charred broccoli + red onion salad w/ shaved apples + arugula | dolly and oatmeal

i'm not sure if it's like this everywhere, but nyc is in this awesome seasonal in-between with cool mornings and evenings, warm abundant afternoon sunshine; there are remnants of late summer tomatoes and watermelon on our kitchen counter, and the sweetest of winter squash varieties chillin' right beside them. the market is a hybrid of summer, fall, and bits of winter too, with corn cobs piled high next to buckets of butternut squash. there are tables littered with a rainbow of tomatoes, plums, brussels sprouts, and pole beans. these earthy, dewy autumn mornings are definitely growing on me this year too. we inherited a crab apple tree in our backyard which had been providing us much needed shade all summer long, and now we get to enjoy its leaves changing color and its apples mature.

while i'm still not sure i'm ready for pumpkin recipes yet, (soon, i promise!), i'm easing away from summer salads and switching some of the components up with warm, hearty produce. i've been making apple, red onion, and arugula salad with a tahini dressing for years (it was even a post way back when!) but with the shift in seasons i wanted to make this salad a bit heavier. broccoli is perhaps my favorite vegetable ever, and to my delight a few of the vendors at the market have been selling it for the past few weeks. so for this rendition, charring the broccoli and onion adds a warmer, caramelized flavor and is totally welcomed by shaved crunchy apples; and the lemony tahini is super tart and zingy, but elevates this to a next-level, early autumnal salad!

also, last week i was over at yahoo food talking about my "food journey", blogging, and gluten-free misconceptions, you can read more here, if you like. also, some of the work i do outside of the blog is freelance photography. i recently shot the cover for the sweetgreen fall newspaper, and upon flipping through the twitters i saw none other than cindy crawford holding a copy and just about lost my sh!t - you slay, cindy, you slay!

hope your week is off to an awesome one! xo

charred broccoli + red onion salad w/ shaved apples + arugula (v + gf)

any fresh apple will do here, but i really love honeycrisp or gala apples. they're tart, juicy, and super crunchy which makes the textures in this salad really pop.

| serves 2 |

creamy lemon dressing

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (roughly 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons water
4-5 tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
fresh pepper

salad

1 head broccoli, cut into florets (roughly 3 cups)
1 medium red onion, sliced into wedges
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
half of 1 apple (preferably honeycrisp or gala)
2-3 cups baby arugula
1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

method

in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, water, and 4 tablespoons of the tahini; add the oil, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. if the dressing is too thick, add the remaining tablespoon of tahini, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. cover and set to the side. (the dressing can also be prepared ahead of time.)
preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. in a large bowl, toss broccoli, onions, oil, and season with salt and pepper. transfer the broccoli and onion to the baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, until the broccoli is charred in places. use tongs and remove the broccoli, place the onions back in the oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until browned in places. remove from the oven and set aside.
in a large bowl, toss together the charred broccoli and onion with the apple, arugula, and 3/4 of the hazelnuts. give the dressing a stir and drizzle it over the top of the bowl, toss again, adding more dressing if desired. serve the salad and top with remaining hazelnuts.

enjoy!