Broccoli Salad With Mandarin Oranges and Cashews
"A colorful and attractive salad with just the right combination of flavors--we especially love the tanginess from the cider vinegar. Fantastic! I sometimes replace the cashews with roasted sunflower seeds, and the mandarin oranges with raisins--it's great either way! Best made a day ahead of serving."
photo by BecR2400
- Ready In:
- 8hrs 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Serves:
-
8-12
ingredients
- 2 medium head fresh broccoli, washed and trimmed (do not use frozen)
- 1⁄2 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1⁄2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup roasted cashews (or roasted sunflower seeds)
- 1⁄2 cup canned mandarin orange segments, chopped and drained (or raisins)
- 1 1⁄4 cups grated mozzarella cheese (optional)
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3⁄4 cup good quality mayonnaise (such as Hellman's or Best Foods)
- 1⁄3 cup sugar
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
directions
- Chop the broccoli into bite-sized florets.
- Mix together broccoli, red onion, bacon, cashews, mandarin oranges, and mozzarella (if using) in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl combine vinegar, sugar, oil, and mayo. Whisk in the salt and pepper.
- Pour over broccoli mixture and toss to coat.
- Best if made a day ahead.
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Reviews
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The mandarin oranges add such an appealing color to this wonderful broccoli salad. I made as written and tasted, then let sit the recommend 24 hours. Wow what a flavor difference those 24 hours made. I did not use the optional mozzarella for fear it would be distracting. As a matter of personal taste will increase the red onion to 3/4 cup next time, thanks for the post. -
I sampled this salad at the store. It was great! I loved it. Went home and made it. But I blanched the broccoli first. Great salad. I'm making it for a church function. -
This salad is outstanding! Crispy and sweet with a deliciously tangy dressing! Even though I blanched the broccoli for a minute, it had a nice crunch and stood up well to the dressing. I used fresh Florida mandarin oranges and blanched, roasted almonds instead of the cashews. This will be a regular in my house! Made and reviewed for the farm hoe-down event. -
I've had this salad from the store and made by a relative. I always enjoy it, but the raw broccoli is just a bit too much for me. I made it today for the first time and quickly blanched the broccoli, like some other people commented they had tried. Wonderful! Just what it needed. Still crunchy, but takes that edge off the texture and flavor that I always had a slight reserve about. The color is beautiful, too. The other thing I did, by accident, was leave out the sugar. When I tasted it I kept thinking it needed to be sweeter, I added a little more orange and got on with the three other things I was doing. When I noticed the recipe called for sugar, the amount seemed like too much, so I put in a scant 1/8 Cup. Delicious!
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The salad has a tasty and tangy dressing, lots of crunch, and colorful presentation. It would be perfect for spring potluck functions. I used small clementines instead of canned mandarins and stirred in the bacon and cheese right before serving. A salad I'll be making again. thank you for sharing the recipe!
Tweaks
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The salad has a tasty and tangy dressing, lots of crunch, and colorful presentation. It would be perfect for spring potluck functions. I used small clementines instead of canned mandarins and stirred in the bacon and cheese right before serving. A salad I'll be making again. thank you for sharing the recipe!
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This salad is outstanding! Crispy and sweet with a deliciously tangy dressing! Even though I blanched the broccoli for a minute, it had a nice crunch and stood up well to the dressing. I used fresh Florida mandarin oranges and blanched, roasted almonds instead of the cashews. This will be a regular in my house! Made and reviewed for the farm hoe-down event.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>Married to my sweetheart for almost forty years and we have two wonderful children who are grown and have flown the coop. Also, we have been blessed with a wonderful son-in-law and beautiful daughter-in-law, plus FIVE grandchildren: two beautiful granddaughters ages five and eight, and three sweet adorable little grandsons ages 2 months, 2 years and 3 years. My husband and I share a combination of English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Dutch, Swiss, Polish, Austrian, German and French heritage, and our son-in-law and daughter-in-law are both Hispanic. We've traveled extensively to many countries abroad (we lived in Germany), and have traveled and lived in several states here in the U.S.A. Many of the recipes I post here are influenced by our combined heritage or from our travels, or they are old family favorites that I want to share with you. I hope you enjoy! Have been to culinary school with many years of cooking (mostly for my family) under my belt, so know my way around a kitchen. And I'm very lucky to have the best sous chef in the world, dddddh! One of my favorite chefs of all time is Jacques Pepin! I have several of his cookbooks, and enjoy watching his television cooking show Fast Food My Way. Another top favorite is Julia Child (of course!). A few other chefs I read/enjoy watching on t.v. are: Giada At Home, Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa, Nigella Lawson's Nigella Bites, and Patti's Mexican Kitchen, and many more. On my bucket list is dining at Thomas Keller's establishment The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California... as well as Alice Waters' Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and the James Beard award winning Tartine Bakery and Cafe in San Francisco. One day!! Hobbies/Interests: Decorating with fresh flowers and herbs from the garden is my passion, and brings me deep joy! It's really hard to beat!! I love connecting with others who enjoy the same. Gardening, decorating, sewing, music, dancing, film, and reading are also up there. Spending quality time with my grandchildren, family, and friends (and cooking holiday meals!). Currently, a newfound passion has been so richly rewarding for me: genealogical research. I heart ancestry dot com. And last but certainly not least, I absolutely LOVE cats--we have two half-Siamese fur babies (cats) that allow us to live here!! A Note of Thanks~ I try to personally thank everyone who kindly makes and reviews my recipes, but sometimes I am busy, late, or may forget. Please know that I am always humbled that you would try one of my recipes, and I enjoy reading the reviews and seeing all the pretty photographs. Thanks so much! </p>
