Good Eating Monday: Broccoli Raisin Salad

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It's August! Lots of dog days of heat left for us here in Florida!
My Good Eating blog posts serve as kind of a "recipe box" for me.
I often use them as references for all my favorites!
So, the other day when I decided to make Broccoli Raisin Salad I was surprised to discover I've never posted it! Nor do I remember where I wrote it down. I had to make it from memory, though my memory is pretty good.

If you're tired of the "usual lettuce" salad, Broccoli Raisin Salad makes a great change of pace! It's fantastic for pitch-in meals and a great way to use all that broccoli growing in your garden!
It just calls for fresh broccoli, raisins, bacon bits, chopped walnuts & mandarin oranges!
Though I don't usually care for uncooked Broccoli, this salad is the one way I'll eat it by the bowlful!

The photo is just a general one from Pinterest to give you an idea what it looks like.

Broccoli Raisin Salad
Ingredients
4 cups fresh Broccoli chopped into small bite size pieces (about 2 6-inch heads)
1 cup raisins 
1/2 cup Real Bacon Bits
1/ 2 cup chopped walnuts
1 15oz can Mandarin oranges, drain & save the juice for the dressing! 
Options: snipped green onions or thinly sliced red onion.

Dressing:
3/4 cup mayo or Miracle Whip
2-3 Tablespoons Mandarin orange juice
2 Tablespoons flavored vinegar ( apple, red wine, balsamic)
2 Tablespoons sugar or Splenda
Shake of salt

Directions:
Cut up your broccoli florets & stems into fairly small bite size pieces and pour into a large bowl. Add raisins, Bacon Bits & chopped walnuts. (And onions, if you're using them.) Gently toss to combine. Don't add Mandarin oranges yet--they'll be added last, after dressing.
In a small bowl: whisk together mayo or miracle, Mandarin juice, vinegar, sugar & shake of salt till smooth. This is a sweet-sour dressing, so do taste it and adjust with more sugar or vinegar until it tastes right to you. The dressing should have a nice tangy-sweet flavor.
Pour dressing over broccoli mix and toss till well coated. Now add Mandarin oranges and fold very gently several times to mix, so they stay whole. 
Refrigerate an hour before serving. Servers 8 to 10.
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Serving suggestion: this tangy sweet-sour Broccoli salad is especially delicious served as a side-dish with a spicy kielbasa or any kind!
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Eat up, me hearties, yo-ho!

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