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Aug 14, 2018 By Stacie Hassing

Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

Dairy-Free
Egg-Free
Gluten-free
Grain-Free
Nut-free
Paleo
Vegetarian
Whole30
Jump to Recipe

Add more veggies to your plate with this Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad that’s tossed in a creamy, lemony garlic dressing.

This recipe is sponsored by our friends at Tessemae’s!

Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad in a white bowl

Mission: Eat more veggies.

I’ll admit, there are times where I lack on my veggie intake, skip meals and mindlessly eat. This usually corresponds with a heavy travel schedule paired with too many “yes’s” resulting in overwhelm and exhaustion. To be honest, I’m feeling a bit out of sorts at the moment. The past few months have been much busier than I anticipated.

While I’m grateful for the opportunities and am truly blessed, I’m feeling a little weighed down and not myself physically and mentally. I’ve enjoyed a few too many glasses of wine, I haven’t moved my body as much as I’d like to and my meals have been well…all over the place. So what does that mean? Well it means I’m human and that I’m ready to commit to filling my plate with nourishing foods, moving my body more and taking more time for “me.” I’m on a mission to eat more veggies and feel my best again because health should always come first. When you feel good, you perform your best!

Aerial view of Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad in a white bowl with Tessemae's Organic Lemon Garlic Dressing & Marinade laying beside the bowl

Can you relate?

While one would think summer would be the easiest season to eat healthy and move your body, I find that to be the exact opposite. There’s just so much going on in the summer and I’m all about enjoying life, living in the moment and not passing on fun opportunities such as girls’ weekends at the cabin, grill-outs and cocktails with friends, traveling, the Minnesota State Fair and trying new restaurants. While these occasions may force me out of my comfortable routine, I’m not going to let that stop me from spending time with loved ones and having fun. In the past, that would have been a different story.

Right now in this moment, I choose to give myself grace, have self-awareness of how I’m feeling, and take action. Below I share my approach to “getting back on track.”

close up view of Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad in a white bowl

But first let’s talk about this Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad!

It’s Whole30-friendly and a tasty and easy way to increase your veggie intake. In my efforts to take action, I will be hitting the salads hard! It’s a good thing salads are one of my favorite recipe categories  to share on the blog – the combinations of ingredients are endless. People often ask us if we ever run out of recipe ideas to share on the blog and the answer is “no way!” Our list of recipe ideas will take us an eternity to get through!

This Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad is hearty enough to meal prep on the weekend and enjoy for 3-4 days after, and it’s an easy and delicious way to add more veggies to your plate. It also makes for a crowd-pleasing salad to serve at a dinner with friends and/or family.

Tossed in a Lemony Vinaigrette and loaded with nutrients.

In this recipe, I used Tessemae’s Lemon Garlic Dressing and mixed it with a little mayonnaise to make it creamy. You’re going to love that Tessemae’s dressings are made with only real food ingredients and are available in many delicious flavors. We also use Lemon Garlic dressing as a marinade in our One-Pan Salmon & Veggie Bake recipe, a recipe that’s perfect for busy weeknight meals.

Not only is this Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad incredibly tasty, it’s also incredibly nutritious with the fiber and antioxidant-rich ingredients of broccoli, cauliflower and apple as well as healthy omega-3 fatty acids from the walnuts. For nut-free, use sunflower seeds instead of walnuts. For egg-free, use an egg-free mayo.

Add more veggies to your plate with this Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad that’s tossed in a creamy, lemony garlic dressing. @tessemeas Click To Tweet

Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad in a white bowl

Interested in giving Tessemae’s a try? You can place an order of a 4-pack or 6-pack here. Unsure of what to order? Here are my faves: Creamy Ranch, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Lemon Garlic, Creamy Caesar, Buffalo Sauce, BBQ Sauce.

OK, so now my approach to “getting back on track…” No extremes here.

