When I was a kid and people used to ask “If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be” I would always say: salad. My reasoning behind this answer was that there are so many kinds of salad you’d never have to eat the same thing twice. This justification would often outrage my fellow peers, but I thought it was pretty clever.

I’m currently on a juice cleanse, but I was craving a Cobb salad last night so I decided to make one for my boyfriend and my cousin and watch them enjoy it instead. Does that sound a little masochistic? The Cobb is the mother of all salads, containing everything you need for a full meal, but be warned – it can be very fattening if you let it!

Here’s my recipe for a fast, easy and delicious Cobb salad that’s so pretty you will want to make it for a dinner party.

Cobb Salad with Chive Vinaigrette

Cobb Salad with Chive Vinaigrette

Time: 20 Minutes

Serving Size: 2

Difficulty Level: Do you know how to hard boil an egg?

Equipment:

–         a pot

–         a cutting board

–         a knife

–         a mixing bowl

–         a whisk

Ingredients:

–         one breast of a rotisserie chicken, cubed – buy the whole chicken and save the rest for tomorrow’s lunch and dinner!

–         One tomato, medium dice

–         One avocado, medium dice

–         4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped*

–         2 eggs, hardboiled, peeled and sliced**

–         2 tbs goat cheese, crumbled

–         2 handfuls of mesclun mix lettuce

–         2 tables spoons minced chives

–         1 tbs red wine vinegar

–         1 tbs Dijon mustard

–         3 tbs olive oil

–         Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

*Bacon can be prepared a multitude of ways. I prefer to cook it in the oven on a baking sheet at 350 for about 6 minutes or until its crispy. If you don’t’ want to use your oven you can always throw it in the microwave between two pieces of paper towel. It will still taste like bacon…just a little drier.

**The official way to create the perfect hard boiled egg is to place your eggs in a pot with cold water that just covers them. Add a teaspoon of salt. Bring the pot to a boil. Once it’s boiling. Remove it from the heat, cover the pot and let it sit for 17 minutes. If you like your eggs on the softer side, allow them to boil for a minute or two, then turn the heat off and let them stand in the pot, uncovered, for a few more minutes.

In your mixing bowl combine the Dijon, vinegar, chives, salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and whisk until combined.

To assemble your salad, place the lettuce on the plate in a pile. Then, starting in the middle of your plate, lay each ingredient out in a line, working toward the outsides of the plate. You can assemble your ingredients in whichever order you think it prettiest. Drizzle the dressing over all of the ingredients. If you want to make this dish even healthier, try using a grilled chicken breast!