Since broccoli is on sale this week, I thought I’d share my best broccoli salad recipe that I take to many, many family functions. I get requests for it all the time. Such as: Make sure you bring that broccoli salad to the Father’s Day picnic. However, those attending the show ask me for the recipe for the broccoli salad. Therefore, I can wholeheartedly recommend it and am glad to share it with you.

Gretchen’s Broccoli Salad

1 pound bacon, fried crisp and drained

3 bunches of broccoli, finely chopped

1/2 cup raisins or crasins

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or you can use pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds)

1 medium red onion

1/2 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise

1/4 cup of unrefined sugar

1/4 cup Bragg’s apple cider vinegar

Mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar and reserve. Let them mix for 20 to 30 minutes.

Mix broccoli, grapes, sunflower seeds, and onion. Then pour the above mixture over it and then top with the fried bacon.

Mix everything together and refrigerate overnight. In fact, you can do it the same day as long as you have at least 5 hours to marinate the flavors. This is not a low calorie or low cholesterol dish. But it is very filling and satisfying. It will keep you away from the dessert table because you will be so satisfied.

If you like, you can substitute 1/4 cup of raw sugar for the agave nectar. Or you could use a powdered sugar substitute like splenda or stevia. I use the rule of thumb: 3 packs and then test… to see where I like it. Otherwise, you can exaggerate the sweet taste with an artificial substitution. Some people feel that it changes the recipe and can tell the difference, but not me. But maybe I’m used to it too.

Another way to cut calories in this recipe is to use turkey bacon instead of real bacon. It has about half the calories. But honestly, I don’t care about the taste. You just have to pick and choose your battles, so to speak. I would rather cut the amount of bacon in half, to half a pound (8 ounces) of regular bacon and get the real flavor.

You can also use Hellman’s Light Mayonnaise in place of regular mayonnaise. Again, cut the calories in half. You’ll have to be careful with a watery consistency if you choose to do that. So be careful and stir often if using a light version of mayonnaise.

Enjoy.

I want to share my best broccoli salad recipe that I take to many, many family functions. I get requests for it all the time.