Shaved Broccoli Stalk Salad with Lime + Feta

I cannot stand wasting things. Most days, my lunch consists of leftovers, because I hate throwing out tasty food. (Thankfully, I love leftovers so this isn’t much of a chore). When I use up a wedge of Parmesan, I always save the rind (to use for flavoring soups + stews). When I make recipes, preference is given for those that use the entire vegetables, not just part of them (like this awesome Spring Vegetable Pasta).

However, one food consistently challenges my non-wastefulness: broccoli. Despite my best intentions, I almost always use only the florets, and wind up discarding the stems/stalks. I actually like the stalks, but my husband and daughter only eat the tree-like tops. And a woman can only eat so many broccoli stalks by herself! I always cringe when I throw out a perfectly good bunch of broccoli stalks, so I made it my recent goal to prepare them in a way that the whole family would enjoy. And my favorite discovery so far is this AMAZING Shaved Broccoli Stalk Salad with Lime + Feta. I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about a salad, but this one is truly worth sharing.

It’s fresh and bright and crunchy and citrusy and delicious. The still-slightly-crunchy, paper-thin broccoli ribbons soak up the tart lime juice and rich olive oil, and the crumbles of feta add a perfect creamy, salty note. This is truly one of the most addictive salads I’ve ever eaten. Even though the recipe says it serves two, I could easily polish off the entire plate myself. =) So, next time you find yourself about to throw out yet another bunch of broccoli stems, I beg you to stop + make this salad! I think it might just make a broccoli stalk lover out of you. =)

Shaved Broccoli Stalk Salad with Lime + Feta

serves 2, adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

Leaves and stalks from 1 bunch broccoli (about 3 stalks), cut into batons
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (cotija cheese would also be fantastic)

Directions

Place the broccoli batons flat on a cutting board, then use a sharp vegetable peeler to shave the broccoli into paper-thin ribbons.

Place the shaved broccoli ribbons and leaves in a medium bowl and toss with the olive oil, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold in the cheese and serve immediately.

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