BROCCOLI CHICKEN
SALAD WITH RICOTTA DRESSING
A delightful creamy dressing uses ricotta cheese for a high-protein broccoli salad - 15.5 grams protein per serving. Actually this salad has chicken, Cheddar cheese and bacon as well which adds to that protein count. Nowadays I am looking for ways to sneak protein into as many recipes as I can. When one gets older for some reason it is more difficult to meet protein requirements each day. Perhaps it is because our appetite for meat wanes. Who knows?
I parboil the broccoli 3 minutes so that it is still crisp but not too crisp - just the way my husband likes it.
You can use cooked chicken breast or simply diced rotisserie chicken, which is what I used.
It is fun to put extra veggies in a broccoli salad to make it ultra healthy. I like to add some crunch with the red bell pepper. The green onions add flavor and color.
Although the photo does not depict it (only a drizzle), I mixed the broccoli salad completely with the salad dressing after taking the photos (stir well), as it is very generous - the photo only used part of the dressing.
The tangy dressing with this broccoli is wonderful and the texture is awesome. You can use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. The dressing ingredients are somewhat flexible. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The best flavor for this salad is if you allow it to chill at least a couple of hours before serving.
INGREDIENTS:
6 cups broccoli florets (0.6 kg)
2 cups diced, cooked chicken (500 mL)
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (500 mL)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (250 mL)
1/2
cup chopped green onions (125 mL)
1 small apple, chopped, optional
5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
Ricotta dressing:
1 cup ricotta cheese (250 mL)
1/2
cup mayonnaise (125 mL)
1/2
cup sour cream (125 mL)
Liquid sweetener to equal 1/4 cup sugar (60 mL)
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar (45 mL)
(make sure it tastes good, OR
use apple cider vinegar)
1 tbsp white vinegar (15 mL)
1 tsp salt (5 mL)
1/2
tsp black pepper (2 mL)
INSTRUCTIONS:
In pot with boiling water, boil broccoli florets exactly 3 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water to keep the broccoli bright green. Place in a large bowl in the fridge to cool down. Once cool add the chicken, Cheddar cheese, red bell pepper, green onions, apple (if using) and bacon. Keep some of the Cheddar cheese, red bell pepper, green onions and bacon aside for the top of the salad.
Ricotta dressing: In medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mayonnaise,
sour cream, liquid sweetener, balsamic vinegar, OR apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, salt and black pepper.
Mix well and pour over the broccoli mixture
and combine. Place the broccoli salad in
a pretty salad serving dish. Garnish with the remaining Cheddar cheese, red bell
pepper, green onions and bacon bits. Chill the salad until serving time.
Yield: 10 servings
1
serving
225.4
calories
15.5
g protein
15.0
g fat
1.7 g fiber
6.5 g net carbs