A couple of months ago I started volunteering with Bountiful Baskets as a site coordinator. If you’ve never tried it, head over to their website and check it out. It’s pretty awesome. It’s a non-profit, all volunteer run food co-op. Every week I come home with all this fresh produce and it’s been so much fun to try new things and have such an abundance of fruits and vegetables in the house.
I was trying to think of something new to do with broccoli, and decided to make a salad for a bbq instead of a pasta salad. We loved it. I know usually broccoli salad has raisins, but I really prefer dried cranberries. They add a great tartness. And cashews go great with the broccoli, while you could omit as well if you have nut allergies. See my tip at the bottom for adding extra crunch by using the broccoli stems as well.
This will keep covered in the fridge for at least a couple of days as well, so it’s great for a make-ahead dish for 4th of July potlucks/bbqs too.
BROCCOLI SALAD
8 cups broccoli florets*
1/2 lb bacon (about 6-8 slices) cooked crisp and crumbled
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 cup roasted cashews
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup mayonnaise
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Place the broccoli, bacon, onion, cashews, and cranberries in a large bowl and mix together.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add to the salad and toss to coat evenly.
*I know that you can buy bags of broccoli florets, but I suggest buying uncut heads of broccoli. Cut the florets off in small pieces, then dice some of the stem. It adds a great crunch to the salad.
VARIATIONS: If you’d rather, you can use almonds instead of cashews, or omit nuts all together. You could also use raisins instead of the cranberries, I just prefer the tart cranberries.
Ingredients
- 8 cups broccoli florets*
- 1/2 lb bacon (about 6-8 slices) cooked crisp and crumbled
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup roasted cashews
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- 1 T sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Place the broccoli, bacon, onion, cashews, and cranberries in a large bowl and mix together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add to the salad and toss to coat evenly.
*I know that you can buy bags of broccoli florets, but I suggest buying uncut heads of broccoli. Cut the florets off in small pieces, then dice some of the stem. It adds a great crunch to the salad.
- VARIATIONS: If you’d rather, you can use almonds instead of cashews, or omit nuts all together. Sunflower seeds add a nice crunch as well. You could also use raisins instead of the cranberries, I just prefer the tart cranberries.
