Nov 01, 2003
This is a tasty recipe, even without the bacon (I'm a vegetarian). I felt that the red wine vinegar was essential to the tanginess of the dressing; I recommend that you do not substitute white vinegar, although an apple cider vinegar might be a good substitute. Consider making this salad a day in advance and refrigerate for the flavors to develop (give it a good stir before serving, as the dressing will settle to the bottom. In place of the golden raisins, I used dried cranberries, which added color and a little zing. You could also add coarsely grated carrot for visual appeal and added vitamins. If you're going to travel with this recipe, just put the sunflower seeds in a ziplock baggie and stir it in when you serve the salad--the seeds will stay crunchy that way. You might also reserve some of the sunflower seeds and raisins/cranberries to sprinkle on the top of the salad for a pretty presentation. It went over very well at a family get-together and I was repeatedly asked for the recipe!
—CarrieHansen