The Brown Derby version of Chef Salad.

Cobb Salad

By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

It’s Sunday Supper time again, and I have to say I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to host this week’s event, which is all about Winter Salads.

Salads are some of my favorites, especially when plated up as an entree.

I remember when I was a kid in the 1960’s, there wasn’t very much variety around for salads, so mostly we had salads with iceberg lettuce, carrots, celery, cucumbers and winter-pink tomatoes. Mom used to toss them all with retro-orange French dressing (I was the little stinker calling it Agent-Orange dressing in my mind, not daring to say that aloud in front of my Mom). No small wonder I had to sit at the table until I cleaned my plate of that tossed salad. Children were starving in China, I was told. And silently I thought “Maybe they are starving, but still eating better than this!”

You can see I was a dedicated foodie, even at an early age. A snarky one at that!

These days, we are so very blessed to have a global economy which affords us year-round availability of produce of all types. And while we marvel at buying locally grown produce at farm stands and markets during the summer, along with the abundance of our own home gardens, it will never be forgotten how good we have it these days.

But in winter, we do remember that winter produce comes in from warm climates. And in this salad I have for you today, which is a Cobb Salad, the main produce will come from California, which is known for its avocados, and possibly Florida for the tomatoes, although I don’t doubt you can get California tomatoes as well. But east of the Mississippi, we rely on Florida for many things all year long, tomatoes among them.

The Cobb salad itself hails from the Brown Derby restaurant in California, so having avocados in it is quite apropos. Also, for many years, Californians have generally been thought of as being leaders in the United States for health-conscious eating, with  salads being one of the first things that come to mind when describing California-cuisine. Having a ready supply helps with that I suppose. As they don’t have to deal with copious amounts of snow and long, grey, dreary winters.

But since we do have a global economy, this type of salad can be enjoyed by most people everywhere, all year long. And certainly will be enjoyed, as it is quite delicious!

And while I am usually accustomed to providing a salad dressing recipe for every salad I post, I did use a fat-free blue cheese dressing for mine (I am on a diet right now), and you can use that flavor of dressing or make a red wine vinaigrette of your own. To do that, combine 1 part red wine vinegar with two parts extra virgin olive oil, add tsp Dijon mustard per each cruet, and season with salt and black pepper, maybe a pinch of garlic and/or sugar if you like, depending on your preferences. Whisk or shake until emulsified.

Winter Salads

The Sunday Supper Tastemakers are very pleased to present:

Healthy Winter Salads to enjoy during even the coldest months.

#SundaySupper Winter Salads

• Amish Ham Salad from Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Arugula, Butternut & White Bean Salad with Maple Vinaigrette from Pook’s Pantry
• Arugula Salad with Maple Vinaigrette from Cooking Chat
• Beet Terrine from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Blood Orange and Salmon Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette from La Bella Vita Cucina
• Blood Orange, Beet, and Apple Salad with Goat Cheese and Citrus Honey Vinaigrette from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
• Blue Cheese and Pear Salad from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Breakfast Salad from Our Good Life
• Brussels Sprouts Salad with White Bean Dressing and Pecan Crisps from Beauty and the Beets
• Chill Chasing Matchstick Vegetable Pasta Salad from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Chopped Salad with Roasted Root Vegetables and Bacon from MyGourmetConnection
• Citrus Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cobb Salad from Palatable Pastime
• Colorful Veggie Filled Quinoa with a Ginger-Lemon Dressing from Positively Stacy
• Crunchy Beet & Arugula Salad from The Crumby Cupcake
• Escarole and Roasted Broccoli Salad with Anchovy Dressing from The Texan New Yorker
• Farro Salad with Roasted Squash, Radicchio and Lemon-Tahini Dressing from Caroline’s Cooking
• Grilled Chicken Salad from Real Food Real Deals
• Kale Salad with Lemony Tahini Dressing from My Life Cookbook
• Lemony Couscous Lentil Salad from Magnolia Days
• Low-Carb Spinach Breakfast Salad from Life Tastes Good
• Mandarin Tossed Salad from Meal Planning Magic
• Orange and Walnut Baby Spinach Salad w/ Quinoa and Citrus Vinaigrette from The Freshman Cook
• Quinoa Salad with Apples, Pecans and Dried Cranberries from The Chef Next Door
• Radicchio Pear Walnut Salad from The Bitter Side of Sweet
• Roasted Butternut Squash Pearl Couscous Salad from Mysavoryspoon
• Roasted Savoy Cabbage Slaw with Spicy Bacon Dressing from Food Lust People Love
• Roasted Squash and Cabbage Salad with Crispy Chick Peas from Monica’s Table
• Shredded Beet Salad from Wholistic Woman
• Simple Arugula, Fennel and Leek Salad with Citrus from Simply Healthy Family
• Simple Spinach Cobb Salad With Lardons from And She Cooks
• Spinach Citrus Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette from From Gate to Plate
• Warm Balsamic Steak Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing from Momma’s Meals
• Warm Cabbage Salad with Bacon and Goat Cheese from Nik Snacks
• Warm Cauliflower Spinach Salad with Pancetta from Taste and See
• Warm Potato and Broccoli Buffalo Salad from Sweet Mornings
• Warm Potato Salad with Arugula, Bacon and Brown Butter from Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Wilted Lettuce Salad from Confessions of a Cooking Diva
• Winter BLT Panzanella Salad from Hardly a Goddess
• Winter Citrus and Endive Salad from An Appealing Plan
• Winter Fruit Salad from Pies and Plots
• Winter Kale and Wild Rice Salad from Moore or Less Cooking
• Winter Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Winter Salad with Fennel, Apple, Goat Cheese and Radishes from Delaware Girl Eats
• Winter Squash Quinoa Salad from Kitchen Gidget

 

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Grilled Gyro Salad with Pita Croutons

Grilled Steak and Radicchio Salad

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