Garden Fresh Broccoli Salad

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]ts harvest time in Alaska, and many have toiled long and hard in their gardens all summer to hopefully harvest a bountiful crop!  Among some of the vegetables that grow nicely in Alaska's often short and temperate growing season is broccoli.  If you have an abundant home grown crop or harvest your broccoli on the produce aisle at the local grocery store, this Garden Fresh Broccoli Salad won't disappoint.  Here is a fresh recipe that is simple to make, easy to double, and is a great crowd pleaser for parties or potlucks...no cooking required.  I often make this the night before an event, and with many recipes, the more time the ingredients have to meld their flavors together, the better the result! Salad Ingredients:

• 4 Cups chopped broccoli
• 1Cup seedless red grapes cut in half
• 1/2Cup sunflower seeds
• 8 slices of crisp fried, crumbled bacon
• 1/2 red onion chopped

Combine the above ingredients in a salad bowl or a large bowl with a lid for storing in the refrigerator. Dressing Ingredients :

• 1/2 Cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons sugar (I also substitute with Truvia)
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

Combine the dressing ingredients and mix well until the dressing is smooth. Pour over the salad ingredients and toss. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator 2 hours prior to serving. This fresh broccoli salad is a great side dish for a BBQ or a potluck. On a side note: We have recently cut most sugar out of our daily diets. I substituted the sugar in this recipe with Truvia and it tasted great. It doesn't break down the fiber in the broccoli as much as sugar will but it was still tasty for being sugar free! You can also forego the onion if you prefer. I love it but my husband generally doesn't care for onion so I generally add it 50% of the time. Enjoy!