Broccoli Salad with Roasted Cashews and Sunflower Seeds

I'm hopping on a plane from New Orleans and heading back home to the southwest tonight. Back home to my husband, my two little charges, my bed, my bathtub, my kitchen, my wireless Internet.... There's no place like home.

In the meantime, here's a crunchy and delicious way to get more broccoli. Eat your veggies, just like mom told you. This will make it really easy, especially with the sweet and savory dressing, and the roasted salty nuts. I wish I had some to take with me on the plane, but I'll have to content myself with pretzels and ice water. Don't feel too sorry for me; last night I ate at Emeril's flagship restaurant. Think barbecue shrimp, rosemary foccacia, sweet corn cakes, wild mushroom pasta with tasso ham, breaded red fish, sweet potatoes with green chile mole, banana mascarpone tart.... Thank goodness my hotel had two rooms of treadmills. Exercise is imperative for the New Orleans diet. More to come on that later this week. See you tomorrow!

Broccoli Salad with Roasted Cashews and Sunflower Seeds
Estimated Cost: $4.50
Notes: I also love to add snipped dried apricots of mango for a touch of sweet and chewy.
1/4 cup mayonnaise (low fat is good here) or whole milk yogurt 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
4 cups chopped broccoli florettes with some stems
1/2 cup chopped roasted salted cashews
1/2 cup roasted salted sunflower seeds

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Whisk until smooth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Adjust sugar and vinegar according to your taste. Mix in remaining ingredients. Sprinkle with additional nuts and seeds.
Coming Tomorrow:
Barefoot Thursdays
Parmesan Chicken Tenders and Sweet and Spicy Ketchup