This salad always made an appearance with our holiday spread. Typically you would see it in a large glass bowl nestled between the stuffing and the sweet potato casserole. It was always one of my favorite holiday dishes. Its bright green color stark against the muted colors of the rest of the food. This Healthy Broccoli Cranberry Salad is fresh, crisp, and combines the sweet and savory flavors of the holidays.
Growing up, we would pull out grandma’s recipe and make the Broccoli Cranberry Salad for our holiday gatherings. When I was younger, my Grandma’s perfect cursive seemed like some type of chef’s secret code. This is one of those recipes full of so many good memories.
If you are looking for more holiday recipes, check out the Grain Free Stuffing, Sweet Potato Sliders, or the “Brown Sugar” Glazed Spice Cake
One day when I was feeling nostalgic and a little homesick, I made the recipe but with an AIP twist. My Grandma’s original recipe includes some less than AIP compliant ingredients (mayonnaise, sugar, and almonds to name a few).
Micah, my husband, looked at the salad skeptically as it sat on his plate. He is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Fresh veggies are not high on his favorite foods list. Honestly I didn’t expect to get raving reviews from him (I made it more for me than for him). But after his first bite and a moment of contemplation, he looked at me saying, “This is one of my favorite salads you’ve made, and I don’t like raw broccoli.” That was when I knew I had to share this Healthy Broccoli Cranberry Salad. I think my Grandma would be proud.
Tips for making Healthy Broccoli Cranberry Salad
So, obviously salad measurements are not precise. When you are making the salad you can add a little more or a little less to get the perfect ratio. Want more bacon? Add more bacon! Do you really like dried cranberries? Throw another handful in! You can also check out the photos to get a better idea of the sizes of the produce.
For the bacon, you can do more or less depending on what you have. My general policy is, the more the merrier. So if you are worried you won’t have enough, make more!
Use purple onions if you can. Not only do purple onions add nice color to your salad (it adds to the “oooh-ahh” factor), but purple onions also offer great flavor to the Healthy Broccoli Cranberry Salad.
This salad lasts 4-5 days in the refrigerator, but the longer you let it sit the more limp the veggies become. In the dressing it will last a little longer than a traditional leaf salad, and the vinegar dressing helps the apples to keep from browning.
If you want, you can make this salad at least a day before you serve it. If you make it a little beforehand it helps the flavors to combine well, but again, don’t make it too soon or it will get limp and lose its crunchy punch.
Instructions on making Healthy Broccoli Cranberry Salad
Start by heating the skillet on medium high heat, place the bacon in the skillet, and fry for 8-10 minutes. Make sure to flip occasionally to get optimal crispness.
While bacon is frying, wash your vegetables then start cutting the veggies into pieces. The key to a good Healthy Broccoli Salad is to make sure to chop everything into small bite sized pieces.
Chop your celery, apple, onion, and head of broccoli into small pieces and put into a large mixing bowl.
Take bacon when it is done and pat some of the grease off with paper towels before you cut it into pieces. Don’t skip this step because cold bacon grease in a salad is just not anyone’s style.
Chop the bacon into pieces, add the dried cranberries, and toss the salad until mixed.
In a separate bowl mix the olive oil, coconut milk, honey and vinegar for the salad. Stir until the ingredients have blended together. Drizzle all of the dressing over the salad.
Toss the salad again and serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
If you are looking for more holiday recipes, check out these!
Healthy Broccoli Cranberry Salad
Ingredients
Broccoli Cranberry Salad
- 4-6 slices Bacon Use more if your bacon is thin
- 1 Medium Head of broccoli
- 1 Medium Apple
- 1 Small Purple onion
- 3 Small Stalks of celery
- ¼ Cup Dried cranberries
Salad Dressing
- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons Coconut milk
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
- Start by heating the skillet on medium high heat, place the bacon in the skillet, and fry for 8-10 minutes. Make sure to flip occasionally to get optimal crispness.
- While bacon is frying, wash your vegetables then start cutting the veggies into pieces. The key to a good Healthy Broccoli Salad is to make sure to chop everything into small bite sized pieces.
- Chop your celery, apple, onion, and head of broccoli into small pieces and put them into a large mixing bowl.
- Take the bacon when it is done and pat some of the grease off with paper towels before you cut it into pieces. Don't skip this step because cold bacon grease in a salad is just not anyone’s style.
- Chop the bacon into pieces and add the bacon and dried cranberries to the bowl. Toss the salad ingredients until mixed.
- In a separate bowl mix the olive oil, coconut milk, honey and vinegar for the salad. Stir until the ingredients have blended together. Drizzle all of the dressing over the salad.
- Toss the salad again and serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
Broccoli has a definite strong flavor and the first time I made this I was skeptical about mixing all of this together. Once you taste this combination you will find it is surprising how the tangy flavors of apple and dried cranberries compliment the broccoli and bacon bits! This keeps well and makes a great plan ahead.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! And I agree, It is great to make ahead of time to cut down on time in the kitchen later!