Lately I’ve surprised myself by craving salads. With spring just around the corner, I’ve been reaching for something fresh and crisp to tide me over until warmer weather arrives.
To be clear, my idea of a salad isn’t just a pile of vegetables. I like layers of bold flavors and varied textures — cheese, nuts, avocado and something crunchy like tortilla chips. Normally I would add bacon too, but I gave that up for Lent this year, which made this version slightly less indulgent (even though the bacon did briefly sit on my counter).
I absolutely love chopped salads. The satisfying crunch in every bite combined with bright, contrasting flavors is what makes them so irresistible to me.
The highlights of this salad are the sweet corn and creamy avocado. I almost topped it with crunchy blue corn tortilla chips, which would have been a fantastic addition and could even be used to scoop up the salad.
I also tossed in dried cherries — one of my favorite dried fruits. They transport me back to summers spent on the lake in Northern Michigan with every bite. Figs are another dried fruit I love to add to salads; I could eat them by the bucketful.
For richness and tang, I included two kinds of cheese: crumbled gorgonzola and smoked cheddar. Choosing a single favorite cheese is impossible for me — some days it’s gorgonzola, other days asiago or gruyère. My cravings keep changing, and my thighs would probably plead with me to choose “no cheese” if they could speak.
Chopped Chicken Salad
1 cup chopped iceberg lettuce
2 cups chopped romaine or green leaf lettuce
6 oz grilled chicken, chopped
1 plum tomato, chopped
1/2 avocado, chopped
1/2 cup sweet corn
2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
1/4 cup dried cherries
1 oz crumbled gorgonzola
1 oz smoked cheddar, chopped
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Add all ingredients to a large bowl and toss thoroughly. Dress lightly if desired.
As an aside, Mr. How Sweet — true to form — refused the avocado but happily ate the dried cherries, so his palate is clearly evolving one small victory at a time.