Eric's broccoli salad

I know it's been a while since I last wrote a post. I'm sorry lovies but, I've been really focusing my energy on family, cooking and getting fit. This healthy recipe is simple, delicious and will leaving you feeling full and energized. It makes an excellent lunch or light dinner with minimal effort. I can not take any of the credit for this tasty dish as it's my amazing partners creation.  This is his all time favorite salad and he admits to having pretty much lived off of it before we met. Of course his version was using a pre made salad dressing from a bottle, which will just not do for this tomato snobs pallet. My version uses a simple balsamic & olive oil vinaigrette with a hint of raw minced garlic, which you can just toss in with the rest of the ingredients.

For the best tasting salad lightly blanch your broccoli (about one minute in boiling water then straight into a cold ice bath). Thinly slice your onions and put them in a bowl of cold water or vinegar until you are ready to toss everything together. This takes that pungent raw bite out of the onion that some people can find offensive, just be sure to rinse them before adding to the salad. I would recommend 1 large can of tuna or 2 small cans of Calipo (my favorite) per head of broccoli, 4 or 5 medium size mushrooms, 1/2 a small red onion and a few tbs of low fat feta cheese, 1 small clove of garlic, balsamic vinegar, good olive oil, salt and pepper to your taste. Please use the photo about as your guide for chopping and slicing.

Eric's broccoli salad has under 200 calories per serving, 10g of healthy fat, 14g lean protein and a ton of vitamin C and fiber. Serve this salad with fresh baguette and room temperature butter if you've got company, or some gluten free bread if you're being healthy like us ;)