Broccoli and Rutabaga Slaw | thehealthyfoodie.com

As some of you may know, my daughter, son-in-law and brand new baby grand-daughter are spending a couple of weeks at home with me.

Every single night since they got here, I made some kind of salad as a side dish to go with dinner. It’s almost become a running gag, as in:

– “Guys, guess what we’re having with our *insert some kind of meat here* tonight?”

– “SALAD!”

It’s like I can’t think of anything else to make but salad. My ability to come up with creative side dishes has gone blank.

At least, I’ve made a different salad pretty much every night. This Broccoli and Rutabaga Slaw was one of my faves, though. It’s soooo flavorful and talk about a nutrition powerhouse!!! It’s got broccoli, rutabaga, cabbage, olives, apple, raisins and crispy bacon in it!

Deeeeelicious!

I did make quite a large batch, but I’m happy I did because this salad keeps fairly well in the fridge for a couple of days, which means we got to enjoy the leftovers for dinner the next day, and I even got to have some with my breakfast.

I just LOVE making big, sturdy, satisfying salads like this one and I’m sure you won’t mind me sharing the recipe with you…

Crispy Bacon | thehealthyfoodie.com

It’s best to start with cooking the bacon, so we can work on other things while that’s happening. So set a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat and cook the bacon until it gets nice and crispy.

Now I hope you don’t mind, I took the liberty of borrowing this picture from my recent Smoked Bacon Caulifower Rostis recipe, as I forgot to immortalize the process this time. I think I was too busy shredding and grating a whole bunch of veggies…

Broccoli and Rutabaga Slaw | thehealthyfoodie.com

While that bacon is cooking, peel the rutabaga and grate it with a box grater or using the grating disc of your food processor. The food processor is a much better option as it’s much faster and, since we’ll be using it a lot, I think it’s very well worth taking it out of the cupboard and washing it afterwards, ..

Transfer the grated rutabaga to a large (and I do mean LARGE) mixing bowl.

Broccoli and Rutabaga Slaw | thehealthyfoodie.com

Now cut the red cabbage and shred it using the slicing disc or your food processor or by shaving it really thinly with a sharp knife. Again, I do believe that the food processor is a much better option!

Add this to the bowl with the rutabaga.

Broccoli and Rutabaga Slaw | thehealthyfoodie.com

Cut the broccoli into little florets and add it to the bowl of your food processor. (I told you we’d be using it a lot!)

Process on pulse until it’s completely broken down into tiny little pieces; add this to the bowl with the rest of the vegetables, then throw in the chopped parsley, sliced olives, diced apple, raisins and jalapeño pepper.

Broccoli and Rutabaga Slaw | thehealthyfoodie.com

As soon as your bacon is done cooking, scoop it out of the pan with a slotted spoon and add it to the salad.

Pour the fat into a glass container (a measuring cup or Mason type glass jar work great for this) and add the rest of the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Mix vigorously with a whisk until well combined and slightly emulsified and pour over the salad.

Mix well and serve immediately, although this salad will keep well for one or two days in the refrigerator.

Broccoli and Rutabaga Slaw | thehealthyfoodie.com

Another great thing about this salad is that you can easily make all kinds of substitutions. Carrots would work super well in lieu of the rutabaga, you could very well use cauliflower instead of broccoli, green cabbage instead of red, pears or even oranges instead of apples, or even replace the crispy bacon with toasted hazelnuts or sunflower seeds.

Plus, no one says you need to replace anything; you could very well just add all these new ingredients, i.e. use less rutabaga and add a carrot, use half broccoli, half cauliflower… you get the idea.

In short, this is a salad that you will have as much fun making as you will have eating it.

And I think I know exactly what I’ll be making for a side to go with tomorrow’s roasted chicken…

Broccoli and Rutabaga Slaw | thehealthyfoodie.com
Print Recipe Rate this Recipe
No ratings yet

Broccoli and Rutabaga Slaw

Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 4 thick slices smoked bacon
  • 4 cups broccoli florets, shredded
  • 1/2 rutabaga, shredded (about 300g | 10oz)
  • 1/4 medium red cabbage, finelhy shredded (about 250g | 8 oz)
  • 1/2 cup parsley, finely chcopped
  • 1/2 cup sliced green olives
  • 1/2 cup organic raisins
  • 1 red apple, cored and diced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

The Vinaigrette

Instructions

  • Set a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat and cook the bacon until it gets nice and crispy.
  • Meanwhile, peel the rutabaga and grate it with a box grater or using the grating disc of your food processor. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  • Now cut the red cabbage and shred it using the slicing disc or your food processor or by shaving it really thinly with a sharp knife. Add this to the bowl with the rutabaga.
  • Cut the broccoli into little florets and add it to the bowl of your food processor. Process on pulse until it’s completely broken down into tiny little pieces; add this to the bowl with the rest of the vegetables, then throw in the chopped parsley, sliced olives, diced apple, raisins and jalapeño.
  • As soon as your bacon is done cooking, scoop it out with a slotted spoon and add it to the salad. Pour the fat into a glass jar and add the rest of the ingredients listed under vinaigrette. Mix vigorously with a whisk until well combined and slightly emulsified and pour over the salad.
  • Mix well and serve immediately.
  • This salad will keep for up to a few days in the refrigerator.
Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!

You can also FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and TWITTER for more delicious, healthy recipes!

Broccoli and Rutabaga Slaw | thehealthyfoodie.com

Broccoli and Rutabaga Slaw | thehealthyfoodie.com

doing-the-w30-fb-cover