Broccoli Salad

This is one of my favorite salads to bring to a pot-luck meal. I always come home with an empty bowl, and get lots of requests for the recipe. I have been making this salad for a long time and don’t remember where I learned to make it. These days I pretty much make it from memory. It’s that easy.

Basically it consists of raw broccoli and sliced celery combined with green grapes, and golden raisins. I also like to add some salted sunflower seeds for additional texture. The dressing is made up of mayonnaise and yogurt, or sour cream, with some sugar added and white vinegar. As you can imagine there’s lots of “crunch” to it provided by the broccoli and celery, and that is off-set by the sweetness and juiciness of grapes and raisins.

Everyone seems to love it, even children. Probably because of the sweetness. So for anyone needing a way to introduce more vegetables into their diet, this salad, I believe, is a good place to start.

In my experience I find that the flavors blend better if you make the salad and refrigerate it at least an hour before you want to serve it. It keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator if you should happen to have any left over. The amount of the individual ingredients is flexible, so you can put in as much of any ingredient as suits your taste.

BROCCOLI SALAD

Yield: Servings: 8

All the ingredients you need.

Ingredients:

4 cups small broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups seedless green grapes, halved
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup salted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (or sour cream)
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon white vinegar

Directions:

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Combine mayonnaise, and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Pour dressing over broccoli mixture, and toss well. Chill for at least an hour before serving.