Summer Cobb Salad

This lighter version of a classic salad replaces high-fat ingredients with fresh summer produce and a few pantry staples.

Summer Cobb Salad

As “foodie movies” go, Julie & Julia is a winner in my book. With Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci portraying Julia and Paul Child, the screenplay is by Nora Ephron.

In the 2009 film, Amy Adams plays Julie Powell, the NYC office worker who fan girls all over Julia Child while cooking and blogging her way out of professional burnout. In one of the scenes, Julie tells her hubby she has an upcoming lunch with college mates that she’s not looking forward to. “Cobb salad lunch tomorrow. Dreading,” she laments. Here’s the scene:

After we meet her gal pals, it’s easy to understand why she dreaded the lunch because who would turn her nose up at a classic American dish, the cobb salad, although each girl boss in the scene eliminates one ingredient while placing her order: cobb salad, no bacon; cobb salad, no blue cheese; cobb salad, no avocado; cobb salad, no eggs.

My Summer Cobb Salad replaces some of those high-fat ingredients with swaps like kalamata olives instead of bacon and fresh summer corn instead of cheese. A flavorful peppercorn ranch dressing and chicken made with Tastefully Simple’s Makin’ Magic Chicken seasoning round out this tasty salad.

Culinary purists no doubt will argue it’s not a cobb salad without avocado, bacon, and blue cheese. Technically, that’s true. But look at the story that gave us the cobb salad and you may embrace the swaps.

According to legend, Bob Cobb who owned Hollywood’s Brown Derby restaurant in 1937 after a long night of service realized he was hungry, so he raided the kitchen refrigerator and pulled out hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, cheese, and avocado. He added crisp bacon and shared the salad creation with a friend, Sid Grauman (you know, Grauman’s Chinese Theater), who loved it so much, he asked for it the next day. Lesson: necessity indeed is the mother of invention.

Even after my swaps, what we have is a delicious and well-constructed salad that will feed four people. So, let’s get cooking!

To make Summer Cobb Salad, you will need these ingredients:

• 15 ounces chopped Romaine lettuce

• 2 cups prepared and chopped Makin’ Magic Chicken

• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

• 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced

• ½ cup fresh corn kernels

• 4 scallions, diced

• 2 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives

What is Makin’ Magic Chicken? It’s a seasoning blend made by Tastefully Simple that includes onion, garlic, bell pepper and chives and is perfect for batch cooking. I added 3 tablespoons of this seasoning to 2 pounds of chicken breasts and 1 cup of water to my slow cooker and set it on low for 5 hours. The chicken is moist and shreds beautifully to use in salads, sandwiches, wraps and other recipes.

You also could poach chicken according to your preferred method.

Directions for Easy Cobb Salad

1. Poach your chicken the day before and store in an airtight container inside your refrigerator.

2. Wash and dry Romaine leaves. Chop into bite-sized pieces. The rest is simply assembling the salad!

3. Place Romaine on a large serving plate. Line ingredients in rows on top of the lettuce. If possible, alternate colors: a row of red tomatoes, a row of chopped scallions, and so on.

4. Serve with homemade ranch dressing.

Salad Shake Up Meal Kit

Although the original Cobb salad was dressed with a vinaigrette, a homemade ranch dressing accompanies this salad beautifully. The salad needs a creamy element. You could use your favorite or make it fresh with this easy recipe.

• ½ cup low-fat milk

• ½ cup mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons Classic Ranch Mix

• 1 tablespoon Seasoned Pepper

The last two ingredients came in my Tastefully Simple Salad Shake Up Five Meal Kit. You could also use whatever ranch mix or seasoned pepper you have.

Whisk ingredients together and pour into a small bowl to serve alongside the cobb salad. I served the salad with freshly baked Bountiful Beer Bread for a complete and satisfying lunch.

So, how does this lightened-up cobb compare with the original? My salad has 17 grams of fat and 275 calories compared to 43 grams of fat and 623 calories. If you can eat a little healthier while not sacrificing flavors, why not?

Salad storing tips

Keep any leftover Easy Cobb Salad in an airtight container (glass works best). Serve the dressing on the side; this will help the leftovers from wilting. Enjoy salad the next day.

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About the blog

Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.

Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad

Smoked sausage and peaches kissed by the grill are added to crips greens and topped with creamy feta to make an easy summertime meal.

Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad

I was alone for dinner one evening last week as my daughter was working. Chips and salsa came to my mind for supper, but that’s not a great idea. So, I “went shopping” in my refrigerator and found all the ingredients for Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad.

I had leftover sausage from my Kielbasa Dog recipe and I just bought some fresh peaches from southern Illinois. A new bag of salad greens—a combination of butter lettuce and radicchio—was in the crisper drawer and I had half a carton of crumbled feta that needed to be used. Within 30 minutes, my Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad was ready to enjoy.

Have you ever made something and surprised yourself at how good the dish was at the first bite? Such was the case with my Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad. Pork and fruit are good friends; remember my tenderloin with apples recipe from last year or the holiday tenderloin with apples and cranberries?

I thought grilled sausage and peaches would play well together for summer and I was right. Let’s get cooking!

Here are the ingredients for Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad. The walnuts were toasting in the pan!

