I know all of you have had a raw broccoli salad. But I have to say that this particular recipe is a little different and, in my opinion, a real winner. It comes from blogger Kathleen at Gonna Want Seconds. What makes it so special is the addition of orange zest and juice to the dressing. It also incorporates grapes into the mix. It is beautiful to look at and even more refreshing when you taste it.
We have had company for the past week. Our good friends were here for bike week. David made ribs on the grill for the first night they arrived. Instead of the usual coleslaw, I made this broccoli salad to rave reviews. This is something you need to add to your Summer repertoire.
I admire Jackie and Barbara for swimming in our frigid pool. It is not heated and usually swimmable only after April. We had spent the previous day at the beach and, as you can tell by the picture, Barbara overdid the sun. I did also.
So with this preview of summer, I hope you enjoy the salad. Thank you Kathleen for a great recipe.
BROCCOLI SALAD
- Salad:
- Broccoli Florets, Cut into Bite Sized Pieces – 4 Cups
- Red Seedless Grapes, Cut in Half – 2 Cups
- Pecans, Roughly Chopped – 3/4 Cup
- Red Onion, Chopped – 1/2 Cup
- Bacon, Cooked and Chopped – 12 Ounces
- Mozzarella, Cut Into Small Cubes – 1/2 Cup
- Dried Dates or Cranberries – 1/2 Cup
- Dressing:
- Mayonnaise – 1 Cup
- Orange Juice – 1/2 Cup
- Sugar – 1/4 Cup
- Apple Cider Vinegar – 2 Tablespoons
- Fresh Orange Zest – 1 Tablespoon
- Dijon Mustard – 1 Teaspoon
- Salt – 1/4–1/2 Teaspoon
- Black Pepper – 1/4Teaspoon
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, orange juice, sugar, apple cider vinegar, orange zest, Dijon, salt and pepper until smooth and creamy.
- In a large salad bowl, toss together the broccoli, grapes, pecans, red onions, bacon, cheese, and dates. Toss the salad with half the dressing. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Adjust seasoning, adding more salt and pepper and dressing as needed. Serve. (I used all of the dressing)
This is a little different from the recipes I’ve seen but the mozzarella sounds so good to me!
It is a new take on the traditional recipe Ti. Glad you like it and thanks for visiting.
That sounds really good! I love new ways to have broccoli.
I love it too Penny. Try not to put your bacon in until the last minute if you make it ahead of time.
This looks very interesting, Penny, and by that I mean, I want to make it! My mother in law used to say that when she thought I had made something unusual and unappetizing! ;-D
Thanks. I read your post on the chicken as well…a keeper. I don’t know if you saw my last post on roasted chicken but please check it out–I think you will really like it!
Jane
Will try your chicken Jane. I love chicken thighs.
Gorgeous salad Penny and I would prefer it to slaw. It helps me remember that we need to eat more broccoli. I have to say I have definitely fallen in love with lemon and orange zest. What a difference they make in a recipe. I know your friends must have enjoyed Bike Week. We have “accidentally” driven through there a couple of times and what a hoot of a party goes on there! You see a bit of everything…and I do mean everything 🙂
Sam
Bike week is wild and crazy for sure. We girls go in for tamer pursuits like shopping in St. Augustine, eating seafood and lying on the beach with a good book.
It sure would be great to be able to pin your recipes to Pinterest boards. Any chance of that happening? I make broccoli salad often and love the idea of a new twist on it. Thanks for sharing!
Hi tac, I will work on getting a pin button on my site. But I will be pinning this recipe to my Lake Lure Cottage Recipe board.
I did think about checking your boards to see if you pinning there. Now I will for sure. Thanks for the heads up!
Sounds delish. I happen to like broccoli, but bacon, grapes, and nuts makes anything taste good.
I am not sure where Jackie and Barbara live, but usually people coming from a cooler climate think it is swim weather even when we are shivering. 🙂
So true Madonna. They are from NC and Virginia. Our Grandkids also get in the pool in the winter.
Cute girls..and I bet the salad is delish..
Thanks Monique. I have so much fun with those girls!
I like all of the goodies you put in this
They are all good Larry. But if you make it ahead of time, you should wait and add the bacon at the last minute.
Apparently I’m the only person who has never had Broccoli Salad…. Looks delicious, though, so I may have to try this one. Except for the seedless grapes. We don’t have seedless grapes here lol
You could substitute apples Katie. I’m not surprised that the French don’t have broccoli salad. But they have so many other good ones like celery root remoulade.
This is very different from any of the broccoli salads I’ve made or had…it sounds great. When we had our Harley, we used to go to bike week every year. I bet everyone had a good time.
This will probably be our last bike week. Leaving Florida this year. The guys had fun, but we girls are over it.
This version of broccoli salad does look beautiful, Penny. Love that your pool is already open!
Our pool is always open since it on our lanai. LOL. But wish it were heated.
Intriguing combination, Penny. Love the addition of grapes and cheese….the vinaigrette sounds wonderful. Everyone is in salad mode!
I actually left the cheese out of the salad Barbara, but I’m sure it would be a great addition. You could also use apples instead of grapes. What makes it so good is the dressing.
How many servings does this recipe yield?
I would guess 8 servings. Depends on how many other dishes you have on the table. Thanks for visiting MamaHen.