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A Perfect Salad for Labor Day: Broccoli Crunch
What are you serving for Labor Day?
When I lived in Colorado Springs, the Whole Foods near our house made this incredible broccoli salad. I thought it was the best thing ever invented, and I was willing to plunk down $7.99 a pound for it. It made me happy.
When I moved away, I was sad, but figured I would at least save a little money. But then, one day, when I was at a pot luck with some girls from church, a great huge bowl of the salad sat on the counter. And it tasted exactly right. I was practically giddy.
When I asked the girl about it, she just brushed it off like she had made it a thousand times instead of paying five bucks for a tiny bowl of it. Apparently it’s a pretty popular salad, and apparently all you have to do it google it and you’ll get a hundred different ways of making it.
This is the perfect kind of salad for Labor Day. It has a lot of interesting flavors, and has things like bacon and cashews—things you might not ordinarily have on hand in the kitchen, so it’s perfect for a special occasion.
This is my recipe, which I have adapted to taste like the one I have have come to know and love.
Broccoli Crunch Salad
1 cup raisins or dried currants (I prefer the currants, but they aren’t carried at all stores)
1 cup fruit juice, such as apple or white grape
5 strips bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled
1 cup roasted and salted cashews
1/2 small red onion, very finely sliced
2 pounds broccoli florets, cut into generous bite size pieces
Sweet Dressing (recipe follows)
In a small bowl, cover the raisins (or currants) with the juice and microwave on high for 1 minute. Drain the raisins. Put raisins in a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Toss to coat the florets in the dressing.
Sweet Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (if you don’t have the pure kind, just substitute regular sugar)
pinch of kosher salt and pepper
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
Whisk all ingredients until smooth.
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3 Comments
[...] Broccoli Crunch Salad [...]
Fourth of July Recipes MegaGuide | Family Kitchen commented on Jul 01 11 at 12:38 pmBarbara commented on Sep 04 10 at 7:06 pmI have only recently stumbled across your blog. I must say it is derailing all my attempts at housekeeping as I find myself drifting back to the laptop to read the archives. This, this!, is a most wonderful thing today. I, too, would brush off the making of this salad as nothing. I have made it a thousand times, each time to rave reviews. It is absolutely one of my family’s favourites. However, never have I added cashews (my recipe was puny little sunflower seeds…never again!). And to think, maple syrup in the dressing…. My only tweak is that instead of using currents we use dried cranberries. Just the right tartness to add another happy layer, in my mind. Thanks for sharing this, and for your lovely blog in general. My husband and I and our 7 kids will be happy to sample your wares :-)
http://www.fuelbybarbara.blogspot.com
JulieVR commented on Sep 05 10 at 11:58 amI’m making this for a barbecue we’re going to today. Thanks!!
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