Terrrrrific Cauliflower Salad

The other day I had some cauliflower that needed to be eaten and didn't necessarily want to COOK it. So I rummaged around on "cooks.com recipe search" looking for a salad recipe using cauliflower. I found 3 or 4 recipies that kind of appealed to me, but only liked bits and pieces of what they put together, so I sort of combined some of their ideas and came up with this recipe. I was amazed at how scrumptiously delicious it was/is. It's chrunchy, which I love. It has bacon. Ditto. It has English peas (green peas). Ditto again. AND Ranch dressing. What more could one ask for?

Terrrrrific Cauliflower Salad

1 medium head cauliflower, washed and broken into florets
3/4 lb. bacon, fried crispy and chopped
1/2 lb frozen green peas, blanched slightly

Combine cauliflower, bacon and peas in a large bowl. Top with dressing. Stir till everything is coated. Can be eaten immediately or chilled prior to serving. Should be eaten within three days. (Cauliflower tends to get a bit soggy after that!)

Dressing:

In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the following ingredients:

1 cup sour cream (buttermilk if you prefer)
1 cup mayonaise
1 pkg Ranch Dressing Mix (or more, depending on taste)

I used about twice the equivalent of 1 pkg of Ranch Dressing Mix, which was about 1/4 cup or so, with sour cream and mayo.

My family said it was too rich for them, but I LOVED it! Of course, when you combine crispy, fried bacon and Ranch Dressing with fresh vegetables (and frozen peas), how can you possibly go wrong?!!!!

For variations to the above recipe, I could see adding broccoli florets, finely chopped red onion, or sliced green onions, carrots (grated, sliced, whatever). Ooooooh! What about combining with Blue Cheese crumbles? I'm sure there could be more variations.

If you try this as a base for adding other fun (and nutritious) ingredients, please share them with me!