A Non-Diet-y Cobb Salad

Salads don’t have to be “blah.” I want my meals to be nutritious, but I also want to look forward to them. I won’t eat mindfully or be satisfied with a salad that is all nutritious and no fun. And I will find myself searching the cupboard later for that thing to “hit the spot.” Instead of white-knuckling it through a healthy meal only to “ruin” it later, how about we make it something that we want to begin with?

Non-Diet-y Cobb Salad Recipe:

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serving Size: This recipe yields approximately 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breasts

• 1/4 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used Historic Lynchburg Tennessee Whiskey BBQ Sauce)

• 4 eggs

• 1 head of romaine, cleaned and chopped

• 1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

• 1 large cucumber, peeled, sliced and quartered

• 4 slices of thick bacon

• 1 loaf of French bread

• 1-2 tbsp olive oil

For the Dressing:

• 3/4 cup of plain 2% Greek yogurt

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/2 cup good quality blue cheese, crumbled

• 1/2 lemon, squeezed

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• A tsp of honey (more if it is too tart)

• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Marinade your chicken in the barbecue sauce for at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hours).

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cube the French bread and place it in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Sprinkle a little salt and toss again. Once the oven is preheated, place them in the oven for about 15 minutes, tossing halfway. Remove and set aside.

3. While your chicken is marinating and croutons are baking, hardboil the eggs. I do this by placing the eggs in a pot, adding water, bringing them to a boil, removing them from the heat, and placing a top on. Let them sit for 12 minutes, and then run under cold water and peel.

4. Preheat your grill on medium-high heat.

5. Grill chicken on each side for around 5-7 minutes until the inside of the breast is up at 165 degrees F.

6. Whisk dressing ingredients together.

7. Place all of the salad ingredients except the dressing in a large bowl. If you want to make the salad more presentable and “Cobb” like, line each ingredient in a row on top of the lettuce.

8. Serve with a spoonful dressing and enjoy!