Almost Deb's Broccoli Salad

Sorry, I've been M-I-A for a few days.  I've had lots going on and, well, to be frank, I've been mentally and emotionally exhausted and just couldn't muster up the brain power to type!  However, today I am feeling a little better and I am very excited to share this one with you guys!  On my last post I mentioned my effort to recreate Deb's (my support group leader) broccoli salad.  When I first made it, I was kinda disappointed because I thought I had used too much ground ginger... Well, you know that old adage that tells us that if we let things sit, they will taste better?  This is a perfect example of that! After I made the salad I put in away in the fridge in a storage bowl and let it sit there for a couple of days before I touched it.  Then, one night I had a snack attack (eh, it happens, we survive).  So, I thought to myself, why not? and I tried a bite.  It was goooood!  So, that bite turned into a small bowl for a late night snack!

Now, keep in mind, this was an experiment.  It was my first time making it since I tasted Deb's during our summer WLS picnic.  Deb told me the ingredients she uses, but never gave me amounts or measurements on anything.  I've had a taste for it since the picnic, but just never got around to making it.  So, finally I decided to....<<<drum roll please>>>  play with my food!  I used to be really hesitant to do that b/c while I am blessed, I sure ain't rich and I hate to waste!  But, I have learned to use common sense and and think things thru before I play and it works out well~! :-)

So, anyhoo...I present to you....Autumn's "Almost Deb's Broccoli Salad"

Ingredients:
Broccoli--(bet you didn't see that one coming, huh?!?!?)  I used a 12oz bag of pre-washed florets
ground ginger (about 1/2 tsp)--I used a full tsp and that may be too much for some of ya...it was for me at first, but I adapted.
red onion- about half a medium sized onion, chopped
shredded carrots (I used matchstick style)-about one cup
Fat free mayo--about a cup---add more if you need
grapes- about 1-1/4 cups, cut up
S&P-to taste
Sugar Free Honey (okay, it's imitation honey, but it's good...and it's SF!)--about 1/2 cup or so---use to your taste.
Almonds- 1/4 cup or more (again, to your taste), chopped

As you can see I am not giving a lot of definite measurements on this one.  The reason for that is two-fold.  One, because I had to keep adding the mayo and SF honey to adjust the taste, so quite frankly, I am not 100% certain how much I used....and Two, because you can make this YOUR own way.  Play with your food people!  Play with your food!

The other sidebar about this recipe is that you can do it in any order....in the end it's all gonna be mixed together.  Here's a look at how I assembled mine:

Cut the grapes up...however you wish!

                                         I can't remember if Deb had grapes in hers, but I thought they'd go well in the dish and they did!


Remove the stems from the broccoli florets and pull apart the florets...like this:

Toss the carrots in...

Chop the onion and toss it in...

Chop up the all natural almonds and add them to the mix...

Then, add in your salt, pepper, ginger, SF honey, and FF mayo.  Again, start with  what I listed above and adjust as needed.  As you're tasting it, remember this is one that will need to sit in the fridge for a day or two to allow the flavors to marry to really get the genuine taste.

Stir everything together until it is all mixed well. The final product will look something like this...

It's good ya'll.  Creamy, sweet, and crunchy!  Give it a try!

Enjoy!