Broccoli Apple Salad

Once upon a time, when my kids were little, I used to make broccoli all the time. My poor girls ate more broccoli and carrots than Bugs Bunny. (Not sure if he actually likes broccoli...) These days I am mostly cooking for myself and I rarely make broccoli. I eat boatloads of baby spinach, kale, swiss chard, collards, and brussels sprouts. Not so much broccoli.

Then along came Aldi. The produce specials at Aldi are mind-blowing! I bought raspberries recently for $1.09! Baby carrots are often 49 cents. I can't remember what I paid for the broccoli, but I'm guessing it was a good deal because I snatched it right up. And then it sat in the fridge, feeling lonely and neglected while I ate all the baby spinach and brussels sprouts.

Finally a little light bulb lit up inside my brain. I remembered the awesome broccoli salad at Costco. Now that we no longer shop at Costco, I almost forgot about it. Yum! A delicious concoction of broccoli, bacon, dried cranberries, and pine nuts. I decided to try my hand at making it from scratch.

We had almost all the ingredients on hand. Not the pine nuts, so I substituted cashews. I whipped up a very quick and easy dressing. Because I am not a fan of raw broccoli, I stir-fried the florets in the leftover bacon fat. I barely cooked them, so they ended up beautifully green and still crunchy.

If you have red apples, this could be a lovely Christmas-colored salad to bring to a potluck.

Ingredients:

2-3 strips of bacon, cooked until crisp and drained (save bacon fat)
1 large head of broccoli, chopped into small bits
1 small onion, finely chopped (red or sweet is best)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup cashews (or pecans or walnuts or pine nuts)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 apple, chopped
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
1 teas. apple cider vinegar
1/2 teas. salt (or to taste)
1/2 teas. pepper

Stir fry broccoli florets in leftover bacon fat. Cook just until bright green and still crisp.

Mix together mayo, yogurt, vinegar, salt and pepper. Season to taste.

Toss all ingredients together in large bowl until everything is covered with dressing. Serve cold. Makes at least 4 large servings.