PURPLE CAULIFLOWER BROCCOLI SALAD
Crunchy veggies and crispy bacon in a creamy and sweet, tangy salad dressing. This is a delicious, different and colorful salad bound to be a talking point! When we bought our purple cauliflower I was unsure of what to make with it, and then my husband suggested that it would look good in a broccoli salad. I think he was right. Of course, if you don't have purple cauliflower, you may use regular white cauliflower. They actually taste the same to me in any case. This salad is crunchy, tangy and perfect.
That said, my husband does not like his vegetables to be too hard and crunchy, so I briefly dunk the cauliflower and broccoli into boiling water (2 minutes is usually enough) just to take the edge off of the hardness of the vegetables. Then I drain and dunk the vegetables in ice cold water to quickly stop the cooking and maintain the vibrant colors.
Broccoli salads are great - a crowd favorite and even a good choice for St. Patrick's Day. I love them for summer picnics, alongside a barbecue or anytime really. They are great for potlucks too and any kind of gathering. They always go over so well, I find.
Where the dressing is concerned, if you have a fabulous-tasting and not-too-sour Balsamic vinegar you can use more for a delicious dressing. However, if your vinegar is very sharp, it is best to start with 1 tsp as suggested and go from there. Not all Balsamic vinegars are the same I discovered to my chagrin.
It is important to try to eat about 2 cups of vegetables each day, I read. Also broccoli and cauliflower contain glucosinolates which prevent cancer.
In addition these vegetables contain vitamin C which help build collagen for our skin. We need that, ladies! They also contain vitamin K which helps with blood clotting and strong bones.
This creamy, tangy sweet dressing has no added sugar which makes this a lovely, healthy salad, that even people with diabetes can enjoy. Leave out the bacon and your vegan friends will enjoy it, too. Although, for those who can have it, place it on the side in that case, as this salad goes better with crispy bacon bits.
There are plenty of ways in which you can customize this salad to your own tastes. For instance, if you are not a fan of bell peppers, you could add red onion, cucumber, apple, etc.
I like to display this salad in a large salad bowl and keep some of the crispy bacon bits for the top. In fact, you can keep all the bacon for the top, if you like. Looks so yummy!
The sweetener tables for all the most common scenarios are in my cookbooks for your convenience. For example, ¾ cup sugar sweetness (not ¾ cup liquid) using my bottle of sucralose from the EZ-Sweetz brand (whether the smaller one of 0.5 oz or the bigger yellow bottle of 2 oz – Zero carbs) would be 18 or 36 drops respectively. Here is an article and video about the sweeteners. Part 1. There is another article and video here: Part 2.
5 cups chopped purple cauliflower (1.25 L)
5 cups chopped broccoli (1.25 L)
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
7 slices bacon cooked and chopped
Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise (250 mL)
1 cup sour cream (250 mL)
Liquid sweetener to equal 1/2 cup sugar (125 mL)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar (5 mL)
1/2
tsp salt (2 mL)
In
large pot in boiling water, cook purple cauliflower and broccoli 2 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice cold water to stop
the cooking. Drain again.
In
large salad bowl, place purple cauliflower, broccoli, yellow and red peppers and
some of the bacon, keeping most of it for garnishing the top of the salad.
Dressing: In medium bowl, whisk
together mayonnaise, sour cream, liquid sweetener, balsamic vinegar and salt.
Pour
dressing over vegetables and some of the bacon, and toss to coat well. Top with remaining bacon bits. Chill until serving time.
Yield: 10 servings
1
serving
264.6
calories
7.7
g protein
22.6
g fat
2.2 g fiber
7.3
g net carbs
MORE SALAD RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY:
Sun-Dried Tomato Broccoli Salad
Caesar Salad with Creamy Caesar Dressing
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