Summer Chef's Salad
When it comes to seasonal meals, I’m such a basic bitch. During Fall & Winter, all i crave is soups, & once the temps hit 70 I’m all about salads. A big, loaded bowl of ice cold crispy greens with a healthy amount of fun add-ins that branch outside the box of tomatoes & croutons. I love this Summer Chef’s Salad because it has all the good add-ins, all sorts of fresh produce, & I like to say it’s almost paleo. It’s refreshing and so satisfying for a quick and easy weeknight meal.
Add-ins are essentially toppings, and to have a good salad you need exciting add-ins. The best salad add-ins are the ones you get excited about eating with a forkful of greens. Think about salads you’ve eaten in the past - what have been those fun surprises in the salad that made it fun to eat? You know…like sometime salads have sugar coated nuts or a super yummy cheese and you like live for the bites that have that extra tasty nugget. That’s when you know you have a salad with good add-ins. My favorite add-ins are a combo of avocado, egg, cheese & a crispy meat. This salad has it all….a salad of my tastebuds dreams.
My favorite new thing that is the hot item in this salad is crispy prosciutto. It is my new go to for any recipe where I’d normally want bacon. Like cooking bacon (especially just for a salad) is a thing of my past in my house. Crispy prosciutto is just as tasty (if not better), & it can be whipped up so quickly, and with no mess. No mess! That’s the selling point for me because it is the worst thing about cooking bacon. Like figuring out wtf to do with all the grease post cooking is just no fun. & it’s a total freakin’ mess. Prosciutto is just so easy, so crunchy, so tasty, and a yummy salty bite.
I also try to elevate my tomatoes by dicing them up, tossing them with a little bit of garlic and herbs to make a little more bruschetta-like. Even just adding that little hit of salt & pepper brings out such a yummy flavor & turns the tomatoes into their own little moment so they feel just a little bit more special in the bowl.
My salad tip - plate it up by placing all the add-ins right next to each other. It looks so pretty & leaves no question as to what yummy add-ins you’ve chosen, and more important it makes it easier for you to cherry pick your favorites.
For the Salad
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey
Juice of half a lemon
1 c.cherry tomatoes
1 tsp fresh parsley
4 slices of prosciutto
3 hardboiled your eggs (do it yourself by placing eggs in boiling water for 15 minutes), thinly sliced
1 avocado
1/4 shredded gruyere cheese (blue cheese would work, too)
t tbsp thinly sliced fresh chives
1 bag of crunchy salad mix (I love the Crunchciferous Salw from Trader Joe’s)
Salt and pepper
EVOO
Start by making the dressing. Whisk the Dijon, vinegar, lemon juice, & honey in a small bowl, or shake it in a mason jar. Set it aside in the fridge.
In a separate bowl, mix together the tomatoes, parsley, garlic, and a pinch of salt & pepper. Add in a splash of EVOO (like 1/4 teaspoon) and toss so that the tomatoes are coated evenly with all the other stuff. Set the bowl aside in the fridge
Place the prosciutto on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake it in a 350 degree oven for 15-17 minutes, or until it’s darker in color and crispy.
Move to prepping the avocado. Halve the avocado, remove the pit, and thinly slice the avocado flesh while it’s still in the skin. Scoop out the flesh all at one with a spoon, and it will be easy to spread the avocado since it’s pre-sliced.
Time to arrange the salad. Spread the salad mix on the bottom of a serving tray. Add in all of your toppings in thin strips right next to each other, concentrating the toppings towards the center of the salad (as seen in the photo). I went from left to right in this order - eggs, cheese, prosciutto, avocado, and then the tomatoes. For the prosciutto, just break it up and sprinkle it organically over the salad. Drizzle the honey mustard right on top & serve it alongside your favorite tongs and bruschetta.