Broccoli Salad

We had Mother's Day dinner here yesterday and had this salad. I had a request for the recipe, so I thought I would post it here. This is different than any other broccoli salad recipe I have seen before. Most have raisins and a few other ingredients in them. This one is pretty basic and tastes fabulous (can you say that about a broccoli salad?) I have been able to get those who absolutely detest broccoli to try this and they actually like it!

Broccoli Salad

About 4 bunches of broccoli, cut into small pieces

5 slices bacon, microwaved very crisp (crisp enough to crumble)

1/3 cup purple onion

1/4-1/3 cup sunflower seeds

Dressing

1/2 cup Miracle Whip

2 tbsp cider or red wine vinegar

just under 1/4 cup sugar

Mix all of the salad ingredients together except bacon and seeds. Mix the dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix it in well. Refrigerate a few hours or overnight. Add bacon and seeds just before serving. I have also served this with cashews instead of sunflower seeds and it is tasty that way, too.

There are usually 2-3 bunches of broccoli bound together by a rubber band in the produce section. I use as much of the stems as I can. I cut the end off the stem and then cut it up close to the "head" of the broccoli. I peel the stem and use the inner part. It marinates better and it gets rid of the tough part of the broccoli. I usually use the bacon bits I get from Costco, which works very well and cider vinegar, not red wine vinegar when making this because that's what I usually have on hand. I have tried this with mayonnaise and it just doesn't taste the same, so I stick with Miracle Whip.

If I think there might be salad left, I will leave the sunflower seeds and bacon bits out and let people add them when they sit down to eat the salad. This prevents them from getting soggy if you have leftovers. I do not like my sunflower seeds and bacon soggy.

Enjoy the recipe!