Mar 1, 2009

One of the Best Salads in the World EVER!!


I love a good salad!
Whenever I get a chance to visit my mother and sister in Houston, we go to a great salad bar restaurant called Sweet Tomato.

They have everything you could ever dream of putting on a salad!
But they also have some prepared salads.
This one is my favorite of all time!
Even the kids love it!
There is the crunch of the broccoli, combined with sweetness from the dressing and plump raisins....
Combined with cashews and some crumbled bacon.

I do not usually enjoy raw broccoli, but I can eat this salad by the feedbag full!

Dana's Best Broccoli Salad In The World EVER!
(inspired by Sweet Tomato)

Salad
  • 3-4 heads worth of broccoli florets , cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 medium red onion, diced finely
  • 3/4 cup salted cashew halves, broken
  • 3/4 cup raisins
  • 6 slices bacon, crisp-cooked & crumbled
Dressing
  • 1 cup mayonnaise (or 1/2 cup mayo & 1/2 cup plain yogurt)
  • 5 Tablespoons vinegar (I like salad vinegar)
  • 3 Tablespoons sugar
  • Dash of freshly ground black pepper
Directions -
  1. Combine all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
  3. Pour dressing over salad, mix to coat.
  4. Refrigerate for a few hours to develop flavors. It's best when made the day before!
  5. Enjoy!!
**TIP** Kimmie emailed a wonderful suggestion for those unable to eat nuts.
Substitute water chestnuts for the cashews! YUMMM!
Thanks, Kimmie!!


Photobucket

59 comments:

  1. rebelMarch 1, 2009 at 11:09 PM

    I love that salad. It is one I make and take to most family get togethers. Everybody loves it and I always make a small one to leave at home because I never bring any leftovers back from the dinners.
    I make it just like you do but I have never put any cashews in it. Never even heard of it made with cashews but I bet it is delicious made that way and I am goin' to try it the next time I make it. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. rebelMarch 1, 2009 at 11:11 PM

    Oh I just realized. I put grated sharp cheddar cheese in mine. It's good that way too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMarch 2, 2009 at 4:40 AM

    I love nuts and bacon in a salad! I also like to heat it up a little bit, so it's room temperature. I know that sounds weird, but I find I can taste all the flavors better if it's not very cold. Now I'm hungry!

    ReplyDelete
  4. PearlMarch 2, 2009 at 5:10 AM

    oh my goodness - that is my mom's FAVORITE salad at souplantation/sweet tomatoes. i've always wanted to make it for her, and now i'm absolutely ecstatic that i can recreate it! THANK YOU!

    You are so talented! Do you mind if I add you to my blogroll? I love your blog

    ReplyDelete
  5. JenniferMarch 2, 2009 at 5:25 AM

    Broccoli salad is one of my fav!!! I usually throw in toasted pecans or walnuts vs. the cashews, but I love that idea! Thanks! :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. MomMarch 2, 2009 at 5:18 PM

    We have Sweet Tomato here in Georgia, too.

    It is a wonderful place to eat.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMarch 2, 2009 at 9:59 PM

    OH My Gosh...this looks awesome. Wouldn't you know that it's the middle of the night and there's no open store within 45 miles of us...lol. I could make and eat right now!

    anajz

    ReplyDelete
  8. Native American MommaMarch 2, 2009 at 11:36 PM

    This looks really good. The cashews put it over the top!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Brimful CuriositiesMarch 3, 2009 at 11:00 PM

    Yes, one of my all time favs, too. Who knew broccoli could taste so good?

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousMarch 4, 2009 at 6:48 PM

    I LOVE that salad at Sweet Tomato. I go whenever I am in southern Florida...

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousMarch 4, 2009 at 6:49 PM

    I also LOVE the clam chowder. Heck I love that restuarant!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousMarch 8, 2009 at 10:15 PM

    I love this salad also, so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousMarch 14, 2009 at 8:08 PM

    I love broccoli salad but never tried it with nuts. I will definitely check this one out!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousJune 11, 2009 at 8:08 PM

    Hi Dana! I'm so glad I found your recipe for this salad when I was looking! It is awesome! I must confess that I changed it a little, I used turkey bacon, and I also used Splenda instead of sugar. It tasted soooo good! Thank you so much, I was craving, and this totally hit the spot!!
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  15. ArchaeolawJanuary 30, 2010 at 10:44 PM

    I made this recipe for guests and it was excellent. I divided the batch in half, one to be vegetarian and one regular. In the veggie I used bacos. For both I used 1/2 cup miracle whip and 1/2 cup plan greek yogurt, and other ingredients. For the vinager I used balsamic because thats what I had. It is really excellent, and I am excited to get to the leftovers.

    Oh, and incidentally, I do not like raw broccoli at all, but liked this very much.

    ReplyDelete
  16. MrsblockoAugust 11, 2010 at 7:24 AM

    I made this recipe and wrote about it here: http://tomatoesforapples.blogspot.com/2010/08/faux-sweet-tomatoes-broccoli-salad.html

    Sweet tomatoes has the original recipe posted on the company blog, but I like your recipe better!

    ReplyDelete
  17. SarahMay 18, 2011 at 7:00 PM

    I just made this recipe. I have been craving it for a few months now, I am currently 6 months pregnant. I certainly safisfied my craving. I used sunflower seeds instead of cashews, white onions instead of red onions (it's what I had on hand), and the pre-cooked bacon that is sold on the shelf.
    I will certainly be adding this recipe to one of my regulars and be making it again and again. Thanks for helping make this pregnant girl happy and satifsying my craving!

    ReplyDelete
  18. AnonymousMay 27, 2011 at 9:30 PM

    Try it with Craisins.... it is awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  19. AnonymousAugust 3, 2011 at 6:32 PM

    Just made this recipe .... OMG it is DELICIOUS! The only change I would consider, next time I'll make it with less sugar

    ReplyDelete
  20. CaileanOctober 30, 2011 at 12:18 AM

    I found this recipe via a Google search and it was AWESOME! I had to take it to a party but really wanted to just eat the whole thing! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  21. AnonymousNovember 22, 2011 at 9:41 PM

    I love broccoli salad, and will be making one for Thanksgiving. I wonder how Kraft Mayo with olive oil will work in this instead of regular Mayo?

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnonymousApril 1, 2012 at 7:42 PM

    So good. I added some cayenne pepper & left out the onions. Delicious!!

    ReplyDelete
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    It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for extra articles. You,
    my friend, ROCK! I found simply the information I already searched all over the place and just could not come across. What a perfect web-site. recipes for salad

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  24. AnonymousJune 24, 2012 at 12:27 AM

    I made this salad for a family picnic and now need to bring it to every party it's great!

    ReplyDelete
  25. joieJuly 5, 2012 at 12:26 PM

    delicious! I love this salad. Great recipe. The only change I made was BRIEFLY steaming the broccoli and then allowing to cool first. I'm not a fan of raw broccoli. It greens it up and makes it more tender.

    ReplyDelete
  26. GinaAugust 23, 2012 at 6:43 PM

    I made this salad for a friend's go-away party, it was a great hit :) I added cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds and a hand-ful of dried cranberries...yum, yum. A friend already ask me for the recipe. It's one of my favorite salad. Thank you for sharing, Dana!

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