Crunchy Cauliflower/Water Chestnut Salad

I love my moms "the best" lettuce/pea salad (just posted #64951) but I can no longer eat lettuce, broccoli, spinach and other vitamin K foods. My mom made a similar salad as this one, but I revised it more to my taste. It is a very crunchy, good tasting salad I just came up with last week. It makes a pretty large salad but my hubby and I ate it in three days. You can increase or decrease the spices to suit your taste. For best results, make this salad the night before you need it. Also, don't add the cheese until your almost ready to serve it. Don't salt it until you serve it as it would draw moisture while sitting in the fridge overnight. If you like less dressing, decrease the real mayo to 1 1/2 cups. It is so good, I don't even miss lettuce now! It is very easy to make, stores well and should do well at any potluck or family gathering.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1  head cauliflower
• 8  ounces frozen green peas (very well dried)
• 1 (6 ounce) can  sliced drained water chestnuts
• 1  bunch  fresh green onion
• 1  cup  diced carrot
• 1 1⁄2 cups  cubed cheddar cheese

• Dressing

• 1 (1 pint) jar Hellmann's mayonnaise
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  fresh ground  peppercorn blend (red,white,green,black peppercorns)
• 4  garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄4 teaspoon basil
• 1⁄4 teaspoon paprika
•  salt, only added at the time of serving (or let each guest salt his or her own.)

Directions

1. first rinse& drain well frozen green peas, do not cook.
2. I put peas in a small colander, then lay on paper towels to dry.
3. It's very important that they be dry wash cauliflower, dry and cut into small florets.
4. cube cheese& put in a small bag and put in fridge to have ready to mix in when salad is served add the peas, diced carrots, onions, celery and water chestnuts to the cauliflower in layers in a large bowl, but with a smaller rim; set aside.
5. Dressing: mix all dressing ingredients really well and spread over the top of salad to seal salad inches.
6. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and keep in fridge until it is served the next day.
7. Before serving, add cheese and mix through all the salad well and put in a nice serving dish.
8. Enjoy!