Not Your Average Broccoli And Raisin Salad - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb broccoli
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1 small red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup roasted sunflower seeds or 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Dressing
5 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 teaspoon orange zest, finely minced
5 5 tablespoons tofu mayonnaise or 5 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon raspberry vinegar (optional)
2 teaspoons sugar, to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt
white pepper

Preparation

Toast the sunflower seeds. Let cool.
Trim bottom 2 inches off the end of the broccoli stalks.
In large pot of boiling water, lighlty blanch the broccoli for about 3-4 minutes. Immediately rinse with cold water and drain. Set aside.
In small non-reactive bowl combine all the dressing ingredients except for the vinegar and blend well with hand-held immersion blender. Taste and adjust dressing. If too sweet start by adding 1/4 teaspoon but up to 1 teaspoon of the raspberry vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
Once cool enough to handle, dice the broccoli stems and chop up the florets into bite-size pieces. Place the cut up broccoli into a large salad bowl with the carrots, onion, raisins, and sunflower seeds.
Keep salad refrigerated until time to serve. Serve chilled.