Quick Weeknight Meal: Chicken Cobb Salad

One of my good friends is always asking me what I'm making for dinner so she can find some inspiration in the kitchen. Sometimes I'm taking an adventurous route and trying a new recipe, though most nights I'm making the go-to dishes I've posted on this blog. One of the new dishes I've tried recently is this yummy and colorful Chicken Cobb Salad. It was an easy and delicious meal that didn't require cooking - just assembling. (Though I did cook the bacon and hard boiled the eggs a day ahead.) I hardly knew what to do with myself after dinner when there weren't any pots and pans to wash!

Most salads seem to be on the lighter side but this one was even filling enough to keep my hungry husband satisfied - a definite plus. You can bet I'll be making this one again. Plus, I'm always willing to hang up my dish gloves for a night!


Chicken Cobb Salad
(Recipe adapted from "Everyday Food")

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon (4 oz.)
3 T. red-wine vinegar
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 large head romaine lettuce, shredded
8 oz. cooked chicken breast (or roasted turkey), cut into 3/4-inch dice (2 cups) - (I use pre-cooked packaged Perdue grilled chicken breast strips.)
1/2 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 oz. feta (or blue cheese), crumbled (3/4 cup)
2 hard-cooked eggs, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 handful of grape tomatoes
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

Method:
Cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Let cool, then crumble the bacon. (This step can be done ahead of time.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, and mustard. Place the lettuce on a serving platter, and toss with the dressing. Arrange the remaining ingredients on the lettuce as desired, and season with salt and pepper.

Fresh Flavors: Lebanese Bean Salad

I've recently been working my way through a cookbook titled, "Ethnic Cuisine: How to Create the Authentic Flavors of 30 International Cuisines," by Elisabeth Rozin.  I tried her baba ghanouj recipe the other day -- which I'll add to this blog soon -- and it turned out wonderfully.  I'm going to try to make her hummus recipe in the next few days.  Another recipe, Lebanese Bean Salad, looked inviting since it combined very fresh flavors -- tomato, cucumber, parsley, mint -- with kidney beans, providing a great way to make my diet a bit more healthy.  (Gotta balance those chocolate chip cookies out!)  The salad turned out really well, and it was definitely best after the flavors were allowed to sit and meld together for a few hours.  I feel healthy just writing about it.

That said, on a related note, a news story about Lebanon's government collapsing this week caught my eye.  (Associated Press story: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gKLdFozTq_mjqIHyByXq9DMbpz2w?docId=51dbcaef794b4ea0a78ead4e8b809d23)  I don't hear much about Lebanon normally, nor do I hear much about governments collapsing (I cannot imagine that happening in the USA), and so this post is dedicated to the people in that country who are living through this tumultuous situation.  I'm praying for the Lebanese people and hope you'll join me.

Lebanese Bean Salad
(Courtesy of Elisabeth Rozin, "Ethnic Cuisine: How to Create the Authentic Flavors of 30 International Cuisines")

Ingredients:
2-2 1/2 cups cooked or canned red or white kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped, or 3-4 scallions, finely chopped
1 T. fresh mint, chopped, or 2 tsp. crushed, dried mint leaves
1 large ripe tomato, coarsely chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Method:
Combine beans, parsley, onion, mint, tomato, and cucumber in a bowl.  Combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a separate bowl and beat together.  Pour the dressing over the vegetables, and stir together.  Refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours.  Mix again before serving.