Cold Broccoli Salad (Keto)

It’s the end of August and all I can say is, don’t let summer end without trying this awesome Cold Broccoli Salad. It’s keto-friendly and super easy to make… and to be completely honest, you can skip blanching the broccoli if that’s too much trouble for you, but you’ll see in the photos below why I like to do it.

before blanching

after blanching

Prepare the broccoli. Just look at huge difference blanching makes! A quick minute in boiling water is all it takes, then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

Drain well - really, well. Broccoli acts like a sponge and holds a lot of water.

Look at how much water my salad spinner got, and that was AFTER I drained it in a colander! Almost a full cup. Wow! That water would really dilute the dressing so you definitely want to get rid of it. If you don’t have a salad spinner (and you really should), wrap the broccoli in a clean kitchen towel (or I’ve heard of people also using a clean pillowcase) and swing your arm around and around like a giant propeller (of course, you’ll want to do this outside!).

Next you’ll need to cook the bacon. I think this recipe works best when the bacon is cooked on the chewy side more than the crisp side, but you do what you like.

Carefully chop the bacon and be sure to save all those bacon drippings - they’re going to add amazing flavor to the dressing.

For the dressing, you’ll need mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Add the blanched and drained broccoli….

And the bacon and bacon drippings - scrape every last bit out of the pan.

Toss everything together and try not to eat the entire bowl before you’ve had a chance to chill it - trust me, the flavors get better over time.

Serve cold or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• salad spinner https://amzn.to/321kH2U

• Duke’s mayonnaise https://amzn.to/3oEwhPp

• red wine vinegar https://amzn.to/3GYnHBv

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Cold Broccoli Salad (Keto)

makes 8 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 cups broccoli florets

• 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (reserve drippings)

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (we love to use Duke’s)

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (we like this one)

• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Blanch broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute; rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and drain very well (use a salad spinner if you have one).

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bacon, bacon drippings, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, and pepper; add broccoli and stir well to combine.

3. Chill well and serve cold or at room temperature.

Broccoli Stem Soup

I don't know if you celebrated Valentine's Day this week or not, but we ate our weight in steak and seafood.  We didn't lose complete control though - we managed to abstain from sweet treats this year, but I know many of you indulged in copious amounts of cream and butter and chocolate! 

Time to lighten things up a bit - enter the humble broccoli stem.  Just curious - do you say stem or stalk?  Anyway, my grocery store had a great deal on fresh broccoli last week so I bought a small forest and, after cutting all the florets away, I was left with all these lovely green tree trunks.  If I had just one or two, I'd cut them into coins or sticks and toss them in a salad, but since I had 1 1/2 pounds worth, I decided to make a batch of broccoli stem soup.  This is how it's made. 

To start, trim the dry ends from the broccoli stems, but that's all - no need to peel them.   

Chop the broccoli into 1/4-inch dice.  Onions too. 

Heat a large heavy-bottom skillet with a good drizzle of olive oil.  (this is the skillet I used)

Add the onions, broccoli stems, salt, and pepper.

Saute over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to caramelize.

You'll notice a nice brown layer of "fond" will form on the bottom of the skillet.  Mmmmm! 

Add chicken stock and scrape up the fond from the bottom of the skillet.  That's going to add wonderful flavor to the soup!  

Uh, you do make your own chicken stock, right?  No?  Try my recipe here.  It's about a gazillions times better than store bought.

Bring the chicken stock to gentle boil and throw in a whole clove of garlic.  Continue to cook for about 15 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and puree to the thickness you desire.  I like some texture to remain, so I used an immersion blender (like this one), but you could also puree the soup in batches using a blender or food processor.  

That's all there is to it.  A healthy, frugal soup that's gluten-free, dairy-free, and practically fat-free.  Want to make it vegan too?  Just use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.  

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• Maviel Rondeau https://amzn.to/3LjrbBP

• Cuisinart immersion blender https://amzn.to/3ryVnRp

• Nakiri knife https://amzn.to/3GvrBBz

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Broccoli Stem Soup

makes 6 cups

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 1/2 pounds broccoli stems, diced

• 1 pound onions, diced

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 4 cups chicken stock (try my homemade)

• 1 whole clove of garlic, peeled

Directions

1. In a very large skillet over medium heat, saute broccoli stems, onions, salt, and pepper in olive oil until caramelized.

2. Add chicken stock and garlic clove; bring to a gentle boil for 15 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and puree to desired thickness.

4. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.