I don’t love the phrase “getting back on track” as it can sound a bit extreme. But to me it defines a time in life when you refocus on your health goals and ready to take action. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing since returning from my Utah travels. I have about 6 weeks before I travel again so during those weeks I plan to really focus on what I’m choosing to nourish my body with, how I’m choosing to move my body and make it a priority and also make sure to fit in “down” time – time to “just be.”

So here’s what I do to “get back on track:”

  • Meal plan, meal prep, eat veggie-filled meals, healthy fats, quality protein and say no to sugar, alcohol and mindless snacking. Sometimes I like to kick this off with 7-14 days of Whole30 eating.
  • Plan my workouts for the week. I like to mix it up with CrossFit (2-3 days a week) at Fairmont CrossFit, Sarah Beth Yoga and workouts from Nourish Move Love. I also walk daily and occasionally go for a run. If there is a day where I’m feeling too sore to tackle a higher intensity workout and that’s what I have planned, I’ll change my plan and do yoga or go for a run/walk instead. #listentoyourbody
  • Plan “me” time and set boundaries around work. This starts with my morning routine of coffee, walking around the yard with my pups, and planning my day. I also commit to nightly walks with my pups, Walter and Lucy and sometimes Shane, my husband, and Putz, our goofy cat. I’m also working on developing the habit of not working passed 7 p.m.
  • Hydrate! I aim for 100 oz. of water per day.
  • Keep a journal. Jot down what you eat,  how you feel, your daily movement, how many hours of sleep you get at night and whatever else you’d like to keep track of. Journaling is a great way to help you stay accountable to your goals.

That’s it! It usually takes just a few days for me to start feeling better. What do you do to “get back on track?” Comment below!

Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad on a spoon being lifted towards the camera

I hope you found that helpful! And now it’s time to join me in increasing your veggie intake too by giving this Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Garlic Dressing a try!

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Let's Get Cookin'

Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

Add more veggies to your plate with this Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad that’s tossed in a creamy, lemony garlic dressing. Whole30 | Gluten-free

  • Author: Stacie Hassing
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Whole30 | Salad
Print Recipe
★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Ingredients

  • 2–3 small heads of broccoli, chopped (3–4 cups)
  • 1 head cauliflower (3–4 cups)
  • 1 medium apple, diced
  • 2 celery ribs, diced (3/4 cup)
  • 1/2 medium red onion, diced (1 cup)
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries  (Made In Nature are Whole30 compliant) 
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (sub sunflower seeds for nut-free)
  • 2/3 cup Tessemae’s Lemon Garlic Dressing (or see recipe option below) 
  • 1/3 cup mayo
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme (optional)
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, toss together all of the ingredients except for the dressing, mayo and thyme.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon dressing, mayo and fresh thyme. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
  3. Add the dressing to the large bowl and toss until well combined. Let salad sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow veggies to marinate in the dressing.
  4. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.

Notes

Prep tip: This salad can be made a day in advance. Add the walnuts just before serving so that they keep their crunch.

Homemade Lemon Garlic Dressing:

Whisk together –

  • 1/3 cup organic olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
  • Calories: 250
  • Sugar: 7 g
  • Sodium: 200 mg
  • Fat: 20 g
  • Carbohydrates: 13 g
  • Fiber: 4 g
  • Protein: 4 g

Pin now to enjoy later!

Pinterest image for Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

Pinterest image for Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad


This post was made possible by our friends at Tessemae’s. Though we received compensation for this post, the opinions expressed here are  – as always -100% our own. Thank you for supporting the great companies we work with thereby allowing us to continue creating great recipes and content for you.

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!

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About Stacie Hassing

Stacie is a Licensed and Registered Dietitian from rural southern Minnesota where she, her husband and daughter reside with their two pups. She’s a co-founder of The Real Food RDs and content creator of simple and wholesome recipes. She loves all kinds of fitness and has a passion to inspire as many as she can live a healthier and happier life both in and out of the kitchen - the driving force behind the co-development of the The Real Food RDs brand.

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Reader Interactions

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  1. Sara Lidke says

    August 15, 2018 at 8:31 am

    So yummy. Going to try. I don’t see apples in the recipe?

