Salad: Broccoli Crunch

Pulled from the three-ring binder my mom gave me of “our family’s treasured recipes” I’ve been wanting for this broccoli crunch salad for forever now.

It simply took me a bit because the recipe had zero measurements and I needed to figure that part out. But alas it’s done and oh is it satisfying. Because a) broccoli! You know how A regular here my broccoli. And b) bacon. For the same exact reasons as a). Throw in all the other crunchy things like roasted sunflower seeds, pepitas and red onion. And let’s not forget the slightly sweet dried cranberries and a 3-ingredient poppyseed salad dressing. And simply like that, you’ve got yourself the go-to broccoli crunch salad EVER.

This is a great picnic salad. It’s also great to serve at a barbecue or as a side dish for dinner. Wednesday night I served this broccoli crunch salad as a side with grilled chicken breasts and corn and man, it was so satisfying. In fact, Pat and came back for seconds and then thirds. I blame the bacon. And the crunchy! All the ingredients tie in so well with one another and I loved how the dressing softened the broccoli a bit so it gets a little tender than straight up raw broccoli.

To cook this Broccoli Crunch Salad Set out:

• a large head of broccoli, trimmed and cut into bitesize florets
• bacon
• red onion
• pipitas
• sunflower seeds
• mayo
• cider vinegar
• poppy seeds
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl combine 2/3 cup mayonnaise, 1-1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons poppy seeds and pinches of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to your preferred taste.

Whisk until combined.

Prep, measure and add the broccoli florets from a large head of broccoli, 4 strips of cooked bacon that have been, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/3 cup pepitas, 1/4 cup (unsalted) roasted sunflower seeds and 1/3 cup diced red onion.

Pour in all of the dressing.

Then simply toss to coat.

You could of course could serve this right away, but it truly benefits from time in the fridge. At least an hour or more.

Serve wherever, whenever.

Enjoy! And if you give this Broccoli Crunch Salad recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!