Broccoli Salad

This broccoli salad has been in my family for a long time. I am not really sure where it originally came from, but it may have been from a church cookbook my mom has that includes many Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. This salad has a dressing that is typical of the Amish/Mennonite salads with a creamy and mildly sweet/sour flavor. I have seen and tasted many variations of this salad and many are equally tasty. This picture shows it with only the ingredients listed on the recipe I have. However, I have seen it made with sunflower seeds or other types of dried fruit.

Many people, especially children, do not enjoy the flavor of raw broccoli. This salad is a great way to get some people to eat vitamin-rich broccoli with the added benefit of some protein from the peanuts. My children like this better than plain raw broccoli, and it is a nice dish for potluck dinners.



Ingredients:                                                        Serves: approx. 8

• 1 very large or about 3 small heads of broccoli, rinsed and chopped, removing the thick and hard stem first. (I use the smaller stem parts that do not have such thick-skinned and chop them small.)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 1/2 cup bacon bits
• 1/2 cup golden raisins

Mix above ingredients together.

To make dressing, mix the following together:

• 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup sugar or zylitol or other granulated sweetener
• 3 Tbsp vinegar (I have used either white wine or apple cider vinegar with good results)

Combine the dressing with the other ingredients and then allow to marinate in the refrigerator for several hours. This salad lasts well for some time.

** Another great variation is to use red onions, dried sweetened cranberries and chopped cauliflower and leave out the nuts and raisins.

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