To make Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad, you will need these ingredients:

• 1 small head butter lettuce

• 1 small head radicchio

• 7 ounces smoked sausage

• 2 fresh peaches (freestone works best)

• 3 ounces crumbled feta cheese

• 2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted

• 1 teaspoon oil

• Honey

• Cinnamon

For this recipe, you can use any smoked sausage: kielbasa, turkey, beef. While peaches are in season, choose fresh over the canned fruit if you can. I grilled the sausage and peaches indoors, but you could easily do this step on an outdoor grill. Dress the salad in your favorite vinaigrette or check out my recipe below.

Directions for Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad

1. Rinse greens and pat dry. Lay on a clean kitchen towel while you prepare other ingredients for salad.

2.   Place a grill pan over medium-high heat and bring to temperature. Wipe pan with oil. Split sausage in half lengthwise and place in pan. You’re simply heating the sausage through and adding grill marks; it takes about 2 or 3 minutes per side. Remove sausage and set aside.

3.   Cut peaches in half and remove the pit. Slice each half into 4 to 5 pieces. Place in hot grill pan; add a drizzle of oil if needed to prevent fruit from sticking. Grill 2 minutes per side or until you see light grill marks on fruit. Remove peaches and set aside. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.

4. To assemble the salad, tear greens into bite-sized pieces and place on a platter or into a large serving bowl. Cut sausage into 1-inch cubes and place on top of greens. Scatter peaches on top of salad. Sprinkle feta on top of platter or bowl. Add toasted walnuts (I chopped mine into very small pieces).

These grilled peaches drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon were wonderful on their own! They were divine in my salad.

The perfect vinaigrette

If you need a dressing recipe for Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad, try this one:

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar

• 1 ½ teaspoons Spinach & Herb Seasoning (Tastefully Simple)

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon honey

• ½ teaspoon black pepper
  

Whisk ingredients together and serve!

Salad storing tips

Keep any leftover Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad in an airtight container (glass works best). Serve the dressing on the side; this will help the leftovers from wilting. Enjoy salad the next day.

I think the next time I make this (and I WILL make it again), I will brush the sausage with Smoky Bacon Barbecue Sauce for extra flavor just before removing it from the grill pan. Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad is a quick and delicious summer supper. Give it a try!

About the blog

Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.

Caprese Pasta Salad with Salsiccia

Penne, tomato, mozzarella and basil meet Italian sausage in a lemony-herb dressing for the perfect summer supper.

Caprese Pasta Salad with Salsiccia is a light but satisfying summertime meal.

Last week, we had the first taste of hot temperatures in Missouri as a heat wave made its way across the country. Although the temperature didn’t hit 100 degrees, the heat index did. Going outside made me feel like a piece of limp lettuce that had been sitting on the counter for two days. Yuck!

As the dog days of summer approach, I think we crave lighter meals. That’s why I love this Caprese Pasta Salad with Salsiccia. Penne combines with seasonal tomatoes, fragrant basil, and a lemon/herb dressing to make the perfect bite for July. And honestly, any time I can work those cute little mozzarella balls (bocconcini) into a recipe, it makes me smile.

We have the good people of Capri to thank for Caprese salad, which traditionally is sliced mozzarella and tomato with basil and drizzled with olive oil. Salt and maybe a little cracked pepper are the only seasonings. It’s an appetizer in Italy. To me, it’s one of those dishes that scream summer, thanks to the juicy seasonal tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden.

Caprese Pasta Salad incorporates the classic ingredients of the Italian dish and adds lemon, shallot, Parmesan and salsiccia. This and a chilled glass of rose and I’m a happy woman. Let’s get cooking.

To make Caprese Pasta Salad, you will need these ingredients:

• 16 ounces (1 pound) penne pasta

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 1 large tomato, chopped

• 2 salsiccia links

• 1 (12-ounce) carton bocconcini marinated in oil and herbs

• ½ cup basil leaves, torn into pieces

• ¼ cup lemon juice

• 1 shallot, finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• ¾ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon lemon zest

• ¼ teaspoon pepper

• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

If you can’t find the marinated bocconcini, add 1/3 cup olive oil and ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning to the above ingredients.

A few simple ingredients are all you need for a 30-minute pasta salad.

Directions for Caprese Pasta Salad

Remove sausage from casings and break into small (1-inch) pieces. Brown over medium-high heat until fully cooked. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel.

While the sausage cooks, fill a large (8-quart) stockpot with water. Add kosher salt and bring to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse well in cold water. Transfer to a large bowl to cool.

Drain the bocconcini, reserving the liquid. Add cheese, cooked sausage and chopped tomato to cooled pasta.

In a small bowl, whisk together herbed oil from bocconcini with shallot, garlic, salt, pepper lemon juice and zest. Drizzle over salad. Add basil and gently toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Allow salad to sit 10 minutes before serving.

Nothing says summer like a fresh tomato. Be sure to sprinkle the chopped tomato for your salad with a pinch of salt.

Serving and storing Caprese Pasta Salad

This recipe easily feeds four people, but if you have any leftover pasta salad, I suggest bringing it out on your counter to get to room temperature. Cold sausage bites aren’t appetizing.

While Caprese Pasta Salad is a filling meal by itself, I served the salad with a few slices of fresh cantaloupe. It’s a perfect pairing.

Salads are a simple yet satisfying choice for summer mealtime. I hope you’ll give Caprese Pasta Salad with Salsiccia a try and let me know how it worked for your family. Stay cool out there!

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About the blog

Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.