Broccoli Salad

These past few days of 90+ temperatures – our first official heat wave (in May no less!) – had me craving salads and food that would not require turning on the stove or standing over a hot pan. This is the kind of weather where I will usually grill chicken breasts, a piece of salmon or some shrimp to keep on hand for one-bowl dinner salads –clean out the produce drawer, and invite all the veggies you have!   

This broccoli salad is similar to many others found on-line. It is really easy and delicious, and wierdly enough, made for a good breakfast this morning. It adapts easily to substitutions and can be scaled up if you need to make a large quantity.

Feel free to substitute raisins, halved red grapes, dried blueberries or dried cherries for the craisins; and pepitas, almonds, pine nuts, flax seeds, sesame seeds or walnuts could easily stand in for the sunflower seeds.  You can substitute balsamic vinegar for the red wine vinegar, or try honey instead of the sugar. Perhaps crumbled bleu cheese or feta can be used instead of the cheddar as well.

It is perfect for a picnic or cook-out, or for when the temperature soars and all you want to do is open the fridge and eat salad. Because the broccoli is raw, this salad is best the day after it is made when all of the flavors have mingled and the broccoli softens a bit. 

Broccoli Salad

2 large heads of broccoli, florets only , cut into uniformly small pieces

½ large red onion, minced

4 pieces of bacon, minced, cooked and drained

¼ cup dried cranberries (craisins)

¼ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

¾ cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar

Into a large bowl, mix the broccoli florets, the minced onion, the minced bacon, the cranberries, seeds and cheese until well combined.

In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, the vinegar and the sugar until well combined. Pour this dressing over the broccoli salad and mix really well. Cover bowl and store in refrigerator overnight.