My Favourite Salad

My husband and I are major salad lovers. We always have a small bowl with lunch and supper as a standard side dish. On most days it is pretty basic--lettuce, shredded cabbage, carrots, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. Occasionally we will add a spoonful of canned sweet corn--something I came to love when I was in Japan. A spoonful of canned sweet corn is a standard component of a Japanese salad, as is a hard boiled egg.

Though we usually opt for a basic salad which you can dress as you please, my favourite salad is unfortunately one my husband dislikes (because it includes his nemesis: Celery). For me though, broccoli salad is something I could eat on a daily basis--it is really that delicious. The deli in our local grocery store sells it, but it is ridiculously easy to make. The vegetables are simple and few: broccoli, celery and red onion. The special touches are raisins, sunflower seeds and bacon bits. The dressing goes great on all sorts of vegetables as it is merely mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar and vinegar. I make a lighter version using Splenda, vinegar, light mayonnaise and light sour cream. The recipe is from a delightful book called "Sensational Splenda Recipes" by Marlene Koch. I use this book a lot to cut down on the sugar in my favourite sweets.

Prepare this salad in the morning before work so you can enjoy the benefits of it marinating throughout the day! It takes only 15 minutes at the most!

Deli Broccoli Salad

4 cups fresh broccoli cut into florets

1/2 cup chopped celery (about 3 sticks)

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion (about half medium)

1/3 cup packed raisins

3 tbsp vinegar (white, rice or cider)

2 tbsp Splenda Granular or sugar

1/3 cup light mayonnaise (I used Hellman's half the fat)

3 tbsp light or fat free sour cream

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

2 tbsp real bacon bits

Chop all your veggies and at them to a bowl along with the raisins and sunflower seeds. Mix vinegar, Splenda, mayonnaise, sour cream and bacon bits in a small bowl. Add the dressing and mix well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Done! Gets better everyday!