Skinny Broccoli Salad

I found this recipe on facebook... someone shared it, and I'm not totally sure where it came from. But, I took some of the ingredients and amounts and added and removed and here's what I came up with for my skinny broccoli salad:

Ingredients:
2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped
1 head fresh cauliflower, chopped
1/2 red pepper (chopped)
1/2 green pepper (chopped)

1/2 c dried cranberries (more or less)

1/2 c sunflower seeds (more or less)
1 c reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c reduced-fat ranch dressing
 

Other optional ingredients:

1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup tomatoes, chopped

olives (green or black)

walnuts (or other types of nuts)

raisins (instead of cranberries, or added to) 

pepper

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and toss with reduced fat ranch dressing.
Refrigerate until serving.

I believe that the original recipe called for a full cup of dressing, but I found that 1/2 cup was plenty. Do what you will with that. I really enjoyed this recipe. It's simple (besides the time it takes to cut everything), and quite tasty. There were also suggestions of using a miracle whip, vinegar, sugar dressing instead of the ranch. There are so many things you can do with this, I just love it! Cold salads for spring and summer - yes, please!