Debbie’s Tangy Broccoli & Spinach Salad

We have a family friend named Debbie and she is an incredible cook and baker. I’ve known her my entire life and I’ve never had a bad meal or treat from her kitchen. She gave me this recipe at my wedding shower almost 12 years ago.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t Trim Healthy Mama approved, so I’ve tweaked it to make it an on plan salad. It tastes just like the original and is so good.

I served it at my Dad’s birthday party this past weekend and it was gone before I even got a helping. Good thing I tasted it ahead of time! Most people there are not on plan and couldn’t tell that it had stevia-based sweeteners in it rather than regular old white sugar. 🙂

 

You can use fresh or frozen broccoli. With that said, if you are using frozen broccoli you will need to make sure it is thawed out completely ahead of time. You also want to ensure that all the excess liquid is drained off.

You don’t want to ruin your salad with extra broccoli liquid. Eww! Fresh is the easiest to use, but frozen works in a pinch.

This salad is a great addition to a great low-carb S meal, or as a stand-alone salad for lunch. It’s packed with protein from the spinach and might be an easier way to get your pickier eaters to try broccoli. My kids love this salad!

The only downside to this salad is that it does not keep well in the fridge. You really need to eat it up all in one sitting. The spinach just gets too mushy and not very appetizing the next day.

I usually make it for parties or a potluck because then I know it will get eaten up.

Pin it

The most time-consuming part of making this salad is cooking the bacon. About a year ago I read about cooking it in the oven and wow, that is an awesome way to cook bacon!

Line a bar pan (or a baking sheet with a lip on it) with aluminum foil. Lay your bacon in strips next to each other and line the pan. If they touch that is no big deal as they will shrink as they cook.

Once you have your bacon lined up on the pan, put it in the oven. YOU WILL NOT BE PREHEATING THE OVEN.

Turn the oven on to 400 degrees and set the timer for 12 minutes. When the timer goes off, flip the bacon over and cook for 12 minutes more. If you like your bacon not very crispy, set the second timer to only 10 minutes.

When it is done cooking drain the bacon off onto paper towel lined plates. This is the most SIMPLE way to cook bacon every and no grease is splashing around your kitchen!

While the bacon is cooking mix together the mayo, vinegar, THM Sweet Blend, paprika and garlic powder in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the broccoli, onion, and bacon. Pour the dressing over top and mix well. Put it in the refrigerator and chill for at least one hour before serving.

When you are ready to serve the salad, toss in the baby spinach and stir to coat the spinach in the dressing. Top with a few peanuts or sunflower seeds if desired. Serve immediately.