Friday, January 21, 2011

Healthy Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad

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The beginning of a new year always has me thinking about eating healthier.

The over-indulgence of the holiday treats isn't good for any of us

but is especially hard if you're diabetic or have disease, like my husband.

I made this broccoli-cauliflower dish for my tennis group as well as one of our

gatherings where 4 of the Doc's 5 granddaughters are vegetarian.

They ALL loved it & many had never tasted it before.

I thought I'd share the recipe here & note the changes I made

to try to cut down on the sugar & fat content.



* Exported from MasterCook *
Broccoli Salad
Recipe By : Rett's FL Friends
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :1:40
Categories : Salads/Dressings
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 bunches broccoli florets -- raw
1 medium onion -- finely chopped
1 cup sunflower KERNELS -- not seeds!!
6 slices cooked bacon -- crispy & crumbled (served on the side)
3/4 cup mayonnaise -- Hellman's (lite works great & I try to use less)
1/2 cup sugar ( I used 1/4 C. sugar & 1/4 C. Splenda®)
3 teaspoons vinegar
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients & mix thoroughly. Cover & chill 6 to 8 hours.
Optional additions: cauliflower or raisins or cashews
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


I mix the lite-mayo, sugar/Splenda® & vinegar first &

whisk it till fully blended,

then toss in the other ingredients till fully coated.

I left out the raisins in my batch but I did add 1/2 a head of cauliflower

& a big handful of cashews along with the sunflower kernels.

I store my sunflower kernels in the freezer

so they don't get rancid.

I crumbed the cooked bacon & served it in a little dish

on the side for those that wanted

to add it to their own portion.

The vegans thanked me for that! LOL

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Of course, serving it in my pretty, hand-painted

glass bowls helps it taste much better!

You paint on the OUTSIDE of a clear glass bowl...

(this one had the design already imprinted on it)

with specially made glass paints available in craft stores.

The design then shows up on the inside of the bowl.


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I found out AFTER these were done that I should have painted the gold lines FIRST

as they don't show through the white layer on the inside.

We had a group that met regularly in FL to work on such projects.

I sure miss those friends!

I got a ton of great recipes from them, including this one.



I'm participating
in "Foodie Friday" at Designs By Gollum
Be sure to check out all the other delicious recipes
posted on her wonderful blog.

Thanks for stopping by & thank you for all my
wonderful birthday wishes!
I'm still celebrating today with the
grandkidlets...they have the day off from school!










19 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great salad Rett! Have fun with the Grands:@)

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  2. That sounds yummy, Rett! And your bowl is so pretty. How neat that you made it.

    Hope you have fun with the grandkids!

    XO,

    Sheila :-)

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  3. Well I didn't know you had a birthday! Happy belated birthday wishes, Rett!!

    Your salad looks wonderful. And definitely healthy! Thanks so much!

    Love that pretty bowl...what a neat idea and it looks like so much fun to do! I also wanted to mention that I love the snow pictures in your header. Looks like you were hard hit, too!

    Have a great weekend! :-)

    XO,
    Jane

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  4. Looks delicious! Enjoy the day with the grands! I'm off to another birthday lunch with a long time friend, my favorite gift! ~ Sarah

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  5. Love this recipe! I'm printing it off. Love your hand-painted bowl too, Rett.
    Blessings, Beth

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  6. I love the addition of cashews to this salad. Sounds great! La

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  7. What.....its your birthday????? I hope someone is bring cake.

    I knew I was gonna love the salad the minute I saw the picture. YUMMY and in your hand painted bowl perfection.

    I think I'll make this for dinner with the kids tomorrow.
    Thanks and stay warm.

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  8. Your salad looks fabulous. I love a good Broccoli salad and adding in the Cauliflower, wellllllllll you can't get any better than that. I will be making this very soon.

    Carolyn/A Southerners Notebook

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  9. That's one of my favorite salads too...but I like raisins and cashews in mine. For some reason, I seem to make this lots in summer.

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  10. This is one of our family favorites. Like you I sub the sugar with Splenda, all of it. I use toasted almonds instead of the cashews and some dried cranberries. Fabulous winter salad!

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  11. Rett, I found the fabric for the tablecloth at Hancock's. I hemmed the fabric on the sewing machine; frankly, if there is a decent selvedge edge, I only hem the ends. No one ever knows, and I don't ever mention it. I'll be happy to help you walk through making a cloth if you need my help. Let me know, Cherry Kay

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  12. The salad sounds and looks yummy. Enjoy visiting with the grandkids and take care.

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  13. This salad sounds like something we would really love. Thanks! Your bowl is so pretty.

    I'm sure glad you have enjoyed your birthday. Happy times!

    Donna

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  14. Ironically, I have been searching for a really good but healthy broccoli salad for a while. I love the taste of them, but when I broke down the fat and sugar count of the one we most commonly eat, I got the YIKES moment.

    I'll try this!

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  15. Rett, Thank you for joining the Pie Party! I had crazy days at work and am just getting back to answer you. Yes, all week I'm celebrating Pie! I'm off to the store this morning to do a bit of ingredient shopping and then headed to the kitchen for some baking fun.

    Let's eat more Pie!!!

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  16. I think my husband will just love this recipe. And the bowl is so pretty. Can you wash it in the dishwasher or does it have to be handwashed?

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  17. Rett, I just had another thought about tablecloths for your wonderful square table. I sometimes buy king size duvets at estate sales or on eBay. They are often 95 x 95' which would be a perfect size for your table. Another neat feature of using a duvet, besides having an extra cover for a bed, is that they are usually reversible, so you end up with two different designs in one! I think that I've posted a tablescape that used a duvet. Can't remember what I titled it...something about soup, I think. Tuesday Morning might also be a good source. Happy hunting! Cherry Kay

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  18. I love your version of this favorite salad, Rett. Aren't you clever to paint such a pretty design on your little glass bowls. What a great idea. I'm going to check through my cupboards to see if any of my dishes will lend themselves to this.

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  19. Rett, if I can help you when you start to buy fabric for your tablecloths, just let me know. I've been whipping up tablecloths long enough that it's pretty routine for me to figure yardage. Do you sew much? If not, I have a couple of suggestions for you, but I don't want to assume. Just noticed your pot of Crocus on your table. I bought some for my table for a luncheon today. Cherry Kay

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Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I read them all & each one is so very special to me & I try really hard to return the visit!

fondly,
~Rett~