Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Recipe: Lower Carb Broccoli Salad

I first had broccoli and grape salad at a pot luck about 2 years ago. Broccoli and grapes sounded like a weird combination to me, but I was feeling adventurous that day and took a spoonful. It was delicious. It was also on the higher end of the carb spectrum due to carby ingredients like raisins and the addition of sugar when following the traditional recipe. But with a little tweaking the carb count can be lowered, bringing it to line with many low carb eating plans. Here is my version of the broccoli salad recipe with a higher protein content and lower carb count than the original.

Wifezilla'a Lower Carb Broccoli Salad

2 heads of fresh broccoli, flowerets cut small and stems "slawed"
1 cup salted sunflower seeds
1 1/2 - 2 cups mayonnaise (make your own if possible)
1 cup diced jicama
1/2 large red onion - chopped
3 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp Da Vinci Simple Syrup (or a couple of Splenda or Truvia packets)
1/2 cup red mini grapes (or regular seedless grapes cut in half)
1/2 cup unsweetened dried cherries
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients. If it appears on the dry side, add some more mayo. Chill for a few hours before serving to allow flavors to blend. Great for pot lucks, picnics, or a tasty summer lunch. If you want to kick it up a notch, add crumbled fresh cooked bacon right before serving.  The first version I tried did not include bacon, but many published versions do and it is hard to go wrong by adding bacon!

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