Creamy Broccoli Slaw

I have a new Food Network crush and it's on Ellie Krieger. Joey and I had watched her before, but rediscovered her while we were on our cleanse and were torturing ourselves by watching Food Network. We actually wanted to find some healthier ways of eating and her show seemed to fit the bill. Her show, Healthy Appetite, has become one of our favorites. Ellie not only gives you recipes that are easy and very tasty, but explains to you why they are healthy. This slaw was one of the first things we saw and we have been wanting to try it for several weeks. What I love about this is that it uses the broccoli stalks that one would usually throw away. Since it uses yogurt and very little mayonnaise it's very figure friendly. Combine that with the delicious crunch of sunflower seads and you have a hit! I followed the recipe fairly closely, but I couldn't find Greek yogurt so I strained mine. Please check the notes below if you have the same problem.

By the way, isn't Ellie just the cutest thing ever?! Just wait until you watch her show.

Ingredients

• 1 cup lowfat Greek yogurt, or strained yogurt
• 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/4 pounds broccoli stalks (from about 2 1/2 pounds broccoli bunches)
• 1 large or 2 medium carrots

Instructions

1. If using regular yogurt, place it in a strainer lined with paper towel or coffee filter and set the strainer over a bowl. Let the yogurt drain and thicken for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place sunflower seeds and 1/4 teaspoon salt on a rimmed baking sheet and shake to combine. Toast seeds until aromatic, about 10 minutes. Cool and reserve.
3. Combine yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Whisk to incorporate and reserve.
4. Peel tough outer layer of broccoli stalks and trim off 1/4 inch from bottoms of stalks (should be about 3/4 of a pound tender broccoli stalks remaining).
5. Shred stalks in food processor, then shred carrots. Combine shredded broccoli and carrots with dressing and toss to combine. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and serve.

Notes

I didn't have cheese cloth to strain the yogurt so I used a coffee filter. It worked quite well. I honestly cannot find plain Greek yogurt near me, so this is the best method. I would give it more than 20 minutes, though.

When I first mixed the wet ingredients I thought, "Wow, that is too much" and quickly grated more carrots. I really didn't need to.

The sunflower seeds really add a nice, tasty crunch. Try to get unsalted and roast them. If you can't then don't roast them.