I live my life according to these Four Culinary Truths:
- Nothing is better than food shared with friends.
- Know where your food comes from.
- Slow down, pay attention and enjoy the moment.
- Anything Swimming In Mayo Is A Salad.
While I earnestly try to live by items 1 through 3 I must admit just a little facetiousness with the last little entry. But I do marvel at those bowls of creamy offerings presented from coast to coast. You know what I’m talking about: Potato Salad (bound in mayo), Salad Olivier (bound in mayo), Lobster Salad (bound in mayo), I could go on. No, really, I could go on. Because I just happen to love things held together with mayonnaise. Probably a bit too much. And therein lies a problem: I live inside a constant battlezone where salads swimming in mayonnaise call my name every single second of the day. Even if it’s only in my head.
For the record there is nothing wrong with mayonnaise. There is nothing bad with jars of mayo nor handmade creations. There is pure delight in dipping vegetables in it and adding it to spreads and sandwiches. I will never be a Mayo Hater. I’m more of a Mayo Lover Who Has Learned To Control The Urge To Add It To Everything. And why is this? Because I try to adhere to the belief that I should only consume as many calories as I’m willing to burn on a daily basis or something like it. As 40 approaches this becomes more important to me. But enough about my dietary habits. That’s the stuff of boredom.
Try as I may to limit my mayo intake (Okinomiyaki with generous ribbons of Kewpie Mayonnaise on top doesn’t count because it’s Japanese and self-rationalization is a powerful thing) there are just some things that are unavoidable. Currently it’s my fixation with Broccoli Crunch Salad. I have no idea where this salad comes from but the combination of raw broccoli with the sweet bites of raisins and the crunch of nuts makes me so very happy. Oh, and did I mention it’s got mayonnaise all over it? Hellz to the yea.
It’s a very simple salad to make as nothing is cooked. One could argue that bacon is essential to a Broccoli Crunch Salad but it goes against being a very quick salad as you’ll have to fry some up. I don’t believe in cooking bacon to just add it to a salad, no way. It’s too much trouble for me. Is that heresy in this porcine-obsessed country? Probably. But I honestly don’t miss it in this version of Broccoli Crunch Salad. Made with Mayo. Made with Mayo. Made with Mayo.
God I just love typing that.
Broccoli Crunch Salad
You’ll find versions of this salad all over the interwebs. This recipe was adapted from Cooks.com. Some ask for a quick blanching of the broccoli, others cook it until it’s mush. Why bother? I don’t mind raw broccoli but some of you will surely scoff. Go ahead. I’m used to it. And please note that these measurements here are only guides and a salad like this is adaptable. Add more of something if you like.
4 cups of broccoli flowerettes, chopped
2 green onions, diced with both white and green
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 handfuls of golden raisins
2 handfuls of sunflower seeds
1 handful of walnuts
Dressing
1 cup of Mayonnaise
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons of cider vinegar
Mix the dressing ingredients. Toss over the salad ingredients and chill. You can use less dressing if you’d like, it doesn’t have to be completely coated.
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this is very similar to a salad my family used to make – i’m sure this is similar to a salad LOTS of people’s family used to make. i love it, too…and i’m with you on using raw broccoli. mo’ bettah.
Have you tried mayo mixed in cottage cheese? That is my Hubby’s daily lunch. Just a tablespoon or so in at least a cup of cottage cheese. Don’t ask me why.
the flavors and textures of this salad sounds delicious..
Swap out 10% of the olive oil in a vinaigrette with bacon fat and you can justify making bacon just for a salad….or so I hear… not that I have ever done that…. this week…….
Dear Matt, Please tell me you’ve had the pleasure of eating Honey Walnut Prawns… slight crispy outside and soft but not soggy inside… dressed with mayo-honey sauce and candied walnuts. They make some good ones at Sam Woo. Darn, now I’ve made myself miss LA!
Just thought I’d ask since the dressing sound similar.
I’ve been looking for an “Okinomiyaki with generous ribbons of Kewpie Mayonnaise” place. Where do you go?
Wonderful photograph Matt.
Love the shapes here… The bowl looks awesome.
Totally agree with #4: Anything Swimming In Mayo Is A Salad.
Thanks for this! I love broccoli, raw or cooked. My local deli makes a delicious-looking broccoli floret salad that my family enjoys, but it contains bacon, so this vegetarian never partakes. I’ll be making this one for our next gathering!
I have made something similar to this for my family several times and they love it! But I used regular raisins and in the dressing I used sugar vs honey. Your version sounds delicious! And I prefer the flavor of golden raisins… not so sweet. Thank you for sharing.
I’m with you on the mayo (have you tried Trader Joe’s real mayonnaise? It’s actually replaced Best Foods in my kitchen. Which is a Big Deal.) Love it on sandwiches (a cheese sandwich with mayo is (or should be) a rare delight, and I love things like chicken salad, potato salad, and the pea salad I posted last spring, But broccoli, being a Healthy Food, totally negates any unhealthiness of the mayonnaise, which makes this particularly excellent.
I make one similar to that…but mine has slivers of almonds in place of the walnuts…so going to try the walnuts!! My kiddo loves it! We have it at least twice a month. I’ll have to see if she likes the change from almonds to walnuts…
I’ve personally never eaten broccoli with raisins, but it actually sounds very intriguing! I might try this one
Thanks for the tip.
Oh honey, this recipe is missing a very key ingredient. Bacon! My momma makes it with bacon, I make it with turkey bacon. Either way, it’s a must for broccoli salad!
I can’t tell you how much I love pickles, mayonnaise and especially YOU!
Hi Matt,
Do you know what comes to my mind when I’m having not-very-diet-friendly salad? This funny commercial
Your salad looks so crunchy and yummy! And I love to read your diet remarks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISW1IDroVyY&feature=related
You gotta add the bacon… why stop at just mayo when you can add perfectly good, crispy bacon (cut into pieces). Also, when you let the raw broccoli sit in the mayo, it doesn’t taste “raw-like” anymore.
That looks beautiful and delicious! I love mayo too; a bit too much so I might add, but this salad looks like something that is so healthy it is ok to add mayonaise!
Okonomiyaki is NOTHING without the mayo, and that tangy tonkatsu sauce (or is it?). I love everything mayo as well, though here in Malaysia, it’s not that widely used.
As a former Midwesterner, salads bound with mayo are close to my heart. Personally, I would go ahead and add the bacon and rationalize that the broccoli balances it out. Kinda like vodka and orange juice.
You have just reminded me of a similar salad I used to make with broccoli and a sweet mayo dressing, and now I must go home and make it!!
I’m not a big mayo fan, except for BLT’s, crab cakes, tuna salad, lobster salad and yes, I love brocolli salad. But, it’s one of those things I forget about until reading here. Thanks for reminder, as there is broccoli in the fridge.
Okay, so now my husband is feeling threatened because you are the perfect man! Years ago he read me a paragraph he found hysterically funny by Tom Robbins critically disparaging the mayonnaise lovers of this world. Needless to say I didn’t appreciate the humor! Hail to the mayo lovers!!!