This salad is beautiful on the table, and chock-full of my favorite fruits and vegetables. But unlike traditional broccoli salad, the dressing (usually made with granulated sugar), gets sweetened with honey. The only ingredient not mentioned in this recipe is crispy, crumbled bacon, which I like to add as the final topping when served.

If you don't have cashews on hand, you can use almonds or whatever nuts you like best. I sometimes use raisins as opposed to dried cranberries in my salad, so personal preference is up to you. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

5 cups broccoli florets, chopped into small bites

1 honey crisp apple, cored and diced

1 pear, cored and diced

1/2 cup red onion, diced

1 cup cashews, toasted or roasted

1 cup dried cranberries or raisins

roasted sunflower seeds to taste

Creamy Salad Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream or kefir or Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup honey, softened or warmed

1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine chopped broccoli, diced apple, diced pear, roasted sunflower seeds, diced red onion, cashews (raw, toasted or roasted), and dried cranberries.

In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream (or kefir or Greek yogurt), lemon juice, honey, and salt. Note that honey should be soft and runny, warm it up

if needed so that it mixes easily.

Whisk the ingredients until well combined and smooth, and add salt if needed.

Add the dressing to the broccoli salad, stir everything together and serve.