With loads of toasted almonds, dried cranberries and a tangy lemony dressing, this Oven Roasted Broccoli Salad is like pure candy in the form of broccoli.
Place about 7 cups of the broccoli florets in that prepared pan. Drizzle it with the avocado oil and then sprinkle it with the 1/2 tsp of salt. Mix the florets around a bit so that they all get coated with oil. Place it in the oven and let it roast for 15-20 minutes, or until the florets start to darken.
Put the almonds in a small baking dish and roast them in the oven along with the broccoli until they are fragrant and light brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven and roughly chop them once they are cool enough to handle.
While things are getting nicely roasted in the oven, place the rest of the broccoli florets in a steam basket and steam it over salted boiling water until it turns vibrant green, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Immediately plunge the cooked broccoli in icy cold water and move it around delicately until it's completely chilled. Don't skimp on the ice here, the faster your broccoli cools down, the crunchier and greener it will remain.
Transfer the cold broccoli to a colander and let it drain until ready to use.
Put all the ingredients for the dresssing in a Mason type glass jar and whiz them all together with a stick blender until smooth and creamy and slightly emulsified.
Remove the roasted broccoli florets from the oven and put them in a large mixing bowl.
Add the steamed and cooled broccoli, as well as the diced apple, toasted almonds, sliced celery, parsley, and dried cranberries.
Pour the dressing over the salad and give everything a delicate stir, until all the ingredients are well coated.