Low Carb Salads

1 Starting with a head or half a head of cabbage, thinly slice the cabbage until you have approximately 4 cups (not packed) of sliced cabbage. Julienne a half of a carrot. Thinly slice a couple green onions.

Whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, celery seed, and Splenda. Add cabbage and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cut Cauliflower into 1 inch pieces. Steam cauliflower till andante, or just barely softened. Mix mayonnaise, mustard, and Splenda in a separate bowl. Combined mayonnaise mixture with onions and peppers.

Combine the lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion, and cheese in a large bowl.

Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, oregano, and salt in a small bowl. Pour over the lettuce mixture and toss until coated. This makes a nice accompaniment as a side salad for grilled chicken or fish.

Place spinach greens in a large mixing bowl. Remove any undesirable leaves or large stems. Add sliced hard cooked eggs. Set aside.
Make dressing. Blend together vinegar, water, mustard and SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
Finely slice bacon into small strips. Place in a medium saucepan and fry over medium-high heat until crispy (approximate. 3-4 minutes).
Add onion and garlic and cook over medium-high heat 1-2 minutes.
Add vinegar mixture and simmer 1-2 minutes. Pour over spinach and croutons. Toss well. Serve immediately.

* Regular fresh spinach may be used in place of baby spinach but will result in a less delicate salad.

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Cauliflower "Potato" Salad

1 medium head cauliflower (about 4 cups/1 quart florets)
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 medium stalk celery, minced (including leaves)
½ cup chopped green pepper
2 green onions, chopped (green and white parts)
1/3 cup mayonnaise (Smart Balance Omega 3 mayo)
1 tablespoon prepared mustard (brown or yellow)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
1-2 teaspoons worth sugar substitute
2 tablespoons sugar-free pickle relish
Salt and pepper

Break or chop the cauliflower into smallish florets. If they are too big, they're difficult to cook so that they have the right "bite" and flavor - the outside tends to overcook.
Steam on the stove or microwave florets in a covered container with a small amount of water.
Drain and put into a medium bowl. Chop the egg and add. Toss with salt and pepper. Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix the ingredients for the dressing (mayo, lemon juice, spices, etc.). Taste for the balance of flavors you like. Mix the chopped vegetables and the dressing into the cauliflower and egg mixture. Add chopped fresh herbs if you wish - chives, dill, or parsley work well, but I've even used mint for something different. Garnish with the herb, or sprinkle with paprika. Chill.
Makes 8 servings.

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Hot German “Faux” Potato Salad

1 1/2 pounds cubed cauliflower
8 slices lean turkey bacon
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
3 tablespoons SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Wash and cup cauliflower into cubes. Place in steamer liner in a large spaghetti pot filled with water. Bring water to a boil and boil cauliflower until slightly tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside. Chop bacon into strips. Place oil in a large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until lightly browned. Add onion and cook approximately 5 more minutes or until onions are translucent.

Blend SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, flour and salt together in a small bowl. Stir into pan and cook briefly (approximate. 1 min.). Add water and vinegar while stirring constantly. Add cauliflower and stir well. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

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Cucumber Yogurt Salad

2 cucumbers, peeled, quartered lengthwise, then sliced
Fat Free Plain yogurt, about 1 cup
1 teaspoon dried dill, or a couple of teaspoons of fresh dill
Sprinkling of salt and pepper

First taste the cucumbers to make sure that they are not bitter. Depending on the variety of cucumber you are using, and many other factors, you may find a cucumber that is distinctly bitter in taste. If this happens, soak the cucumber slices in salted water for half an hour, or longer, until the bitterness is reduced, then rinse and drain before using. Soaking the cucumbers in salt will also make them more crisp.To make the salad, simply gently mix together the ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.

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Broccoli Salad with Bacon

2 large stalks of broccoli - chopped to about 5 cups of flowerets and peeled stem
1/2 lb bacon, cooked until crisp, drained and blotted of excess fat, and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup mayonnaise (Smart Balance Omega 3 mayo)
1 and 1/2 Tbs. lemon juice (4 and 1/2 teaspoons, or to taste)
1 Tbs. Splenda, Salt and pepper
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 Tbs. dried currants or dried cranberries

Blanch broccoli - either boil or microwave for 1-2 minutes. You want it still crunchy, but not as hard as raw. Quickly cool in ice water or by running under cold tap to stop cooking.
Mix mayonnaise, lemon juice, sweetener, and a pinch each of salt and pepper - adjust to taste. Add onion and currants to dressing.
Mix all ingredients together - if you like, save a little of the sunflower seeds and bacon to sprinkle over the top.

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Cucumber and Dill Salad

2 cups cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cups water
2 tsp salt
¼ cup fat free sour cream
1 cup apple cider vinegar
6 packets of Splenda
1 tsp dill-weed
1 tsp celery seed

Slice cucumbers and onions thinly and put in a bowl of salt water. Let stand for 30 minutes, or until cucumbers become crisp. In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup vinegar, sour cream, Splenda. When main course is ready to serve, drain cucumbers from salted water and pour into bowl with vinegar mixture. Toss and serve.

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Cucumber Salad with Mint and Feta

1 lb thin skinned, mild (non bitter) cucumbers, such as Persian, Armenian, or Japanese cucumbers, thinly sliced.
You might also try it with English cucumbers.
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced and cut into 1-inch long segments
2 or 3 red radishes, thinly sliced
10 mint leaves, thinly sliced
White vinegar
Olive oil
1/4 pound feta cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium sized bowl, gently toss together the sliced cucumbers, red onion, radishes, mint leaves with a little bit of white vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Right before serving, sprinkle on crumbled bits of feta cheese. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Grilled Scallops and Pepper Salad

12 ounces sea scallops
1/2 cup canalini beans, per person
1 green, red, orange peppers, in 1 inch slices
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1 Tbs. parsley, fresh if available
1 tsp. thyme, fresh if available
1 tsp margarim, fresh if available
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup baby spinach, chopped, per person
1 cup romaine lettuce, per person

Preheat the cast iron grill pan or the outside grill. In a small sauce pan, pour oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, garlic and marjaram and turn on medium heat for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Set bowl aside. Clean and slice the peppers. Pour half the marinade over the cannalini beans and allow them to soak. Place the scallops and peppers in the marinade to sit for a couple minutes. When the grill pan is ready, place scallops and peppers on ribbed surface to cook. Scallops need to cook for about 2-3 minutes per side. The peppers are done when grill marks appear.

Prepare individual salad bowls with lettuce and baby spinach. Add cannalini beans, peppers, and scallops. Tope with balsamic dressing.

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Craisin Pecan Chicken Salad

4 ounce Tyson frozen, precooked grilled chicken strips, per person
2 cups Romaine Lettuce per person
¼ cup pecans (15 Nut meats) per person
2 Tbs. dried craisins per person
2 ounces feta cheese per person, crumbled on salad
2 Tbs.Balsamic dressing per salad, add Splenda

Prepare each salad individually, mix salad greens, craisins, pecans and feta cheese. Add warm chicken and salad dressing