I’ll guiltily admit that a good broccoli salad is pretty hard for me to resist. But what’s so bad about a broccoli salad, you say? I mean, if the main ingredient is broccoli, how bad can that be?
Well, the problem isn’t the broccoli. The dressing is the troublemaker here.
Most traditional broccoli salad recipes use a mayo based dressing filled with way too much sugar. This can turn even the lightest, healthiest broccoli salad into a Weight Watchers sabotage instigator in seconds.
But because I love broccoli salad so much, I figured that there had to be a way to lighten it up without losing its incredible flavors.
And with such a healthy ingredient as the star of this salad, it seems only fair that it be topped with an equally nutritious dressing. By subbing out the mayonnaise with plain, nonfat Greek yogurt, you still get the creamy base without all the unhealthy fat and calories of mayonnaise. Plus, it kicks up the protein count a notch too!
Then, I used honey instead of sugar. And I used a lot less, while still making sure that it was sweet enough to balance the tang.
It turned out pretty amazing.
I served this over Labor Day at a BBQ, and it was a hit. Loved by all who tried it. The combination of the crisp broccoli, tart blueberries, and sweet apples, all tossed in a light, moderately sweet, and creamy dressing makes it a perfect summer side dish.
It’s an incredibly easy salad to make too. Because I use a bag of broccoli florets, the only thing that really needs chopping is the apples. (Yay for less prep!) So it comes together in just minutes.
This is also a pretty versatile recipe, so if you want to try a few variations on it, here are my suggestions for ingredients that you can add in:
- grapes
- sunflower seeds
- slivered almonds
- bacon
- dried cranberries
- raisins
- candied pecans
- celery
PRO TIP: If you aren’t a fan of the taste or texture of raw broccoli, just blanch or lightly steam the broccoli for a minute or two enough so that it remains crisp, but loses that raw taste. But make sure to pat the broccoli dry with some paper towels so that the wet broccoli doesn’t dilute the dressing.
My Light Broccoli Salad has easily become a summertime favorite around here. It goes really well served alongside just about any meat or fish entree. And this delicious and healthy salad will be a hit at summer potlucks and parties. Enjoy!
Light Broccoli Summer Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lbs broccoli florets
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 large apple - (diced)
- 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ tsp white vinegar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, honey, vinegar, vanilla extract, and poppy seeds.
- Toss together the broccoli, blueberries, and apples in a large bowl. Pour dressing over top, and toss to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Notes
- The entire recipe makes 6 servings
- The serving size is about 1 cup
2 Comments
I’m sure you didn’t mean to write “vinyl” extract in the instructions! :)
Thanks for catching that!! Lol. I’ve corrected it. :)