So I know this is still the season for posting holiday goody recipes, but I just made this dish for our Christmas Eve meal with our dear friends Jim and Margo. And it was so stinkin’ easy to prepare and so darn delicious I felt that you might need a recipe like this if you are still in host/hostess mode.

And yes I know there a lot of recipes for a version of this broccoli salad out there already. But never being one to shy away from redundancy, I felt compelled to share this particular recipe with you because like I said above, it is screaming easy to prepare. And don’t all of us need a quick and easy salad recipe in our culinary arsenal? Especially when we are busy with all the other aspects of putting on the perfect holiday meal? (Why do we do this to ourselves?) Anyway – if you don’t already have a great broccoli salad recipe in your possession, you do now! Happy Holidays

½ c. light mayonnaise   

2 T. granulated sugar

2 T. white vinegar

pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. broccoli*, cut into small bite sized pieces (about 5 cups)

1 finely chopped shallot (about 3 T.)

¼ c. sunflower seeds

6 slices thick meaty bacon, chopped and cooked until crisp

Mix mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Stir in broccoli and shallot; toss until coated. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours to blend flavors. Stir in the sunflower seeds and bacon just before serving.

* When you bring home a head of broccoli, your first instinct may be to toss the stems and only keep the florets. But the stems contain just as many nutrients as the florets. The whole broccoli head is simply replete with vitamin C, E, K and more. Plus if you discard the stems you are literally throwing your money away. So…….

To peel the stems/stalks of broccoli, take a small sharp knife and remove the florets. Then cut about an inch off the bottom of the stalk. With that cut begin to peel back the thick outer skin. You will see that the skin peels back almost all by itself. Then, using the knife, peel back the skin on the other parts of the stem, beginning at the cut end at the bottom. Discard the skins. Cut the stems into the same size pieces as the florets.