COBB SALAD

Have I ever told you how difficult it is to write a food blog when you're on a diet? It is particularly difficult when you are as meticulous with calorie counting as I am. Nevertheless, it is no secret by now that I love to cook and even more than that, I love to eat. I have tons of recipes that I am just dying to try out but this time, I thought I would try something quick and easy.  You won't even need your stove for this one.

Whenever I write out a grocery list, I always make sure to include the fixin's for one of my favorite go-to meals which has always been a fresh, crisp salad with lots of cheese and lots of ranch dressing.  (Did I really say "fixin's"?)  Unfortunately, depending upon what you put on your salad, the calories can quickly add up and it could end up being as fattening as a couple of slices of pizza. One day it dawned on me that just because I am on a diet, I don't have to deprive myself. I can eat just about anything I want to eat as long as I properly manage my portions and stay within my safe calorie zone. What better way to test that theory than with the famous Cobb Salad. (To give you a little background on this interesting concoction, it was invented in the 1930's at the famous Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood. It is named after one of the restaurant's owners, Robert H. Cobb, and it is rumored that he created it using leftovers.)

Final Thoughts:  I got the idea to make this salad from Wendy's.  The restaurant chain recently introduced a new line of salads, one of which is a very tasty BLT Cobb Salad. While it might be a lot easier to just drive by and pick one up for lunch or dinner, it's not nearly as fun as making your own.

Ingredients:
2 cups of lettuce or salad mix
1/3 cup of a diced tomatoes
2 oz. precooked chicken
1 large hardboiled egg
1/3 cup of avocado; seed removed, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 slices of crisp bacon (crumbled)
1/4 cup of bleu cheese
Dressing of your choice

Directions:
Most Cobb Salads start off with the lettuce at the bottom and then each ingredient is lined up or piled across the top. Of course, this is not a hard and fast rule so go crazy with it.

By the way, the ingredients as listed above, make one serving.  Without the dressing, you're looking at about 400 calories.  Compare to the Wendy's BLT Cobb Salad at 460.   Not bad if I do say so myself! 

Next time, we're on pie duty!