Cobb Salad with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Some go-to salads for me are a kale Caesar and a good Cobb salad. Traditionally, a Cobb salad is full of different meats, like ham, chicken, and bacon plus vegetables such as, avocado, tomato, cucumber and red onion. Bleu cheese and shredded cheddar are also popular toppings. The best thing about making your salads at home is the ability to customize them with what you love and leave off the things you don’t.

My ideal cobb salad has:

• perfectly cooked bacon
• ripe avocado
• fresh tomato
• medium boiled egg
• shredded cheddar

This egg cooker is one of my favorite small kitchen appliances. If you love hard boiled – or medium boiled eggs YOU NEED THIS!

Low Carb Cobb Salad

If you read my last post then you know I’m trying to jump back on the healthy train, and with the help of my friend Deanna, she is pushing me to reduce my intake of processed cheese*. She talks a lot about health and wellness on her blog, A Well and Worthy Life, and so I look to her for inspiring workouts, lifestyle tips, and dieting truths. She often blogs about diets like intermittent fasting and the keto diet, so if you are interested in learning more about those I highly encourage you to visit her blog here.

How to Make the Perfect Cobb Salad

What makes a good salad? I believe it’s a mixture of things, the first being a good base. For a perfect Cobb salad, I use a mixture of greens like this Spring Mix from Organic Girl. I always add a little salt and pepper to my greens before adding the toppings, which brings me to my next point. Don’t cut corners with your toppings on a salad! For example, take the time to cook real bacon, instead of buying store bought bacon bits. Let’s break down how to perfectly execute these Cobb salad toppings.

1. Bake your bacon in the oven – learn more here
2. Use this Egg Cooker to get a perfectly cooked hard boil egg in under 10 minutes
3. Pick the finest avocados by removing the stem and checking the color underneath. If it’s brown, you know it’s ripe.
4. If adding shredded cheddar, shred yourself using a grater instead of using packaged processed cheese.

Balsamic Dressing Recipe

I guess you could say that the dressing is really what makes a salad great by complementing all the ingredients. Here’s how to make a perfectly creamy balsamic dressing for your Cobb salad.

6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
1/2 tsp fresh thyme (can also use dried thyme)
Pinches of salt & pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Add all ingredients EXCEPT olive oil in a blender and blend until garlic is minced and everything is mixed. Slowly start to pour the olive oil into the blender, and mix until all ingredients are combined and smooth.

If you like your dressing thinner, just add a few teaspoons of water.

Cobb Salad Recipe

Feeds 2-3 people for main course salad

1 bag of mixed greens
4 hard-boiled eggs – prepare using Egg Cooker
5-6 strips of bacon
2 avocados
grape tomatoes
shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese (optional)