Broccoli, Apple and Bacon Salad

By the time you read this, we will hopefully be in Melbourne for a family wedding and an 80th birthday.  It's looking a bit dodgy at the moment, with Cyclone Marcia hanging off the coast and possibly turning into category 5.  Flights north from Brisbane have already been cancelled, and they are talking about delays to other flights.  Fingers crossed!  I have been madly chopping and juicing and grating today so I can throw things into the freezer. I don't want to come back to veggies leaking out of the crisper, and furry fruit looking like jungle escapees.  I seem to have a thing with zucchinis, where they turn to liquid and ooze out of the plastic bag before I can get around to cooking them.  Oh the horror of picking up a vegetable and having it run out of your fingers.  Well, it can't be worse than finding out you have been eating dog food!  There was once a restaurant in sunny Brisbane, which shamelessly used cans of dog food on their pasta!  My brother in law said it was the best Spag Bol he had ever had.:)  They also had posters in black and white which purported to show spaghetti growing on trees.  I think my sister was fooled for a while there.

So here is a way to use up some fresh produce so you don't come home to horrors lurking in the bottom of your fridge.   A crunchy, healthy salad with a lovely, creamy, slightly rich dressing.  I have adapted this recipe just a tiny bit from a Scrummy Lane blog post.  Thanks Helen for a great idea.

Ingredients:

1 tbs olive oil

200g. (approx. 6 slices) of shortcut rindless bacon, chopped into small pieces
1 large head of broccoli

1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 green apples, chopped

1 lemon, juiced

1/3 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)

1/3 cup toasted nuts - use your fave.  (I used pine nuts and walnuts)

100g. tasty cheese, grated

Black pepper

dressing:

3/4 cup Greek yoghurt
2 tbs mayonnaise
2 tsp grain mustard
1 tbs honey

method:

Heat up the oil and fry the bacon till cooked
Wash and shake dry the broccoli
Chop it up into bite-size pieces
Put the apple pieces into a small bowl and stir the lemon juice through
Take a large salad bowl
In goes the broccoli, followed by the bacon, onion, apples and lemon juice, Craisins, nuts, cheese and pepper
Give it all a really good mix through
Pour over the dressing which has been lightly but firmly stirred together
Now give it another really good mix
Add more pepper if desired
Serve as a side for 4-6 people, or as a main for 2-4 people
This would go nicely with chicken or fish

ingredients

cooking up the bacon 

cheese beautifully grated thanks to the Microplaner

squeezing the lemon juice over the apple pieces 

adding the nuts 

bacon going into the salad bowl with the craisins, onion, apples and nuts  

my home-made grain mustard going into the yoghurt and mayo 

squeezing in the honey  

pouring the creamy dressing over the salad ingredients  

mixing it in thoroughly 

This salad gives your jaw a work-out with all that crunchy broccoli, and gives your taste buds a zing. We ate it all up before I could take a nice photo in a pretty bowl. And yes, I have to admit myself and Mr Pickings somehow managed to eat the entire bowlful ourselves!