Aside from the great presentation, Cobb salad has everything you need for a power meal, including eggs, avocados, tomato, and lean chicken—we just had to do something with all that bacon and cheese.
We were sad to sacrifice the smoky flavor of bacon until we tried sauteing shiitake mushrooms with smoked paprika and chili powder. Now we had smokiness and even some umami meatiness without the saturated fat and preservatives. Using kale instead of romaine increased the nutritional value and radicchio added beautiful color.
For the dressing, a little blue cheese whipped with yogurt, garlic and lemon juice gave the tangy blue cheese flavor we expected. We tossed a few into our veggies and sprinkled the rest over our still-classic but carefully updated Cobb salad.
SUPER COBB SALAT
Servings: 6
Start to finish: 45 minutes
8 ounces boneless, skinless organic chicken breast, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons pressed canola oil
10 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
8 ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (8 cups)
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup organic low-fat yogurt
3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 small head radicchio (3 ounces), cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 hard-boiled large organic eggs, quartered
1 avocado, halved, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a now empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid, 4 to 6 minutes. Uncover and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir in the paprika, chili powder and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to another plate and let cool.
Place the kale in a large bowl and cover with hot tap water (110 F to 115 F). Toss the kale around to remove the grit. Let the kale stand in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove the kale from the water and spin dry several times in a salad spinner. Pat the leaves dry with paper towels while they are still wet. Mix the onion with 2 teaspoons lemon juice and set aside.
Whisk yogurt, blue cheese, garlic, remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in a bowl until well blended. Season with salt and pepper.
Toss kale and radicchio with 1/2 cup dressing to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and arrange in an even layer. Arrange the cooled mushrooms, onions, eggs, avocado, and tomatoes in single, even rows over the greens, leaving space at both ends. Arrange half the chicken in each open space at the ends of the dish. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad. Serve.
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Nutrition information per serving: 223 calories; 108 calories from fat; 12 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fat); 125 mg cholesterol; 322 mg sodium; 12 g carbohydrates; 5 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 19g protein.
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For more recipes, cooking tips, and ingredient and product reviews, visithttps://www.americatestkitchen.com. Find more recipes like Super Cobb Salad in "Nutritiously delicious."
