Roasted Brussels Sprouts Cobb Salad

I’ve been on a crazy salad kick lately. It’s all I’ve been wanting and craving and I’m not talking iceburg sprinkled with a few pathetic veggies. When I crave a salad I want fresh leafy greens, loaded with different colors, textures and plenty of protein to fill me up…. Therefore cobb salads are my jam and this one is so good.

(Are there even greens under there?)

I like my salads BIG. Often times I put so much stuff on them they can’t fit in a regular sized bowl. I’ve actually resorted to using the same bowl I used to feed my sister’s Irish wolfhound as my salad vessel and I’m not ashamed. It’s big enough to mix a double batch of brownies in. A girl’s gotta eat!

This salad is loaded with roasted brussels sprouts, bacon (from a Peak's Island raised pig to be exact), hard boiled egg, blue cheese and veggies... and I meant to add avocado too but I forgot for this round that was photographed. It’s your typical restaurant style cobb salad, but at the same time it’s not something you necessarily think of making at home for a meal. Which you should! It’s so tasty! Just make sure you have a really big bowl :)

It’s hearty and filling and it’s a perfect main course salad to satisfy you after a long day. It’s also (like majority of the other things I’ve recently posted) a good recipe to prep in advance and eat throughout the week. On your prep day, throw the brussels sprouts and bacon in the oven and hard boil the eggs – 20 minutes and you’re good to go! Grilled corn goes so well with this but sweet corn straight from the can is good, too.

I rarely buy salad dressing because it’s so easy to make your own at home and avoid any unidentifiable ingredients, preservatives or unnecessary added sugar. The dressing for this salad is just three ingredients – balsamic, olive oil and honey. There’s no reason to buy a bottle! Add the dressing ingredients in a mason jar, shake it up and store it in the fridge to use all week. The acidity of it and punch of flavor goes great with the ingredients in this salad – and basically any salad for that matter.

As usual, it’s a very flexible recipe. Use whatever veggies you have on hand, add chicken or substitute ham, nuts, chickpeas, dried fruits, other cheese, etc. Yum yum!


PS - like I said before, writing a recipe for a salad is odd to me. Add however much of the veggies you want! I've just listed things to use and then given direction at the bottom in case you need a lil guidance.




Roasted Brussels Sprouts Cobb Salad

Ingredients:
leafy greens
roasted Brussels sprouts*
sweet corn (canned or fresh - grilled fresh is the best!)
shredded carrots
chopped cucumber
halved cherry tomatoes
chopped green onion
crumbled bacon (approx 2 pieces per salad)
crumbled blue cheese
hard boiled egg***
avocado
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Assemble the salad by loading the greens with all the toppings.
• Add vinegar, oil and honey in mason jar and shake up. This is enough for a couple salads but double it if you want it to last all week. Toss with salad.

*To roast Brussels sprouts, cut in half and toss 1 lb brussels sprouts with 2 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or more depending on the size, until they're tender and starting to lightly brown in spots.

**To char the corn, heat a skillet, dry, over medium-high/high heat. Drain a can of corn well and add to skillet. Let cook a few minutes without stirring so it will char and cook until it is starting to get roasted in spots.

***To hard boil eggs, add however many eggs you want in a saucepan and cover with at least 1 inch of water. Bring to boil then turn off heat, cover the pot and leave on the stove on the burner or ten minutes. Drain out water and cover with cold water (maybe even a few ice cubes) to stop cooking. Peel and slice for salad.