S.M.A.R.T. - Cold Salad - Easy Broccoli Salad

A couple ladies that I watch on YouTube have started a series of videos where they share a recipe on a specific topic each week and invite others to reply with their own videos. It's called S.M.A.R.T. - Sharing Meals and Recipes Together, and here is the introduction video. The topic this week is "cold salads" and I thought I'd join in with this broccoli salad we eat nearly EVERY week per Oscar's request. Since I don't vlog, this will have to do!

This is our speedy/easy version of broccoli salad that we can still whip up if we've both been at work all day.  Sometimes we'll tag team it - one of us chops broccoli while the other mixes dressing and toasts almonds.  Oscar used to want pizza and green beans every week - now it's pizza and broccoli salad.  We start with 2-3 crowns of broccoli chopped up to bite size pieces.

In your salad bowl, mix 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/8 cup agave nectar (or honey or sugar or [insert sweetener here]), salt, pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce.  This isn't precise at all - usually I do a bit extra vinegar with a little less agave. Mix it up.

Add the chopped broccoli and a couple handfuls of dried cranberries.

Toast some sliced almonds (and here is where I usually start doing something and completely forget about the almonds, burning at least half of them.)

Toss the almonds in - burnt or not - and mix it up. Serve and enjoy! If your salad is going to be ready before the rest of your meal, chill it for awhile and add the almonds at the last minute.