Cobb Salad - The Perfect Balanced Meal

Cobb salad was invented in 1937 at the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles. Whenever I think of the Brown Derby, I think of the amazing Lucille Ball creeping on movie stars from her booth at the restaurant in I Love Lucy. Hilarious.Anyhoo, Cobb salad is the perfect lunch or dinner- high in fat, fiber, and flavor and low in starch. This is how you want to eat to keep your blood sugars stable and your energy fizzing.

The Perfect Cobb Salad

You can substitute ham for the chicken, red onions instead of green, or any kind of cheese if you don't care for bleu cheese - don't be afraid to be creative. Top it with my Basil Ranch dressing, or use any low-sugar dressing that you like.This recipe serves 4 people easily, with dressing left over for future salads or vegetable dip.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 head iceberg lettuce

• 1 head darker greens (kale, spinach, romaine, etc)

• 6 green onions

• 6-8 slices crisp cooked bacon

• 6-8 ounces roasted chicken (chopped rotisserie chicken works just fine)

• 4 sliced hard-boiled eggs

• 1 sliced avocado

• 8 ounces crumbled bleu cheese (or a less robust cheese if you're a big baby)

Basil Ranch dressing:

• 1 cup good quality mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip - very different ingredients and flavor)

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 1 clove garlic

• 1/2 cup basil leaves

• 3 green onions

• 1 teaspoon chopped dill

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1 good splurp of Worcestershire sauce

Preparation:

1. Prepare the dressing first, and let it sit in the fridge for an hour or two, or overnight. The flavor gets better when you give it time.

2. You can whisk the dressing in a bowl, but I make it with my food processor or blender. This way, you can just give everything a rough chop and toss it in.

3. So, place the mayo, peeled garlic clove, chopped basil leaves, chopped green onions, dill, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire in the bowl of your blender or food processor. Process until smooth, about 30 seconds. If you're doing this by hand, finely chop the basil, onions, dill, and garlic, then mash the garlic with the side of your knife. Then whisk everything together.

4. Now add the sour cream and buttermilk. Process briefly, just until there are no lumps. If you're making this by hand, just whisk in the sour cream and milk.

5. Taste and add salt or pepper till it tastes right to you. Put the dressing in a jar or bowl and refrigerate.

6. When you are ready to assemble the salad, wash, dry, and chop your lettuce and greens. Place them in a big bowl or individual salad bowls.

7. Top the salad with the sliced boiled eggs, chopped cooked chicken, crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, bleu cheese, and avocado slices. Make it pretty - arrange it in stripes or in a starburst pattern.

8. Serve it up with your Ranch dressing!

In Conclusion

The Basil Ranch dressing is not only great on the salad, but so good for dipping carrots, celery, or boiled shrimp. It will keep 2 weeks in the fridge in a sealed jar.

Like it? Let me know.

And don't forget to share any additions that made it even better!