Sweet, creamy and crunchy. Broccoli salad has it all. The crunchy sunflower seeds, the creamy mayo and the smokey bacon.
Today I’m sharing my lightened up version that uses less mayo but still has all the flavor. By substituting plain low fat yogurt for some of the mayo in this recipe and using turkey instead of traditional bacon, I was able to cut the fat in the recipe down significantly.
With Memorial Day just around the corner and summer BBQ season starting, this salad is the perfect side to bring along. Your friends and family won’t ever know it’s a lighter version of their favorite creamy and crunchy broccoli salad!
Ingredients
- 5 cups broccoli, chopped into small florets
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup avocado oil mayonnaise (this one is actually lower in fat than the original but with none of those weird low-fat ingredients)
- 1/4 cup low-fat yogurt, plain
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1/2 cup turkey bacon, cooked until crispy and chopped
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, roasted and salted
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Chop broccoli into small, bite-sized florets
- Chop onion into small pieces
- In the microwave or on the stove top, crisp the turkey bacon. When crispy, chop the bacon into small pieces
- In a small bowl, combine mayo, yogurt, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix to combine
- In a large bowl, combine broccoli, onion, bacon, raisins and sunflower seeds. Pour dressing all over and mix to coat.
- Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.
*To keep the bacon crispy, you can wait to add it until you are ready to serve the salad; I don’t mind slightly softened turkey bacon so I combine it all right away
The Balanced Table 