Salad is one of our favorite quick lunches. Sometimes a nice hearty salad is all you need. Today I knew we were looking for a quick, yet delicious lunch. The first thing that came to mind was a BLT salad from the Everyday Food cookbook, Fresh Flavor Fast. I am big fan of all of the Everyday Food cookbooks. The recipes are quick, easy, and most importantly delicious. This recipe is quite easy to adapt to a variety of different tastes and diets. The bacon can be swapped out for veggie bacon. We like avocado, so I add a little of that too. The real beauty of this recipe lies in the dressing. It might sound odd a first, but trust me it works and it works perfectly. The flavors balance out amazingly well. Be sure to use a flavorful apple cider vinegar. Trust me, it's the one thing that really matters in the dressing. A poor flavored vinegar is going to stand out and not in a good way. Speaking of good quality flavorful vinegars, I am in love with the line that Williams-Sonoma carries. I particularly love the red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar that they carry. I buy another brand for my balsamic, so I haven't tried their balsamic yet, but I am sure it's yummy.
This salad packs a lot of flavor punch for relatively few calories. Without the avocado and using non vegetarian bacon, it comes in around 375 calories per serving. Now that's a BLT you can get behind.
BLT Salad with Buttermilk Dressing (Everyday Food Fresh Flavor Fast)
Serves 4 as a main course
- 8 slices of veggie or regular bacon
- 1/2 baguette, sliced into 3/4 inch cubes
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp. apple-cider vinegar
- 1 scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 pound romaine hearts, coarsely chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 avocados, thinly sliced (optional, not included in the calorie count)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange bacon in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until browned and crisp, about 15 minutes. (This is the method for standard bacon. If you are using veggie bacon, I suggest pan frying it.) Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Cool, then crumble into large pieces.
- Meanwhile, make croutons: Toss baguetter cubes into oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread into a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheets (or divide among two smaller ones). Bake until golden brown, rotating sheets and tossing croutons halfway through, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, and scallions; season with salt and pepper. Add romaine, tomatoes, and croutons; toss to coat with dressing. Sprinkle with bacon and serve immediately.
A few bonus photos of the cat and the famous Bo pillow pet.
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