Broccoli Salad with Almond and Chile Dressing

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

1/2 cup almond butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. chopped pitted dates, raisins, or prunes
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp. salt or 1 Tbsp. tamari
1/2 small serrano pepper, finely chopped (optional)
1/3 cup water
2 heads broccoli, cut into florets and lightly steamed
1/3 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
1 1/2 cups mung bean sprouts

In a food processor, puree almond butter, lemon juice, dates, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, and water until smooth.  Transfer dressing to a large bowl, add broccoli and cilantro and toss well.  Cover and marinate for up to 1 hour, if you like.  Arrange bean sprouts on a large platter, top with broccoli, garnish with cilantro and serve.

Serves 6 to 8.

(The dressing was very tasty! - it would probably be delicious on soba noodles, too.  Make sure to drain your broccoli well after steaming, as mine was a bit watery and it made the sauce too thin.  Also, instead of the mung bean sprouts, I bought a mix of sprouts (like chickpea, lentil, etc.) and I think that tasted nicer, more like a salad.  This salad does not keep too well.  I kept the broccoli and sauce in a separate container from the sprouts, but the sauce breaks down after a day or two.  Perhaps keep the sauce separate and whisk well before using, if you'd like it to keep longer than a day or two.  I also added harissa to the sauce, which gave it a bigger kick than the pepper.)