    Reply
    • Stacie Hassing says

      August 15, 2018 at 9:54 am

      Oh goodness! So sorry about that. Thanks for the catch. The apple has been added 🙂

      Reply
  2. Joanne Shier says

    August 16, 2018 at 5:46 am

    Your recipes always look amazing but it takes forever to actually get to the recipe having to go through all the advertisements. It would be appreciated if there was a recipe for the dressing rather than promoting Tessemaes dressing. I can’t afford to spend $50 on dressing to be shipped no charge and I don’t even know that they would ship to Canada

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      August 16, 2018 at 6:59 am

      Hi Joanne,

      Thanks for your valuable feedback. Advertisements and sponsored content are how we make a living sharing recipes that are – and will always be – 100% free to our readers. I hear what you’re saying about products that are not available to you in which case we do our best to provide substitutions. In this case, mixing olive or avocado oil with a bit of lemon juice and garlic powder (or fresh, minced garlic) will do the trick.

      Reply
    • Julie Jurek says

      August 16, 2019 at 10:38 am

      This was so good! I made it for my lunches this week. I’m currently eating day five, which is the last of it, and it’s still pretty fresh tasting! I’m not currently on whole 30 and added a little crumbled blue cheese. 🙂 Will definitely make again!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  3. Lisa Jackson says

    January 30, 2019 at 7:20 am

    If I make this a day ahead of serving, will the apple turn brown?

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      January 30, 2019 at 4:23 pm

      Hi Lisa,

      No, they won’t. I’ve made it plenty of times and they don’t brown. Though if you’re worried (and need it to look really pretty) I’d suggest tossing the diced apples with a little splash of lemon juice before adding them to the salad just to be sure.

      Reply
  4. Emmy Nelson says

    April 21, 2019 at 9:35 pm

    Made this for Easter dinner today and it was a hit! Used dried cherries instead of cranberries since I had them on hand. Tasty and pretty — thanks for a nice side that’s special for a holiday table.

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      April 22, 2019 at 4:35 pm

      This is so great – we’re glad you loved it. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  5. Tammy Christoph says

    June 4, 2019 at 5:14 pm

    I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve made this recipe since you first posted it (making tonight as a matter of fact). It is so yummy!!! Perfect compliment to any protein and great for lunches!

    Reply
  6. Jeanne says

    June 24, 2019 at 6:18 pm

    Hi sounds good! What do you suggest if you can’t have lemon?

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      June 27, 2019 at 1:51 pm

      Hi Jeanne,

      You can substitute apple cider vinegar for the lemon juice in this recipe.

      Reply
  7. LAURIE ANN ARGUE says

    July 31, 2019 at 11:06 am

    Thank you for providing a homemade option for Lemon Garlic Dressing. It’s wonderful and makes the Apple, Broccoli and Cauliflower salad!

    Reply
  8. Gracie says

    July 25, 2020 at 10:01 pm

    Can you omit the mayo in this recipe? I’ve recently switched to a vegan diet and am not a big fan of vegan mayo.

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      July 26, 2020 at 4:04 pm

      Yes, you can. Or you could use a plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt.

      Reply
  9. Roseanne Morgan says

    September 14, 2020 at 7:35 pm

    Could you substitute riced cauliflower for the florets without compromising the recipe?

    Reply
    • Stacie Hassing says

      September 15, 2020 at 7:49 am

      I think so. It will add a different texture but it will still be delicious!

      Reply
  10. Tracy says

    January 11, 2021 at 12:50 pm

    Love this salad.

    Reply
  11. SAK says

    February 23, 2021 at 9:33 am

    Love this! Super easy to make, refreshing and great to snack on leftovers through the week!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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The Real Food Dietitians is the passion-driven product of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists Stacie Hassing and Jessica Beacom. They’ve combined their love of nutrition, health and real food with the concepts of ease and convenience to bring you recipes that are big on flavor but short on ingredients.

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