Broccoli Bacon Salad

One of my favorite “picnic” salads is the broccoli salad. It’s creamy from mayo or miracle whip, sweet from the golden raisins, and salty from the onions and bacon. Mmmm…

I had a whole bag of broccoli in the fridge that needed to be dealt with before going bad. I didn’t have any mayo on hand, so I had to get creative.

After some mixing and concocting, I came up with this zippy (slightly tangy) broccoli and bacon salad.

broccoli bacon salad

Broccoli, raisins, almonds, turkey bacon, and an apple…

broccoli bacon salad broccoli bacon salad

…topped with a mildly sweet and tangy honey lime vinaigrette.

broccoli bacon salad   broccoli apple bacon salad broccoli apple bacon salad broccoli apple bacon salad broccoli apple bacon salad

The perfect texture and taste combination: crunchy, sweet, salty, and zippy!

broccoli apple bacon salad

It tastes best if you let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving to let all of the flavors co-mingle and allow the salad to settle.

Broccoli Bacon Salad
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Ingredients
  • 2 heads broccoli florets only, chopped
  • 5 pieces crispy turkey bacon, diced
  • 1/ cup almonds, chopped
  • ¾ cup raisins
  • 1 small apple, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp. pumpkin oil (omit and replace with olive oil if you don’t have pumpkin oil)
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1.5 Tbsp. dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • dash onion powder
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl mix together broccoli, bacon, almonds, raisins and apple. Set aside.
  2. In a food processor, puree garlic, lime juice, oil, dijon mustard, vinegar, honey, onion powder, salt and pepper.
  3. Poor liquid mixture over broccoli and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Recipe adapted from: The Healthy Foodie

It’s easy, it’s mayo-free, it’s tangy and it’s a nice spin on an ol’ fav!

What are some of your favorite “picnic” salads? Besides the broccoli salad I also really enjoy cabbage ramen noodle salad, Italian pasta salad and taco salad. Then again, it isn’t too often I meet a salad I don’t enjoy.

 

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