Broccoli Salad

So this past Easter we had a family lunch/dinner at my Sis-in-law Melanie's house, and she made this awesome salad. We got the recipe from her and as I was looking it over to add to the site I discovered I had one incredibly similar already posted from when I took my cooking class back at BYU. Who knew? 

I certainly hadn't been using it lately and I definitely fell in love the version I had at Easter so I decided to update and kind of mash the two recipes together, hence all the options for quantities! Seriously though, you can just eyeball everything and it will still turn out fantastic, it's that great. 

Hearty enough to be a meal on it's own with a side of rolls/bread/cornbread or whatever else you want! The dressing recipe included is the halved proportions. We found that the original had to much dressing for our taste. So if you like more dressing with your salad, it can easily be doubled.

INGREDIENTS:
For Salad:

• 1 large head (3-4 cups) of fresh broccoli, washed and trimmed
• ¼ - ½ cup red onion, finely diced
• ½ - 1 cup craisins or raisins

Optional (but highly recommended) Mix-Ins:

• 4 - 6 strips of bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
• ½ - 1 cup shredded cheese (I've used sharp cheddar and Parmesan before, both great) 
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup pepitas
• ½ - 1 cup cashews or chopped pecans or walnuts

For Dressing:

• 1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (can substitute w/ regular vinegar if it’s all you have)
• 2 Tbsp sugar

PREPARATION:

1. In small separate bowl, make salad dressing by combining all ingredients. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, preferably overnight.
2. Cut broccoli into small florets, peel the stem and cut into 1/2" pieces.
3. Combine broccoli, onions, craisins, nuts, bacon, and cheese.
4. Pour dressing over salad.
5. Refrigerate until ready to serve and toss before serving

Note: This salad can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for hours, even overnight.