Did you hate broccoli as a child? I think most kids do. But me? I loved it. I always looked forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas where my mom made her special broccoli dish. And throughout the year, she would steam frozen broccoli for me, and I would devour it eagerly.

But then, in 1995, Dana Carvey’s Critic’s Choice aired. I was thirteen, and I remember watching it on tv with my parents. I loved the whole thing, but the one bit I remember the most was this:

Why am I telling you this? Because for then on, I had that song playing in my head every time I either chopped or ate broccoli. That was 21 years ago, and still to this day, I hear that song. Frightening, I know!

But let me tell you something, this paleo broccoli salad is so good that it’s worth hearing Dana Carvey singing. There are a lot of recipes for broccoli salad out there, but with a couple of secret ingredients, this is hands down the best paleo broccoli salad you’ll find. It has turned many a broccoli hater into a broccoli lover (adults and kids alike). And my husband, Erik, will often request that I make this, and then he’ll sit down with the huge bowl and a fork and eat the whole thing. With nothing else. Is that weird? I think that’s weird, but it just goes to show you how good this salad is! It’ll make you want to do that.

It’s got salt and fat from the bacon and mayo, crunch from the almonds and broccoli, tang from the vinegar, and sweet from the raisins and coconut sugar. It’s like a huge flavor punch in the mouth.

But not only is this salad “to die for delicious,” it is also super quick and easy to make, and it holds up really well, meaning that it is perfect to take with you to on a picnic or to a cook-out. It’s the perfect spring summer dish! But it tastes so good, you’ll probably wanna eat it year-round…