Broccoli Salad

 It's been a minute since I have given this blog the attention it deserves. Over the past few years since my divorce, I felt a little lost, not really feeling it. Maybe not so much lost as tired. Really tired...but accomplished. In the past 6 years...holy moly it's been SIX YEARS! I finished my degree, I went back to work full-time, I moved to a new town, I got into a healthy relationship, I got my teaching certification, and I have been working with the most amazing kiddos. But, that did not leave much time for me to do things like create recipes and keep up with a blog. The mental impact of prior life events probably took the most out of me to be honest, but I am very happily on the other side. 

Enter breathing new life into this forgotten piece of web space. Let's try to forget when I made the attempt at doing so a few years back, changing the name of my blog to appease someone who did not like my original name. I had to go through each of the old posts, unpublish them and republish them so that they can be found with this blog. Soooo, let's get started, and get this Lady back in the Kitchen. BTW, Sarah J...this one is for you, as you have always been my biggest blog supporter. Love you girl. Now let's make some Broccoli Salad!

I have always had allergies, and I found out when I was 35 that I had a whole slew of food allergies. I went from eating whatever I wanted (and feeling like crap) to having a doctor scratch his head and tell me he has no idea how I never ended up in the hospital while he put in a prescription for an Epi-pen for me. Talk about a depressing realization. Misery loves company I guess, and I am so fortunate to have found my soulmate when it comes to not only life but also allergies! Justin has horrible allergies and food intolerances, and I have found myself once again navigating my way through the kitchen to make good for us food taste like normal food...Like Broccoli Salad. 

Broccoli Salad

2 crowns of broccoli, chopped into little florets

1/4 of a small red onion, diced

4 slices of uncured bacon, cooked crispy and chopped

4 Medjool dates, pitted, and chopped

1/3 cup of slivered almonds, toasted

1/3 cup of shredded cheddar (I used raw cheddar, shredded off the block)

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

1 1/2 TBS apple cider vinegar

1 TBS of honey

1/2 tsp of poppy seeds

salt & pepper to taste

1. Blanch the chopped broccoli in salted, boiling water until it turns bright green. This should not take more than a couple of minutes. Immediately drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. 

2. In a bowl, combine the cooled broccoli, red onion, dates, bacon, and almonds. 

3. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, and poppy seeds, and whisk to combine. 

4. Pour the mayonnaise mixture (Dressing) over the broccoli salad, and toss to combine. Add  the shredded cheddar, season with salt and pepper, and toss. 

5. Plate up and eat. We ate ours with grilled chicken. 

This salad screams backyard BBQ in the summer. Depending on how salty your bacon is, you may not have to add much salt. It's slightly smoky, a little sweet, a little salty, and just so full of different flavors and textures. It's soooo good. You're welcome.