Sweet and Sour Broccoli Salad

Ingredients

• 8 cups fresh broccoli, cut into small flowerets and stems chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 small red onion, cut into slices and then 1/4 inch dice
• 6-8 slices bacon, cooked very crisp, fat blotted off, and then crumbled
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup mayo
• 3 T rice wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar
• 1/4 C sweetener of your choice
• 2 tsp. Spike Seasoning
• Salt/pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cut the broccoli florets and stems into small bits, then rinse them in a salad spinner and spin until dry. If the broccoli seems at all limp, soak it in the spinner with cold water and ice for about 5 minutes to perk it up, then drain and spin it dry.
2. Cook the bacon until very crisp. Press both sides with paper towels to soak up as much grease as you can, then crumble it. Costco pre-cooked bacon can be crisped in the microwave if you want a shortcut.
3. Dice the onion into small pieces, and give the pecans a rough chop.
4. In a bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk the dressing ingredients together until smooth.
5. Place the chopped broccoli in a large salad bowl. Pour in as much dressing as you like and toss until the broccoli is coated. You may not need every bit of it, depending on how dressed you want the salad; any extra is good on cabbage.
6. Carefully stir in the onion, pecans, and cheese. The salad can chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before you serve it.
7. It will stay good in the refrigerator for a few days, though after chilling you may want to stir in a tablespoon or two of additional dressing.