Broccoli Salad - A Little Different

I love the flavors in a traditional broccoli salad - a little sweet, a little salty, a bit of crunch, and bacon! But what I don't like is the raw broccoli. It doesn't absorb any of the other flavors and, in my opinion, there's just too much crunch to it. So I decided to put a twist on it this weekend.

I made this with frozen broccoli florets that I dunked in boiling water for about 30 seconds and then transferred to an ice bath. I then let them drain for a bit while I cooked the bacon and roasted the nuts. The broccoli probably would have benefitted from a ride in my salad spinner to get more water out. I'll have to give that a try next time.

I got this all mixed together and immediately dished up a bowl to taste. I was a bit disappointed. The broccoli was lacking flavor. Everything else was on point. However, the next day, there it was! Exactly what I was looking for. Tasty and not too crunchy. Well, here goes:

4 cups frozen broccoli florets
6 strips bacon, cooked crisp
3 tablespoons red onion, sliced thin and chopped
2 tablespoons dried cranberries (or raisins)
3 tablespoons roasted walnuts, chopped (or almonds, sunflower seeds, etc.)

Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar

Thaw the broccoli, either by the method described above or by simply taking it out of the freezer and allowing it to come to room temperature. Cut florets into bite-size pieces and let drain in a sieve while you prepare everything else.

Roast the nuts at 250 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them - they can go from "not yet" to burnt in seconds.

While the nuts are roasting, mix the dressing. Place the mayo, vinegar, and sugar together in a bowl and whisk until smooth and well blended.

Roughly chop the cranberries - or leave them whole if you prefer.

Crumble or chop the bacon.

Mix all ingredients with the dressing and stir until well coated.

Now, here's the important part - refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to meld. Then enjoy!

Confession: I didn't measure anything for this except when making the dressing. Put in as much or as little of each ingredient as you like. Except the broccoli - you kinda need all of that.