This vegan broccoli salad with cashew curry dressing uses no mayonnaise or dairy. The dressing gives the salad some nice creaminess while adding a nice kick of spice.

Whenever I'm at a party and see a creamy cole slaw or broccoli salad, I look the other way. What makes up the "creamy" party of the salads can range from gloppy mayo to yogurt or sour cream or a combination of all three.

Not only do I avoid dairy, I also worry about the time those salads sit in the sun. I hate to watch those milk products forming a film that you could bounce a quarter off of, which brings me to this recipe for a mayi-free vegan broccoli salad.

This vegan broccoli salad has a cashew curry sauce that gives it a nice little zip that broccoli haters may want to try out.

This is also a fully raw salad.

Many believe that cooking food removes the nutrients, so keeping food in its most natural state is a way to maintain all of the healthy benefits.

It can be beneficial as well to make your system work a little to break down cruciferous veggies like broccoli.

I've become kind of obsessed with this dressing - using it as a dip for other veggies or just having some for breakfast with celery.

This recipe will give you more than you need for your salad, so there will be plenty of opportunity for further cashew curry dipping after.

Vegan Broccoli Salad with Cashew Curry Dressing

Salad Serves About 4 and Makes About 2 Cups Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 heads of broccoli, trimmed and cut into small florets

• 2 carrots

• 1/2 cup of raisins

Cashew Curry Dressing

• 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight in water

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 garlic clove

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or other sweetener of your choice)

• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon Muchi Curry

• 2/3 cup of water

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse the cashews after they are soaked in water overnight. Place in a food processor or high speed blender, and add the remaining dressing ingredients, taking care to slowly add the water, adjusting more or less until it reaches your ideal consistency. It should be fluid enough to pour over your salad, but thick enough to stick to the florets.

2. Place the broccoli florets in a bowl and add enough dressing so it coats the broccoli. You won't need all of it. Then use a vegetable peeler to add strands of carrots to the salad. Toss with raisins and serve.

Looking for other healthy salad inspiration?