In all my years, I’ve never made a broccoli salad before. I had them or should I say, I’d seen them at potlucks. I just never tried them, because I am not a fan of raw broccoli. Then, Doug Williams, the owner of Ms. Dot’s White BBQ Sauce, shared some recipes with me that uses the speciality, southern sauce and there it was, Broccoli Salad. Hmmm. It seemed easy to put together and I had everything on hand, including the Ms. Dot’s White BBQ Sauce. I whipped it up and I tell you what, this turned out to be one of my all time favorite salads! So much so it’s on my 4th of July menu. The recipe below is exactly how I made it and I have to tell you, after it sits in the fridge overnight, it tastes even better the next day. My husband even said, “anybody would like broccoli if they got to eat it like this”. So there you have it, the Dan Dengler stamp of approval. Even the kids enjoyed it. I was concerned about the red onion, but it really contributes to the flavor depth of the salad. In fact all the flavors and textures come together perfectly in this fabulous summer salad. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Ingredients:
5-6 cups broccoli florets, about 3 heads of broccoli. Blanched in boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain. Place in an ice bath for a few minutes, drain and dry florets.
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, do NOT use the finely shredded stuff (I shredded up some sharp Tillamook)
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup yellow raisins
1/2 cup crumbled bacon
1/2 cup salted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup red onion diced up small
1 Bottle Ms. Dot’s White BBQ Sauce
Directions:
In a large bowl mix in all your ingredients. Toss well before serving. Keeps up to 4 days in a sealed container in your refrigerator. Enjoy!
