Broccoli Sunflower Seed Salad

After I had my daughter, I had a lovely group of MOPS moms and neighbors who brought me a month's worth of home-cooked meals so I could focus my attention on more important tasks like snuggling with my baby girl. So many of these meals were very tasty, and all of them were very-much appreciated. One of the meals I was able to snag some recipes from was for a side salad whose main ingredient I don't really even care much for: broccoli. However, this recipe has become one of my family's all-time favorites. I'm so thankful my sweet friend and neighbor was willing to share it with me. 

I decided to make this recipe for Christmas this year, but I had lost it! I'm thinking one of my new year's resolutions needs to be to organize my recipes. I figure as long as I keep sharing them with you all, I'll eventually have them in a safe spot at least. I did an online search for broccoli salad recipes, but I couldn't find this exact one. I remembered the ingredients but not the proportions, and there were no recipes with these exact ingredients. I was fortunate enough to find some with the same salad dressing recipe, so I followed that. Now, a few weeks later, as I was searching for another recipe that I never did find, I found this one. To ensure I never lose it again I will share it with all of you broccoli lovers and haters alike.  And, in case you were wondering, the salad dressing recipe I found online matched this one even though it called for other ingredients like raisins instead of sunflower seeds and cheese. If you like raisins, I guess you could add those in; just please don't tell me about it. I hate raisins more than I hate broccoli.

Ingredients: 
2 large broccoli heads
1/2 medium red onion
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
10 slices bacon



Dressing: 
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar

 







Steps:
1. Cook and crumble bacon. Cut and chop onion. Cut up broccoli.
2. Mix all five ingredients in a large bowl. If you are going to make ahead of time, leave out the bacon until just before serving to keep it crisp.
3. Stir together vinegar, mayo, and sugar for dressing. Pour over the salad and stir thoroughly.

The recipe makes enough for a side dish for 6-8 people. When I served it to my extended family on Christmas, they all loved it, even those who said they don't like broccoli. Aside from this recipe, the only way I'll eat broccoli is if it's drowning in Ranch dip. So if you are searching for a way to get your family to eat broccoli, give this recipe a try!


I'll be sharing this post at some of these parties here.