Broccoli Slaw Salad

Years ago, Hubby, my oldest brother and I crashed a wedding.  It’s not that we wanted to be rude, it’s just that my other brother was going to be in the same state as us for this wedding with his girlfriend (who is now my sister in law), and we desperately wanted to see him.  When that family heard that we were on our way, they cleared out some extra table room at the reception and even let us stay with them over night.  The next day before leaving town the mom of the family offered me some of this Broccoli Slaw salad and I instantly fell in love.

It was so sublime, I thought for sure that she must have spent ages working on it, but when I asked for the recipe she laughed and told me it was just 4 ready-to-use ingredients from the store.

Since then I’ve healthified it a touch and made it for lots of potlucks and parties, always with great reviews.

Broccoli Slaw Salad

• 1 bag broccoli slaw (can be found in your grocer’s produce section near the bagged salad mixes)
• dried cranberries
• sliced almonds
• 1/2 c. poppy seed dressing
• 1/2 c. fat free cottage cheese

The amounts of the ingredients really depends on your tastes.  I usually use about a 1/4 c. almonds and 1/3 c. cranberries (well broken apart since they tend to stick together), but as with all salads you can use as much or as little as you like.  Combine the dressing and cottage cheese in a small bowl until evenly mixed, then pour over salad ingredients until coated.  Refrigerate until time to serve, but use promptly.

*Kim’s note:  I’m not one to usually get wrapped up in brands, but the very best poppy seed dressing I have found is Briannas.  It is however very, very fattening which is why I dilute it with the cottage cheese.  The flavor is strong enough to carry through, but the fat and calories are greatly reduced.