Stephie's Southern Broccoli Salad

Broccoli salad is one of my favorite Southern picnic foods and is a staple recipe in all church cookbooks. It's a sneaky dish that fools you into thinking it's healthy because of the broccoli, but check out the ingredients in Paula Deen's version:

• 6 pieces of bacon
• 2 T bacon grease
• 1 cup mayo (Duke's, of course)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 8 oz sharp cheddar
• 2 T red wine vinegar
• handful of raisins
• one head of broccoli cut into small pieces

You might as well just substitute deep fried cookie dough for the broccoli…

Broccoli is a power house vegetable packed with antioxidants, folic acid (pregnant mamas eat up!), potassium, magnesium and is one of the best sources of calcium out there. It boosts your immune system, fights cancer and keeps you young. I love it roasted but am not a fan of broccoli in the raw. That is until I found this awesome recipe when I was researching my apple cider vinegar post. It has the sweet tanginess and crunch of the original Southern broccoli salad minus all the bad stuff :)

Duke's is a Southern staple - there is no other mayo brand for a true Southerner. However we have found Vegenaise to be a surprisingly good substitute, especially when mixed into something.

1. In a bowl mix together 1/2 cup Veganaise, 1 T raw honey and 1 tsp of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar.  I only use raw honey - grocery store honey is stripped of all its benefits and Bragg's ACV is the only kind in my book.

2. Cut your broccoli into small pieces

3. Cover the broccoli with the sauce and top with slivered almonds. Enjoy!!