Broccoli is a vegetable that our family stopped eating many years ago because of the impossibility of checking it properly for bugs. The cost of checked frozen broccoli was often a deterrent in buying it.

Recently I noticed that broccoli slaw was being sold in Cedar Market with a hechsher. I was excited and purchased it. Several days after that I noticed a question from a lady on a Trader Joe’s kosher consumer site in which she relayed her confusion in seeing what appeared to her to be “more religious” women buying vegetables that she was told she cannot buy. I actually have suffered from the same perplexity but decided to at least check out broccoli slaw more carefully and was astounded to find both on the CRC site and Star-K site that it is not necessary to buy broccoli slaw with hashgacha because it is made from the stems of the broccoli, which require no special checking. I was elated. The following recipe has become a frequent accompaniment to many Shabbat afternoon lunches and recent barbecues. I especially like it because all ingredients are more healthy than making a slaw with mayonnaise.

Broccoli Slaw

Ingredients:

16 ounces broccoli slaw

1 cup sunflower seeds

2 shallots

1 package ramen noodles

1 cup olive oil

⅓ cup vinegar

⅓ cup sugar

Mix together:

Slaw, scallions cut into small pieces, sunflowers, crushed ramen noodles

Whisk:

Vinegar, sugar, seasoning packet, and pour over salad 10 minutes prior to serving, and mix.

By Nina Glick