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Evil Broccoli Salad

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Broccoli salad makes a great potluck dish

Chopped up broccoli florets make up most of this tasty salad, but some of the other ingredients include bacon, raisins, sunflower seeds, and cashews. This lens contains a little history of my recipe, and I have variants, including a way to make it completely vegan.

I first had a similar broccoli salad at a Fourth of July party when visiting relatives in Idaho. My aunt Ellen made it. I thought for sure it would be awful - broccoli and raisins in a mayonnaise dressing? But somehow, it all worked.

I was haunted by the broccoli salad for years. I finally did an internet search for some of the ingredients to see what would turn up. There were lots of recipes. The one I picked came from a Lutheran church website, which has been lost in the sands of internet time.

I've been asked for my broccoli recipe many times. There was one woman that I gave it to who said she was in catering. She said that she would have to change it a bit to make it work in the catering environment. I have since seen a dish called Joan's Broccoli Madness at the local Sweet Tomatoes salad bar, but my family all agree that my Evil Broccoli Salad is far superior.

The Root of All Evil

Two ingredients make the Evil Broccoli Salad particularly "evil."

bacon

mayonnaise

Bacon

This salad is best made with a thick bacon

I get Niman Ranch bacon from my local Trader Joe's. There's also a butcher shop not too far from here that does their own bacon. More expensive, but it can be worth it!

Evil Broccoli Salad: The Ingredients

The Components of Calyxa's Evil Broccoli Salad

Here are the ingredients you will need in order to make Evil Broccoli Salad.
  • 5 strips thick bacon; cooked, cooled, and crumbled
  • 4 cups chopped broccoli florets
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • salad dressing (recipe below!)

Prepare and Assemble the Evil Broccoli Salad

Here are the steps necessary to make Evil Broccoli Salad

First, cook your bacon.



Next, chop up your broccoli. Here's my broccoli before chopping and then after chopping:





Then measure out 1/2 cup each of sunflower seeds, cashew pieces, and golden raisins:







Toss all these ingredients in a bowl and then mix up the following salad dressing.

The Salad Dressing Ingredients

What goes into the dressing for Evil Broccoli Salad

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Dress, Toss, and Chill

Dress the salad, mix well, and then chill for 2 or 3 hours

Once the dressing ingredients are well blended in a bowl, put the dressing on the salad. Toss well. Put the Evil Broccoli Salad in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours. Toss once more before serving.

About Mayonnaise

I prefer Best Foods Real Mayonnaise for my Evil Broccoli Salad

On the West Coast, it's called Best Foods. On the East Coast, you'll find it as Hellman's. Under either label, this one is the best.

I can't stand Miracle Whip, so I can't even imagine making Evil Broccoli Salad using a Miracle Whip dressing, but I know plenty of people swear by it. Use at your own risk!

I've had good success with using as little as 1/3 cup of mayonnaise mixed with 2/3 cup of non-fat plain yogurt.

Something I haven't tried yet is to use a soy-based mayonnaise, but with that and substituting chopped apple for the bacon, the Evil Broccoli Salad can be made completely vegan.

Mayo - Make Your Own!

Want to make your salad dressing completely from scratch?

Why buy mayonnaise when you can make your own out of your own fresh ingredients?
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Best Foods or Miracle Whip?

Let the holy mayonnaise war begin!

People can be fanatic about their brand loyalties, but the choice of Best Foods versus Miracle Whip is one of the better known rivalries. Which side are you on?

Pick your poison:

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Best Foods says it all - it is the Best!

mulberry says:

Both mayo and Miracle Whip can be great but to me they are two totally different animals. I know folks who will substitue Miracle Whip for mayo...I don't do that. It's sweet tasting to me and I don't like the substitution.

jwooten80 says:

Well, I don't know if it is because I am from the south, or what, but I have never heard of Best Foods mayonnaise! I do know however, that I do NOT like Miracle Whip! I think it is too sweet. My favorite mayonnaise is Dukes. It always seems to do the trick!

Jimmie says:

Makes no difference to me.

ElizabethJeanAllen says:

Miracle Whip is salad dressing, not mayo. We use Dukes.

OhMe says:

It's Hellman's at our home. I didn't realize it also went by the name Best Foods.

Miracle Whip is nothing short of miraculous!

zachary0611 says:

In North Carolina we eat Duke's mayonnaise.

Treasures-By-Brenda says:

I prefer Miracle Whip although I am not sure we have Best Foods in Canada. I expect it is just what we are raised with or what we become accustomed to. In my case, it is Miracle Whip all the way!

Ravyn says:

Always will be Miracle Whip for me.

GypsyPirate says:

Miracle Whip is all you will find in my fridge!

 
view all 16 comments

Evil Broccoli Salad: Vegetarian, Vegan

Substituting chopped apples for the bacon makes the Evil Broccoli Salad vegetarian. If it is also then made with a soy mayonnaise in the dressing, it can be completely vegan!

The Evil Broccoli Salad Guestbook

Got something to say about Evil Broccoli Salad?

What ingredients are a must-have for you? What is your favorite variant? How do you like your Evil Broccoli Salad?

  • relache May 22, 2012 @ 6:08 pm | delete
    I'll have to be making this sans cashews now, but at least I can get organic bacon and a canola-free mayo to do it!
  • zachary0611 Mar 5, 2012 @ 6:20 pm | delete
    The title got me to come here. I was like what in the world is evil broccoli salad.
  • Frischy Dec 20, 2011 @ 12:18 pm | delete
    Looks yummy! Linking to this recipe from my broccoli-celery salad lens. I'm going to have to give yours a try. I love bacon!
  • Jun 30, 2011 @ 4:52 pm | delete
    I like to make healthy salads and this one, with the apple slices as an alternative for the bacon, sounds interesting. I'll have to try it.
  • ClassyGals Apr 1, 2011 @ 1:16 pm | delete
    No Joke, Angel Blessings! Happy April Fools Day!
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calyxa

Calyxa is most known for creating the Elemental Hexagons divinatory system. She also is known for creating entire planets using a variety of digital landscape... more »

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