Broccoli Salad.

My sister asked me a few weeks ago if I ever had broccoli salad. I hadn’t until now.

And guess what?!

I really like it. Even the floret parts!

Who would of thought…

Raw broccoli!?!

If the thought of raw broccoli doesn’t sound good, you can blanch it.

Broccoli salad can be customized to suit your tastes.

The original recipe I used had tomatoes, cheese, raisins, and bacon. I skipped the tomatoes & cheese. Added sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries instead of raisins. And just before serving, sprinkled on freshly cooked, chopped bacon.

Not bad!

The next day, I ate this salad, sans bacon. It was still good.

Here is the Recipe: (inspired by Paula Deen’s Recipe)

Broccoli Salad
1-2 heads broccoli
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup craisins
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 to 8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)

• Trim off the large leaves from the broccoli stem.
• Remove the tough stalk at the end and wash broccoli head thoroughly.
• Cut the head into florets and the stem into bite-size pieces.
• In a large bowl, combine mayo, sugar, vinegar, salt & pepper.
• Add the broccoli, onion, craisins, and sunflower seeds.
• Toss gently & refrigerate overnight.
• Before serving, add fresh cooked, chopped bacon.
Devour! 

Broccoli salad reminds me of coleslaw. It gets better as it chills in the refrigerator. The ingredients have time to meddle.

The onions in this are pretty loud though. Next time, I will half (maybe fourth) the amount added. I would probably half the dressing mixture too. Since I left out the tomatoes & cheese, the ratio of salad dressing to salad was too much.

Tip: You can mix the dressing together the night before, so the sugar has time to dissolve. Add the onions in too, to take off some of the edge. Whip up the salad the next day!

Have you tried broccoli salad?

Previously on MerelyMarie...