Organic Ranch Broccoli Salad with Bacon, Walnuts, Cranberries & Onions Recipe

I have nothing against dairy but it sure can turn on me lately. One of those mystery sensitivities that comes with age, so I’ve heard. I was delighted to see Litehouse Organic Ranch is now dairy free! I told my doctor I can’t commit to giving up entirely on such things as ice cream, dressings or my precious cheese but when I need to cut back it’s nice to know I have products like dairy free ranch to lean on!

Litehouse Organic Ranch is dairy and gluten free. It’s creamy and balanced with herbs. The whole family will enjoy it!

For this broccoli salad I only have a few ingredients so I paid extra attention to each in order for them to shine their brightest. After I cut the broccoli into small pieces I dunked them into boiling water for one minute then cold shocked them in ice water to stop them from cooking any further.  This turns the broccoli a nice bright green color and also takes a bit of the hardness away. I cooked the bacon quite crisp as it does soak in a bit of moisture once in the salad. Red onions lose some of their harshness in a bowl of cold water so after slicing them they went for a little bath.  As for the walnuts, I gave them a quick toasting in a small frying pan. This wakes them up and intensifies their flavor. My cranberries were super soft but sometimes they can benefit from a bowl of hot water to plump them up.

Any way you prepare this salad will sure to be a hit! It’s perfect served right away or can be made ahead of time to bring along to your next potluck or bbq.