Broccoli Salad with Apples

A few weekends ago my husband and I joined his family for a casual cookout. I was put on salad duty and my first thought was, "how can I make this not boring." A salad just seemed so unexciting, but maybe that's because I eat them everyday for lunch. I decided I wanted to make a Fall inspired salad, and apples were the first thing that came to my mind. I found a few ideas on Pinterest, but this broccoli and apple salad caught my attention. Not only did it look pretty and colorful, it also sounded delicious. It was a nice change from the typical lettuce in bowl.

I was originally asked to make dessert and since I already had a plan for that, I decided to make both. My dessert of choice was a caramel apple dip which I shared with you last week. 

Today I wanted to share this quick and easy recipe that left me feeling excited about bringing a salad to the party. It's sweet, crunchy and semi-healthy. And by healthy, I mean at least you're getting a dose of vegetables. 

Recipe via The Recipe Critic

Broccoli Salad with Apples

Ingredients

2 or 3 gala apples (chopped)

3 heads of fresh broccoli (florets only)

½ cup of shredded carrots

1/3 cup of red onion (diced)

½ cup of pecans (chopped)

½ cup of dried cranberries

½ cup of mayonnaise

½ cup of non-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon of sugar

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1.     Rinse and drain the broccoli.

2.     Once the excess water has drained, slice the broccoli stems off, leaving the florets only. Slice the larger pieces of florets in half. I prefer them to be in smaller bite size pieces.

3.     In a large serving bowl, add the broccoli florets, shredded carrots, diced red onion, chopped pecans, and dried cranberries.

4.     For the dressing: In a separate small bowl, mix together the mayo, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

5.     Pour the dressing over the top of the broccoli salad and toss well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.