Meet Gwen! + Summer Broccoli-Citrus Salad with Prosciutto & Almonds

I recently started reading Gwen’s blog Simply Healthy Family, and I’ve found so many healthy, fresh, and delicious-looking recipes on her site! Gwen is a mother of four and lives in sunny Arizona. She’s a self-proclaimed “greenie” as well as a refreshingly honest blogger who’s not afraid to stand for nutrition. My kind of girl! This sun-safe salad looks incredible. I’ll let her take it away from here. Welcome, Gwen!

Hello to all of you Perry’s Plate readers. What an honor to be here on one of my absolute favorite places on the web. I was so excited when Natalie asked me if I’d like to do a guest post for her while she is out of town. Natalie and I share a common interest in healthy and wonderful food so I had to come up with something not only healthy but delicious and fun as well.

In sticking with the Simply Healthy Family standard, I also wanted to keep the dish simple and fuss free. Real Food for Real People. This is a dish anyone can make yet be proud to serve at a picnic or party.

My dad was kind enough to invite all of us over to his gorgeous home for a big family BBQ last week. The weather was absolutely divine here in the suburbs of Phoenix and the huge trees in his backyard and constant cool breeze blowing through them made for a perfect backyard BBQ. My dad is extremely serious about his landscape. It’s a crazy passion that all of us 9 kids tease him about. He is very aware if even one single small plant or shrub ‘burns out’ or is looking sickly and is on top of it immediately. His front and back yards are huge and the variety and beauty of the artfully arranged desert vegetation far surpasses the Botanical Gardens in my opinion. Just ask him the name of a newly planted specimen and he will gladly tell you all about it’s origin and why it is planted exactly where it is. Funny guy. It does create a very serene setting to sit and relax  next to the pool with friends and family. We are lucky ducks.

Oh, my point and I do have one….

The BBQ. Typically, BBQ’s are not the healthiest of events. You have your hamburgers, hot dogs or other hunks of meat. Then there are the sides which usually include one or more of the following unhealthy foods: Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, 7 Layer Bean Dip, Macaroni Salad, Ambrosia Fruit Salad, Baked {sugary} Beans, Potato Chips and Soda or Lemon Aid.

I am given the stink eye when ever I’ve mentioned that I am not in love with any of these foods (o.k., maybe the bean dip). Nope, not even hamburgers. And it’s not just because they are considered unhealthy or because I have anything against meat per say, well that’s not entirely true, but that’s a whooooole other story. I simply just don’t care for those types of food. They are heavy, greasy, mayonnaise-e and leave me feeling Yucky.

Roll up 2 pieces of thinly sliced prosciutto and cut into thin strips.

I’d much rather have a salad that’s a real salad. Which in my view isn’t covered up in mayo or smothered with cheese or Ranch Dressing. I honestly prefer to taste my veggies and to brighten their natural flavors with, well, natural flavors. What a concept huh? Take this Summer Broccoli Salad for instance.

Typically, in my experience at least, when you see a broccoli type salad at a picnic, BBQ, or get together it is tossed in some sort of creamy dressing and that’s if there’s a broccoli salad at all, usually it’s 3 different varieties of potato salad.

I made this salad very light and healthy yet still sweet, salty and tangy. Perfect for an outdoor summer supper. I very quickly blanched the broccoli, then tossed it with lemon and mandarin juices whisked together with a drizzle of Organic honey. To make it worthy of a party side dish, I added oh-so-wonderful Prosciutto and tossed it all together with Mandarin orange segments and thinly sliced almonds which gently stuck to the broccoli giving the salad a bit of a toasty crunch.

Summer Broccoli-Citrus Salad with Prosciutto & Almonds

Total Time: about 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb. broccoli florets
1- 11 oz. can Mandarin Orange segments in light syrup (or natural juices) : Reserve juice.
4 oz. Prosciutto, thinly sliced
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted
1 tablespoon Organic honey
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil. Add broccoli florets and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain broccoli and immerse in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and to chill. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice and zest, juice from the Mandarin oranges, honey, salt and pepper.

In a large bowl toss together broccoli, prosciutto, oranges and almonds. Add the juice mixture and gently toss to coat. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Serves: 6-8 as a side

from Gwen at Simply Healthy Family

30 Minutes and Under, Paleo/Primal, Salads

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