Broccoli Cauliflower Salad!

This is a great salad if you are just tired of the usual tossed salad.  It goes great with just about anything and you can prepare it ahead of time.  It's especially good for the holiday menu if you add the dried Craisins to it for that pop of color. 

 Here is what you will need for this one:

2 cups of broccoli florets, chopped in bite size pieces

2 cups cauliflower florets, chopped in bit size pieces

1 small red onion, diced (can use a sweet onion like a Vidalia or similar)

1 cup sunflower shelled sunflower seeds

1/2 cup Craisins or raisins (optional)

1 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup real bacon bits (can use bacon fried crisp and crumbled)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a salad bowl mix the broccoli, cauliflower, onion, sunflower seeds and Craisins, if using them.

In a separate bowl stir together the mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar until the sugar dissolves.  Pour over the salad ingredients and toss.  Refrigerate until time to serve.

Right before serving sprinkle the top with the bacon and shredded cheese.







Lawn Mower Salad!

One of our Sweet Tea and Cornbread friends wrote and asked if I had the recipe for the "Lawn Mower Salad".  I had not really heard of the this salad, but now that she asked, I was intrigued.  I found a few recipes, but not many.  I ended up combining a couple of them and then adding some of my own ingredients.  I took this to my one of 'The Sister's' birthday luncheons and got the two thumbs up from everyone, so it was a success.  

 For those who don't have a clue what I am referring to,  my mother has five sisters and they have a lunch in honor of each of their birthdays.  This one was for my mother's September birthday.  They are all wonderful southern cooks, so the food is unbelievably good and very plentiful at these gatherings.  I will be featuring a few new recipes we had that day later this week, so be watching! 

 

This is what you will need for this salad:

1 (12 oz.) bag broccoli slaw mix

1 bunch of green onions, sliced including some of the green blades

1 cup salted cashew pieces

1 cup Craisins dried cranberries (can use raisins)

1/2 cup oil (whatever you prefer, vegetable, canola or extra virgin olive oil)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup rice wine or cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 tsp. soy sauce

2 pkgs. chicken flavored Ramen noodles, crushed with seasoning packets reserved

In a salad bowl toss together the broccoli slaw mix, green onions, cashews and Craisins.  

In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, vinegar, water, soy sauce, and Ramen seasoning packets.  Whisk until the sugar and seasoning mix is dissolved.

Pour this mixture over the salad and toss.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.  You can prepare this several hours ahead of time.  The salad just gets tastier.

Right before serving,  sprinkle in the crushed Ramen noodles and toss all of the ingredients so that they all have some of the dressing on them.   If you do not want the noodles crunchy and like them softer, add them before refrigerating.   I like them with a little crunch.







Tortellini and Broccoli Harvest Salad!

This delicious broccoli salad is perfect for Springtime dining and with the addition of cheese filled tortellini, it can be a light lunch or dinner main course as well as a great side salad.  This can also be made the night before, but I do like to leave the bacon out until I serve.  I just like the bacon to remain crisp.  

This recipe is perfect to take to pot lucks or for large family gatherings, because it does make a lot of salad.  If you are cooking for a smaller family, you can easily just cut this recipe in half.  Here is what you will need for this:

1 lb. bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

20 oz. tortellini, cooked according to package direction and then drained and rinsed under cold water (can use fresh or frozen and the tri -color is pretty)

2 heads fresh broccoli, stems removed and the florets cut in bite size pieces

1 cup dried cranberries (can use raisins)

1 cup sunflower seeds

4 green onions, chopped including some of the green blades

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup sugar

3 Tbs. cider vinegar (white will work also)

pinch of salt

pinch of black pepper

In a large mixing bowl, combine the broccoli florets, cranberries or raisins, sunflower seeds, green onions and tortellini. 

In a smaller bowl mix the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

Pour over the broccoli mixture and combine well.

I like to chill this for about an hour before serving, but you can serve immediately.  Right before serving, mix 2/3 of the bacon into the salad and sprinkle 1/3 on top.   This holds up well for 2-3 days in the refrigerator if you do have leftovers.

Tortellini and Broccoli Harvest Salad!







Sunshine Broccoli Salad!

We have been making this broccoli salad in our family for years.  Every time I make it to take to a potluck or something, it never fails that I am asked by several people for the recipe.  Now it seems that a lot of the delis and diners in our area are serving a similar broccoli salad and it is always one their most popular menu items.  

 Here is what you need for this salad:

Ingredients:

1 large head of broccoli (about 4 cups when chopped into bite size pieces)

1 cup chopped sweet onion (I used Vidalia)

1 cup raisins or dried cranberries (I like to use the dried cranberries during the holidays especially)

1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds (can substitute other nuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup mayonaisse

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbs. white vinegar

dash of salt and black pepper

6-7 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Wash the broccoli and cut off the stems, chop the heads into bite size pieces.  You can chop some of the tender part of the stems to use also.  Discard the rest. Place the chopped broccoli and mixing bowl.  Add the chopped onion, raisins or dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. I add other nuts as well sometimes. as I did in this one.  Walnuts, pecans, almonds or even cashews are good.

Add the shredded cheese.  Mix the mayonaisse, sugar and vinegar in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves.  Add a dash of salt and black pepper and stir.   Pour the dressing over the other ingredients and fold it all together until the ingredients are coated. 

You can then crumble the bacon over the top and serve.  You can make this several hours ahead of time earlier in the day and refrigerate, but don't add the bacon until time to serve so that it stays nice and crisp.

Delicious served with just about any main course!