Do you like broccoli? I love it, and not just because it’s good for you. If you’re looking for another way to enjoy it raw, this is a delicious salad. For me, this salad forms the base of a dinner, rather than a side dish. Leftovers also make for a great lunch to pack for the office.

While a great, fresh head of broccoli is the star of this recipe, it gets its kick from red onions, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and just the right amount of bacon.

This is quick and easy to prepare, but you’ll want to allow to allow an hour for the assembled salad to chill in the refrigerator.

Ingredients – the Salad

Broccoli crowns – 5 to 6 cups of the florets (same the stems for soup), finely chopped

Red onion – 1/3 cup, diced

Dried cranberries – 1/3 cup; dice the cranberries in half

Sunflower seeds – 1/3 cup, unsalted

Bacon – 12 slices, cooked and crumbled in bite-sized pieces

Ingredients – the Dressing

Mayonnaise – 1/2 cup

Apple cider vinegar -2 tablespoons (30 ml)

Sugar – 2 teaspoons

Pepper – to taste

Salt – if desired; I find the bacon lends all the saltiness you might want

Preparation

The salad: Cook 12 slices of bacon until just crisp, and then crumble it into pieces. We found that microwaving the bacon works nicely for this recipe. Set the pieces aside to cool.

Prep your dressing: Combine half a cup of mayonnaise with two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and two teaspoons of sugar. Stir in a bit of pepper, to taste.

Back to the salad: Wash and finely chop 5 – 6 cups of broccoli florets, and combine them in a bowl with 1/3 cup of diced red onion. Stir in 1/3 cup of chopped cranberries and 1/3 cup of sunflower seeds.

Stir in the bacon pieces, and then pour the dressing over the salad before setting it in the refrigerator for an hour (or more) before serving. Enjoy!

Linens: from France, and beautifully washable