Meatless Monday: Broccoli Salad

It’s almost BBQ season and I can’t wait. Who doesn’t love a nice veggie burger or vegan brat hot off the grill? Or better yet, all the sides and desserts! Those are actually my favorite.

One of my favorite local grocery stores has a phenomenal broccoli salad. It’s flavorful and light, and it’s a really easy item for us to pick up when we don’t know what else we’re having for dinner. Since we love it so much, I thought I’d give it a whirl at home and see if I could come up with something similar and equally as tasty.

For most broccoli salads, there’s a lot of added sugar. I’m trying to stay away from added sugars as much as I can (yes, I know, ice cream doesn’t really help my plight all that much. I have a weakness!) so instead of using sugar, I opted for honey as a sweetener for the dressing. I also used imitation bacon bits instead of the real deal, mostly for clean-up purposes but also because it’s not greasy or chewy. I hope you enjoy it!

Broccoli Salad with Honey

Ingredients

1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1-2 Tbsp honey (to taste)
1/2 C mayonnaise
1 head of broccoli florets, torn into bite sized pieces
1/2 red onion, thin sliced and then quartered
1/2 C cashews
1/4 C raisins
1/4 C imitation bacon bits

Directions

Make the dressing:

Combine apple cider vinegar, honey, and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Whisk well to combine.

Make the salad:

Combine broccoli, onion, cashews, raisins, and bacon bits in a large bowl. Toss gently. Drizzle dressing over top of salad ingredients and toss well to evenly coat. Cover the dressed salad and refrigerate for 4-6 hours, or until the flavors have melded together.

Serve and enjoy!