I’d love to chat over a big plate of pretty with you.
What’s new with you? Have all the Cadbury eggs disappeared from your house, or do they make you cringe? Do you at least remember that 90s bunny in the commercial?
And seriously — how done are you with avocado toast photos on a scale from “one” to “I’m-never-turning-on-notifications”?
On a more practical note: how do you style a classic white button-down so it actually looks effortless? I can’t figure it out. Also, my fridge has been broken for almost three weeks and it’s wrecking my meal planning.
These are my cobb salad thoughts.
I love bacon. And eggs. And avocado. A cobb salad should be my dream meal, right?
Sometimes it is. Other times it feels like a heart-attack-in-waiting: so much bacon, so much yolk, and not nearly enough green.
Speaking of bacon and regrets, only once have I felt absolutely awful after eating bacon — and that was three weeks ago. On Saint Patrick’s Day weekend I accidentally ordered a BLT that arrived with a pound of bacon on it.
A pound.
Just thinking about it makes me want to faint.
I clearly ordered the sandwich from the menu, but the “pound” part didn’t register. A POUND. !!!!!
I didn’t know what to do with myself — I pulled bacon off the BLT, whined, complained and apologized to Eddie the whole way home, convinced my arteries were clogging and I’d keel over in the front seat.
It was a real romantic moment.
I fixed my cobb salad problem by adding plenty of spring vegetables. Spring and veggies get along with me. Asparagus roasts nicely, artichoke hearts are delightful (even if I keep imagining dipping them in hollandaise), and thinly sliced radish adds a bright crunch. Yes, cheese sneaks into most of these dishes, but that’s okay.
Am I a walking vegetable right now? Maybe. I don’t mind.
My only lingering question: can I still call this a cobb salad if the ingredients aren’t arranged in neat rows? My mom would say no. But it’s 2016 — I think the answer is yes. In fact, I already decided it is.
We kept the classic cobb elements — bacon, egg and avocado — but added butter lettuce, asparagus, grilled artichoke hearts, crispy garlic chickpeas and a honey-lemon vinaigrette to balance it out. Full disclosure: I may have tossed the asparagus in a little bacon fat. Oops.
Springtime Cobb Salad
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Ingredients
- 4 to 6 slices bacon
- 12 asparagus spears, woody stems removed
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves removed
- 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts
- 4 radishes thinly sliced
- 2 large eggs, hard boiled and sliced
- 1 avocado sliced
- 4 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
crispy garlic chickpeas
- 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
honey lemon vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
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Note: roast the chickpeas first and assemble the salad while they roast.
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Heat a large skillet over medium-low and add the bacon. Cook until crispy and the fat is rendered. Transfer the bacon to paper towel to drain and leave 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the skillet.
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Add asparagus to the skillet and toss to coat in the bacon fat. Season with pepper (the bacon fat is salty, so add salt only if needed) and cook until slightly tender but still crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes.
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Assemble the salad: tear or chop the butter lettuce and season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the bacon (crumbled or whole), asparagus, artichokes, radish, sliced eggs, avocado and crispy chickpeas. Drizzle with the honey-lemon vinaigrette and finish with gorgonzola crumbles. Serve immediately.
crispy garlic chickpeas
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Preheat oven to 425°F. Spread the chickpeas on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and toss with garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes, toss, then roast another 15–20 minutes until crisp.
honey lemon vinaigrette
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Whisk together apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, honey, minced garlic, dried basil, salt and pepper. Continue whisking while slowly streaming in the extra virgin olive oil until emulsified. This dressing keeps in the fridge for about a week in a sealed container.
Did you make this recipe?
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p.s. if you have leftover hard boiled eggs, this is your moment. Game on.