Tag: produce

Family-Style Cobb Salad

On By greg@kandflivingIn Photo Gallery, Recipes, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I love a great Cobb salad – the crunchy, soft, cold, salty combination of healthy food and various toppings that make it not-quite-so-good-for-you!  It’s a great idea for a summer dinner or on a buffet, especially this version.  Made in a big bowl or on a platter, it’s a beautiful display of color, flavor and texture.  The recipe below will easily feed four adults for dinner or 8 or more as a buffet side.

IMG_1350.JPG

FAMILY-STYLE COBB SALAD

Ingredients

  • 1 Head Iceberg Lettuce, Chopped
  • 2 Medium Tomatoes
  • 6 Chicken Tenderloins, Grilled
  • 8 Strips Crisp Bacon
  • 1 Avocado, Chopped
  • 1/4 Cup Finely Diced Red Onion
  • 2 Hard Boiled Eggs, Chopped
  • 6 Ounces Blue Cheese Crumbles

Instructions

  • On a large chilled platter, arrange chopped lettuce in a even layer.
  • Seed and dice tomatoes and arrange together on lettuce.  You can choose to arrange ingredients in groups, stripes, pie shapes or whatever you think looks prettiest.  It’s best to keep them together rather than mix them up though so they keep their texture until serving.
  • Dice grilled chicken and place on the lettuce.  Don’t forget to season your chicken before grilling!
  • Crumble the bacon and arrange on lettuce.  Do the same with avocado.
  • Arrange onion on lettuce.  Be sure that it is finely diced to provide just the right amount of bite in contrast to the richness of the avocado, blue cheese and egg.  Don’t leave it out!
  • Finally, finish by arranging the egg and blue cheese to complete your salad.
  • Place in refrigerator for up to 2 hours or serve immediately.

While this hardly requires anything else, serve it with your favorite salad dressing.  My wife likes ranch, but I enjoy the contract of a vinaigrette or Russian dressing as well.  Don’t like one or more of the ingredients?  Lots of substitutes work well – cubed ham, sweet peas, cheddar cheese, etc.  Just keep in mind the combination of flavor and texture and change out like-for-like.  Add a crusty loaf of bread and crisp white wine and you have a beautiful summer dinner.  Dig in!

Advertisement

Stoke House – London

On By greg@kandflivingIn Eating Out, Photo Gallery, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Whether you’re playing tourist in the heart of London or just out for a day of shopping, a stop at Stoke House is the perfect recharge and refresh!  Located just off Victoria Street, this spacious and modern eatery celebrates the bounty of local produce and meats with inventive and straightforward preparation.  While the patio was crowded on a Saturday afternoon, there was ample seating inside the colorful combination of rustic and modern.  We were thrilled for a few craft beers and cocktails from their ample list while we perused the menu.

There’s a lovely selection of starters from a British cheese board to smoked bone marrow.  While it all looked delicious, we were ready to move right into sandwiches.  The smoked chicken salad with spicy mayo on a brioche bun was outstanding.  Moist, rich and super-satisfying, this is a must-have sandwich on any trip to Stoke House.  The rare cornish rump sandwich was tasty, but nothing out of the ordinary.  Just the opposite of that was the short rib with chili rib jam and pickles.  As an avid BBQer and short rib fan, this was one well-done sammich!

While I love the locally sourced meats and great sandwiches, the star of the show was the selection of sides.  Smoked cauliflower cheese was a bubbling crock of cauliflower smothered in a rich cheese sauce.  There was a depth of flavor and warm spiciness that wouldn’t let you put your spoon down.  My favorite part of the meal is the fresh salads prepared daily.  There are always four or more colorful dishes that you can select three of as a shared plate for the table.  On this occasion, we fell in love with our choices:  peas, edamame & mint, watermelon, tomato, feta & basil and finally a tomato and pepper panzanella salad.  All of them were knock-your-socks-off fresh and well-seasoned – we couldn’t ask for a prettier selection either!

Whether a casual lunch or an evening out, Stoke House will profile a wonderful experience and a lively atmosphere.  It’s exciting to see smoked meats done well in the heart of London, we would have loved to come back at dinner for the lamb belly or beer can chicken.  Find out more and check out the menu at thestokehouse.com.  Dig in!