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Musical pairing – Take It To The Limit by Eagles
I laugh whenever I make this salad because the truth of the matter is this: it’s the only recipe both of my sons have specifically asked me for from their childhood. I’m certain it’s not a reflection on my cooking back in the day because I’ve always been a fairly decent cook. My sons ate well, we didn’t eat out in restaurants often as it was just too expensive – and yes, I did indulge them in a McDonald’s Happy Meal more often than I should have (they were far more interested in the ‘prize’ than the meal itself).
I don’t even remember when I started making this salad but I know it was on our table for Easter and was almost always guaranteed to make an appearance at family potlucks or summer BBQs.
And is it just me or has Mother Nature been fiddling with the thermostat again – dang, 104 degrees at 3pm this afternoon! ‘Holy-no-turning-on-the-oven-today, Batman’ – there’s no ‘cooking’ involved. Chop, grate and toss this beauty together in less than 15 minutes; add some crusty bread, a nice bottle of wine, crank up the music and voila – dinner.
And don’t forget to turn off the TV and your cell phones – make eye contact, have conversation, connect!
BROCCOLI SALAD
Serves 6-8 as a side, 4 as a Main Course
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups broccoli florets, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup finely chopped purple onion
- ½ cup dried cherries (raisins/golden raisins are good substitutions)
- ½ cup slivered almonds (shelled sunflower seeds work well too)
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
- ½ cup cooked, chopped bacon (optional)
- 1/3 cup Marzetti’s Slaw dressing (more or less to your liking)
- salt/pepper to taste
METHOD:
- Add broccoli, onion, cherries, almonds and mozzarella into a bowl; add slaw dressing and toss
- Taste and adjust seasonings
- Serve immediately
NOTE: I tend to use less of the slaw dressing simply because I prefer my salads to not swim in dressing – feel free to adjust accordingly.
This is totally a meal in itself for sure. Such a good flavor combo!
I can see why your sons ask for this over and over again. It sounds like summertime comfort food at its best!
I’ve never tried Marzetti’s dressing…….I’ll have to look for it. I love this salad though. It reminds me of my childhood as well. My mom didn’t make it but a neighbor mom made a similar one and I fondly remembering eating it at her house often!
Wonderful salad! I love the mixture of texture and flavor. To bad I read this now, I had plain broccoli at noon.
Love, love this. So summery!
This is a beautiful salad and so good for hot summer days. I have a very similar recipe that I’ve been making since “back in the day” as well. Had almost forgotten about it but now I’m thinking this upcoming 100+ degree weekend will be the perfect time to pull out that old recipe and enjoy it one more time.
What do you mean “bacon optional”? Never in my house!
When my oldest daughter was in first grade, the teacher had all the kids write about their favorite food and then assembled all of the “articles” in a cookbook. Just like you, I was a decent cook and I prepared all the meals. She wrote that Happy Meal was her favorite food; that she unwrapped the prize first, ate some fries, and then forgot all about the meal itself! Horror!
I have eaten broccoli salads before, but never like this one. I leave for Serbia in a week and I am not making any meals there that are “different”, but I am going to try to make this before next Friday (even though our weather is beautiful here in SoCal, as usual:)
XOXO
I can’t wait to try this! What a delicious looking recipe and perfect for the hotter than heck days we are having!