Curry Broccoli Salad with Bacon

Ahhhh, Sunday night….seems to be the most refreshing night of the week.  Perhaps it's because we all relax, inside the air conditioned house, eating pizza (which was delivery), watching TV and re-living the excitement of the weekend.

We started the weekend with another little adventure down to Rock Cut State Park in Loves Park, IL, just north of Rockford.  Wanted to get some hiking in during the afternoon since we were heading to Belvidere for Landon's baseball tournament anyway.

It took us a little while to find a starting point and get our bearings, but ultimately, we found a nice hiking trail and a creek, which was quite refreshing for the kids to splash around in a bit.

Before we continued on our way we had to get another picture…funny thing about these groupies, is that Landon doesn't want to get too close to Alayna, so instead, he is barely in the picture at all.

The time we spend together in nature is so precious, I am so thankful for the conversations, jokes and silliness, along with a few life lessons, that we share while alone together in the woods.  

On Saturday, we had a overdue and much-needed quiet morning, only scheduled outing was to the Janesville Farmers Market, which is a family favorite.  Then, after more baseball, we met up with some friends for the Freedom Fest fireworks…which is where today's recipe comes in.

Curry Broccoli Salad with Bacon was my dish to pass at the get together and it was a pretty big hit, if I do say so myself.

Another amazing combination of fabulous flavors and textures and with all of that broccoli, it is practically guilt-free!

This salad consists of almost all household staples, the golden raisins were the only special purchase I had to make for this salad.

Starting with about 5 cups of broccoli florets, added 1 medium onion, chopped, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1 cup of golden raisins (could have been less, but was generous with them since I bought them especially for this recipe) and 6 slices of bacon, crumbled on top.

For the dressing, 1 generous cup of mayonnaise, 2 tsp curry power, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tbsp apple cider all whisked together.

Pour it right over the salad. 

Stir it up and refrigerate.  

I really like the way that the broccoli starts to soften, just a little bit, and the raisins start to plump after sitting in the refrigerator for just a few hours.  

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

Salad:

5 cups of broccoli florets
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup of golden raisins
6 slices of bacon - crumbled

Dressing:
1 cup of mayonnaise
2 tsp curry power
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp apple cider

Whisk up the dressing and pour it over the salad, refrigerate before serving. 

Anyway you mix it, still a great summer salad!