Anna Wootton

Healthy Cobb Salad

I love the idea of a Cobb salad.

The reality is a little sad – not only is it loaded with fat, but it feels heavy to eat.

However, I know that the salad has the makings of something really healthy – healthy fats from the avocado, great protein from the hardboiled egg…so I started thinking about how I could healthify it into something someone could eat every day without any fear of consequences on their health (hey, if Jennifer Aniston can do it, why not us?).

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The first place to start was the dressing. Typically a Ranch-based or blue cheese-based dressing, this is usually HEAVY and loaded with calories and fat.

I used Greek yogurt (added protein!) with Dijon mustard and some lowfat feta to add flavour and creaminess.

The rest was easy – being vegetarian I don’t include chicken or bacon anyway, so no worries there.

The result? A delicious salad, under 250 calories, that will fill you up for hours (it’s got more than 10g of protein!). Oh, and it looks pretty too (so it would be great to make in bulk and take to a party!).

Enjoy!

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Anna’s Healthy Cobb Salad

INGREDIENTS (serves 2 meal-sized salads):

3 cups mixed greens (try a mix of Boston lettuce, Romaine and spinach leaves for a great combo)
8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved
2/3 avocado, cut into slices
2 hardboiled eggs, peeled and sliced
Salt to taste

For the dressing:

2 tbsp nonfat/lowfat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Squirt agave nectar (optional, but it helps cut the vinegar slightly. It’s so little that I wasn’t sure on measurement, so ‘squirt’ is the best description I could come up with!)
1/2 – 1 oz of lowfat feta, crumbled (about 1 – 1 1/2 tbsp)
1-2 tbsp water

1. For the dressing, put all ingredients except water in a blender and blend till relatively smooth (some feta bits will still be in there; that’s okay). Put in a small bowl and mix in water teaspoon by teaspoon, until you have the consistency you prefer (some people like it thinner, some like it thicker).

2. Put your salad greens in a mixing bowl and toss with your dressing. Divide between two plates.

3. Slice a third of an avocado into three slices and arrange on one third of each of the salad greens. Sprinkle some salt over the avocado to taste, if you like.

4. Line the halved cherry tomatoes down the centre of each salad.

5. Layer the slices of hardboiled egg over the right third of each salad plate, sprinkling with salt if you like.

6. Serve and enjoy!

Nutritional information per serving if serves 2:

Nutrition information from caloriecount.about.com

PS I’ve linked this post up at Healthy Diva Eats‘ Marvelous in my Monday link party!

Comments

  • June 18, 2012
    Reply

    Mmm cobb salads rock and yep, they are usually bursting to the seams with tons of excess calorie and fat… therefore I very much appreciate this version Anna, thanks for the idea!

  • June 18, 2012
    Reply

    Yum – this looks awesome! I’ve always loved Cobb salad so I’ve got to give this a go! You could even add some dulse for a bacon-like touch!

  • June 18, 2012
    Reply

    yum! i love this recipe for a healthy creamy ranch-like dressing! making this for sure! probably this week because i have all of these ingredients on hand!

  • June 18, 2012
    Reply

    I just bookmarked this recipe ! 🙂
    It seems fairly easy to make too, which I love in a recipe !

  • June 18, 2012
    Reply

    Yogurt dressing is awesome! I love using it in fruit salads! And this salad is also awesome because it’s vegetarian :D! I am a big fan of hard boiled eggs. I think to add the perfect hint of sweetness, I’d also add some craisins!

  • June 18, 2012
    Reply

    This looks great. That dressing sounds like the perfect alternative!

  • June 18, 2012
    Reply

    Looks delicious Anna! I make a healthier version of blue cheese dressing by mixing blue cheese, white wine vinegar, and greek yogurt with a tiny bit of oil to thin it out. It totally works and tastes great! I’ll have to try this salad for sure – and I have feta in the fridge already! I’m always a bit scared of eating avocado on their own because I still haven’t decided if I like it. But I bet it’s great with the dressing, eggs, and leaves. Mmm!

  • June 18, 2012
    Reply

    I love making a healthy version of cobb salad! I want to try your dressing because I end up using a vinegar base and it’s not as good. I have yet to use the greek yogurt in a dressing form but yours sounds delicious!

  • June 18, 2012
    Reply

    Avovados are my favorite! They keep me so full, that salad looks great and such a great alternative to a regular “cobb” salad!

  • June 18, 2012
    Reply

    Yum! Plus you hard boiled your egg perfectly! Kudos!

  • June 18, 2012
    Reply

    This salad looks gorgeous! and protein packed too 🙂

  • June 19, 2012
    Reply

    wow that salad look so good and fresh! I need to incorporate more avocado.

  • June 19, 2012
    Reply

    HAHA! I love the IDEA of cobb salads too but I love your RECIPE 😀

  • June 19, 2012
    Reply

    Oooh, your salad is gorgeous! I love avocado, and that dressing sounds delicious. Thanks for visiting my blog- glad to connect with you!

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