Broccoli Salad with Walnuts and Cranberries
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I need to get motivated. Sometimes in the summer I have a hard time motivating myself to get things done. It’s not that I don’t do anything. It’s because I don’t work full time in the summer so it’s harder for me to get motivated. I often sleep in (well to 7am) and I have trouble getting started in the mornings.
The work that I do in the summer in for my blog. That means I’m often sitting down typing on the computer and editing photos. If it’s a day where I’m cooking and baking then I can usually motivate myself. I get a few hours in of running around the house on those days and once I start cooking I’m pretty motivated.
So the other day I decided to prepare cold salads for the entire week. I figured we could eat them as part of our lunches and even as side dishes for our dinners. I like preparing a few things on the weekends that we can eat all week. Even though I’m not going to school during the week I still like to do my heavy cooking and baking on the weekends because my husband is usually gone most of the day and I can totally mess up the kitchen and dining room.
This week one of the dishes I made is a delicious Broccoli Salad with Walnuts and Cranberries. I’ve made broccoli salad before and it was decent but I was looking for one that had a little more flavor and texture to it. I happen to have a big bag of broccoli in the refrigerator so I went with it.
The dressing was made from mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, salt, and pepper. It’s a very simple dressing but it works well with the broccoli. Then I added in some bacon, red onions, and cheddar cheese. Finally I tossed the salad with chopped walnuts and dried cranberries.
The broccoli salad was delicious! I liked that the dressing was light and creamy. I was afraid it would be a little weird with the cranberries but it wasn’t at all. The cranberries added a nice tartness to the salad while the walnuts and broccoli added crunch. The bacon added a ton of flavor and just the right amount of salt.
This would be a great salad to take to summer parties and picnics. I like how fresh it tastes because the base of it is raw broccoli. Even though the dressing is creamy it’s still a good bit healthier then a traditional pasta or macaroni salad.
Broccoli Salad with Walnuts and Cranberries
Ingredients
- 1/4 c. mayonnaise
- 1/4 c. sour cream
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- salt and pepper
- 4 c. broccoli chopped
- 3 Tablespoons red onion chopped
- 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1/2 c. cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 c. walnuts chopped
- 1/2 c. dried cranberries
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Mix well until combined.
- In a large bowl combine the broccoli, red onion, bacon, cheese, walnuts, and cranberries. Toss to combine.
- Add the dressing to the broccoli salad and toss until everything is well combined.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
I always forget about broccoli salad but it’s such a winner!
healthy and nutritious recipe !ill try it !
The great thing about broccoli salad is that you can use up whatever you have on hand. I love this version with walnuts and dried cranberries.
This was always one of my childhood favorites! Happy #CookoutWeek!