Summer Salad

We've been on a bit of a roll in the kitchen... Over the past few weeks, I've tried out tons of new recipes.  Each one has been a big hit and added to our 'make-again' list. 

I've resisted the urge to post every new recipe, but this one, from Smitten Kitchen, surprised me with how it was so easy to make, delicious, & filling!

Classic Cobb Salad
Serves 4 to 6

Dressing:
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad:
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cored and shredded
1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
6 strips cooked bacon, roughly chopped (we used imitation bacon bits)
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Make the dressing: Combine the canola oil, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, sugar, and garlic in a blender. Purée the ingredients to make a smooth dressing and season with salt and pepper. Set the dressing aside.

Make the salad: On a (very) large platter, combine the iceberg and romaine lettuces. Arrange the blue cheese, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, chicken, and avocado on top of the greens in neat rows. To serve, drizzle salad with dressing, season with salt and pepper. Alternatively, toss everything together in a bowl.

{image via smitten kitchen}

I served it as a make-your-own plate, with all the toppings separate (mostly for point-tracking purposes).  Then tossed each individual salad together, with dressing, before serving.

Check out the link above for the original recipe... We omitted the watercress & chives, because we didn't have any on-hand.  We also substituted bacon for imitation bacon bits and left out the chicken completely.

I'm normally not a huge fan of salad entrees made at home (they always taste so much better when we eat out), but we both really liked this chopped salad.  Definitely recommended for a summer dish!