Sweet and Sour Broccoli Salad

My idea of the perfect side includes potatoes, cheese, and possibly some heavy cream.  My idea of the perfect body size for me is a size 6.  These two ideas are completely and utterly mutually exclusive...they do not lilve in the same universe and if someone tried to tell me that if I exercise more then I would be able to do both I will throw a pie in their face!

With all of that being said, I have tried to train myself to go in a different direction when it comes to a tasty side...try doing something with the other veggies I like...well when I compare broccoli, which I thoroughly enjoy, to my deep and sincere love of the potato it is like saying would I like platinum or silver.  Both lovely options but one is clearly more desired than the other.

This recipe did seem to sate my need for something delicious along side the rest of our Sunday dinner menu so alas, I was happy.  Not full on a scrumptious, cheese plate of scalloped potatoes, but happy nonetheless!

Sweet and Sour Broccoli Salad

8 cups fresh broccoli, cut into very small flowerets and stems chopped into small pieces

1/2 small red onion, cut into slices and then 1/4 inch dice

6 slices bacon (or less), cooked very crisp, fat blotted off, and then crumbled

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I used Four Cheese Blend from Costco, which is a blend of lower fat cheeses. I think this would be quite good without the cheese too, if you wanted less fat.)

Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup light mayo (not fat-free, which usually had added sugar)

3 T rice wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar

1/4 cup sugar, Splenda, Granulated Stevia, or Agave nectar

2 tsp.Spike Seasoning (optional, but it does add a nice flavor here)

salt/pepper to taste

Cook the bacon until it's very crisp, then blot on both sides with paper towels to remove as much fat as possible. (I use pre-cooked bacon and then crisp it in the microwave, which removes a lot of the fat.) Combine dressing ingredients in processor or in bowl with a wire whisk.

Wash and dry broccoli if needed and then chop broccoli flowerets and stems into very small pieces. Chop onion into small pieces and crumble the bacon. Coarsely chop pecans. 

Combine broccoli, onion, bacon, and pecans in large salad bowl. Mix desired amount of dressing into salad (you may not want all the dressing depending on how wet you prefer your salad.) Gently fold in cheese. Salad can be refrigerated for a few hours before serving. This will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, but you may want to add a tablespoon or two of extra dressing after it's been refrigerated.