Years ago I happened to try a broccoli cranberry salad at a pot luck. I’m still surprised I tried it – raw broccoli is generally not my thing, but THIS. THIS form of raw broccoli is my thing. Because it’s small pieces of broccoli swimming among the amazingness of good ingredient friends that all work together to form the yummiest salad ever. Bacon, golden raisins, cranberries, walnuts? It was so good that I harassed the poor woman who brought it until she shared her recipe. She was so tired of hearing from me about it that she titled it “The Coveted Broccoli Salad” – and that it was. I love to make it for new moms – because it’s the kind of thing you can just grab a spoonful of if you’re in a hurry. Or serve as a side dish. Or have a whole bowl for lunch.
Here’s the recipe that I’m 101% sure you’ll love too, unless you hate yummy things: (the nuts can be skipped if you’re a no-nut person. I think it’d still be good without them. Similarly, if bacon is not your thing, you could skip that. But skip the nuts AND the bacon? Dunno. That’s getting kind of crazy.)
Until this time, I’d always used dried cranberries rather than fresh. It works well, you just skip the sugar that you’d otherwise add to the cranberries since dried cranberries are typically already sweetened. And for good reason- I tried a fresh one without the sugar and regretted it immediately. WHOA. But fresh cranberries with sugar make this delish, and I really enjoyed cutting them, because who knew how beautiful they are inside? I had no idea! I also had no idea that there are tiny adorable seeds in there.
And while I’m on the topic of natural beauty, shredding cabbage is also lovely.
I think it’s a colorful and fun side dish for thanksgiving. No cooking involved and easily made-ahead. Just as good if not better the next few days as the flavors soak together but the broccoli and cabbage remain pretty crunchy.
I made this this past Saturday to join a group of Virginia Beach bloggers for a get-together at Jess’ house. She sets a lovely scene, doesn’t she?
via jessrabbott on instagram
You might think a group of bloggers getting together would be sort of DIY crazy, but it was relaxed and very, very real. Jess, Alida, Cindy, Linda and Zoe were there. We talked about our kids and patience and potty training and how hard it is to parent them as they grow and make their own decisions. We ate a very normal mix of homemade and boxed-mix and store-bought food. Nobody was up at the crack of dawn making elaborate anything. Reading blogs and scrolling through Pinterest would lead anyone to believe that food/craft/DIY bloggers lead fantastic lives, and maybe they do, but not in the everything-over-the-top sense. Enriched moments here and there is more the case. In this get-together, as with any as I think about the upcoming holidays, taking the time to be kind and genuine is what’s important.
Love this recipe but might not be the best for nursing new moms as broccoli and cabbage can give lots of babies gas. (wish mine did not fall into this category) Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Well, as a nursing mom myself, I haven’t had that problem, but there are lots (and lots!) of perspectives on it. This is the nursing dietary philosophy I’ve embraced. http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-foods/ — which I’m sharing because I know that my own rounds with elimination diets were pretty difficult and ended up being unnecessary. Each mama’s gotta do what they’ve gotta do!
I was looking for a new and fun side dish to take to a get together on Sunday! This came at the perfect time. It sounds so yummy! I’m going to exchange the walnuts for pecans, because that is the kind of nut that I am. :)
“Enriched moments” –yes, that’s a great way to think about it.
I can attest to how yummy this salad is!:)
I enjoyed meeting you and the rest of the ladies on Saturday, Susan. I found it interesting that the talk was mainly about ourselves and our families…not sewing/crafting as one might think!