Cobb Salad with Balsamic Shallot Vinaigrette |
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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 0 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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It is a salad, but cobb salad was never meant to be a healthful or low-fat dish. Because Ryan Howard is a conscientious eater, however, this version is a lighter version that still packs some punch from the familiar flavors of the original. Use reduced-fat blue cheese and turkey bacon, serve the dressing on the side, and dig into this classic mega-salad. Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar |
1/2 teaspoon salt |
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil |
2 tablespoons minced shallots |
2 8-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves |
1/2 teaspoon salt |
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil |
2 8-ounce romaine hearts, washed, dried, and torn into bite-sized pieces |
2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced |
2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and diced |
8 strips turkey bacon, cooked and coarsely chopped |
2 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped |
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled reduced-fat blue cheese |
Directions:
1. 1 To make the vinaigrette, combine the vinegar, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually add the oil. Add the shallots and pulse briefly to combine. Pour into a serving bowl and set aside.
2. 2 Pound each chicken breast half between 2 heavy duty plastic bags with a flat meat pounder to an even 1/2-inch thickness. Season with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning halfway through cooking, until golden brown on both sides, about 6 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover. Simmer until the chicken feels firm when pressed in the center, about 8 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to high, and cook until the liquid is evaporated and the chicken is sizzling, about 1 minute. Transfer chicken to a carving board and let cool. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
3. 3 Spread the lettuce on a large platter. Top with the chicken, tomatoes, avocados, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, and blue cheese arranged in rows. Serve immediately, with the vinaigrette passed on the side.
4. Adapted from Diamond Dishes by Julie Loria (Lyons Press/ $24.95) Excerpts copyright 2011 by Julie Loria, with permission of Lyons Press
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