk you may note a tan colored layer which is fibrous. Be sure to peel that layer away, under which you’ll find the bright green core. It spiralized easily into spirals or semicircular pieces depending on the size of the broccoli stalk.
The slaw is a crunchy (even the next day) colorful mix of sweet and savory. It’s really a recipe I’d make and eat every day.
*Spiralizer note: I have received reader emails asking which Spiralizer I use personally. I have the Paderno three blade Spiralizer and have found it works great for all the recipes I’ve made.
More Spiralizer Salads You’ll Love:
- Apple and Pears Pomegranate Slaw with Honey Poppyseed Dressing
- Cold Cucumber Noodle Salad with Watercress, Mint and Toasted Sesame-Ginger Dressing
- Pad Thai Salad with Spiralized Green Papaya and Spicy Peanut Dressing
If you’ve tried this Spiralized Broccoli Stem Carrot Slaw or any other recipe on BoulderLocavore.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m up to!
How to make Spiralized Broccoli Stem Carrot Slaw with Dried Cranberries:
Recipe
Spiralized Broccoli Stem Carrot Slaw with Dried Cranberries & Sunflower Seeds
Ingredients
- 2 cups spiralized Broccoli Stem (using an 1/8-inch 3mm blade) -Note:_ refer to blog post for instructions on trimming the stem prior to spiralizing
- 2 cups spiralized Carrots (using an 1/8-inch 3mm blade)
- 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced Scallions (green onions), white and light green portions
- 1/2 cup Sunflower Seed kernels
Ingredients for the Dressing:
- 1/3 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Rice Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Instructions
- In small mixing bowl, combine the dressing ingredients (mayonnaise, lemon juice, rice vinegar, honey and salt). Whisk to fully combine scraping the bottom of the bowl to ensure all the honey is incorporated.
- Combine the broccoli stem spirals, carrot spirals, cranberries and onion in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss to fully coat the slaw with dressing. Refrigerate until chilled.
- Add the sunflower seeds before serving and toss to combine.
Heather says
Perfect timing! I just bought an Inspiralizer, and I have some broccoli stems leftover from last night’s dinner. Now, I have the ideal way to use them both. Thanks for sharing. : )
Toni Dash says
Oh good! I lover broccoli stems. They have a great flavor and texture and unfortunately don’t get as much use as they should! Hope you’ll like it Heather.
Susan says
Tried this for lunch today and it was a real hit! I did sub pepitas for the sunflower seeds ( because my husband hates sunflower seeds). Also, my broccoli stems went bad, so I ended up using very lightly cooked tiny florets for the broccoli stems. It is generally difficult for me to find broccoli stems, let alone ones big enough to spiralize (ditto with carrots, except this time I actually had some decent-sized carrots), so I’ll most likely stick with doing this with the tiny florets. Thanks for a great recipe.
Toni Dash says
Thank you Susan for your comment! I’m sorry you’ve had difficulty with broccoli stems. They have a wonderful flavor and texture so keep your eye out for some that might work. Love your adaptations to make it work for your family!
Nutmeg Nanny says
I have never used a spiralizer before but every time I see such pretty recipes like this I swoon! This slaw sounds delicious and I love the addition of little sweet and tart cranberries.
Cynthia A says
Made this for dinner tonight. Yum! First time using my new spiralizer. I slighlty toasted the sunflower seeds, instead of using raw sunflower seeds. The dish went quite well with Jerk Chicken. A big hit! Looking forward to trying some of your other spiralizer recipes. Thanks!
Toni Dash says
Cynthia thank you for taking the time to leave feedback! I’m now hungry for Jerk Chicken. I’m so glad you liked it (now you know why I was depressed upon finding my husband took our leftovers for lunch; I just love this slaw). Now you also know how fun Spiraling is so I hope you’ll be using yours regularly.
Alisa @ Go Dairy Free says
I was about to ask you what brand of spiralizer you recommend and then I saw your note! I may have to give in to this trend – it’s just too much fun! And this salad is one after my own heart – as a kid I hated mayo, but now it is a weakness!
Toni Dash says
The spiralizer I have is really affordable I feel so you lose nothing to give it a go! It really has been so much fun and I love dreaming up new options to use it. There really isn’t that much mayo in the dressing; just enough to add some tang!
Colleen Cayes says
You’ve done it again! I don’t even like broccoli or carrots that much, but I’m printing off the recipe and going to town for the ingredients. It sounds absolutely delicious and healthy and I’ll get to use MY spiralizer. Thank you for opening doors, breaking new ground, and keeping us from eating salads that taste like bamboo ….
Toni Dash says
The bamboo thing is a non-starter. Definitely don’t need that much fiber in our diets!
NancyB says
This sounds so good! Echo the above comment about the spiralyzer. I have been trying to resist the urge to get another “gadget” but reading this recipe just made me want to open an Amazon tab right away. Darn that prime thing! 😉
Toni Dash says
I so love Amazon Prime Nancy. If I can get most things less expensive and shipped for free in 2 days? Why on earth would I ever go to a store again! I am so happy about the Spiralizer. It’s affordable and I think really gives an opportunity to turn regular dishes into fun works of art (well maybe the art part is a stretch for me!). I do love being able to use it to make dishes healthier and its not a huge expense.
Laura @MotherWouldKnow says
I’ve been thinking of buying a spiralizer – now I’l definitely have to do it. This salad sounds so appealing and looks so adorable.
Toni Dash says
I was having this same discussion with a friend today. I’m not into fad gadgets but the allure of the Spiralizer for me was being able to make appealing dishes with fruits and vegetables to get my family to eat more, and to replace things like grain pasta with vegetable noodles. It has taken me far past that and I’m so glad I have one! (You will be too!)
kristy @ the wicked noodle says
I love this salad on so many levels I’m not sure where to begin! It’s gorgeous, healthy and the flavors sound incredible. Pinned and can’t WAIT to try!
Toni Dash says
Thank you Kristy! I really love this from the flavors to the texture.