Meatless Cobb Salad

We had an enormous head of green leaf lettuce that needed eating. Given that, I was pretty sure that some sort of salad was in our future. After a bit of pondering, I realized that a cobb salad would not only use up the lettuce, but also the avocado and eggs that we had kicking around. Plus, I love an excuse to eat a bunch of blue cheese!

I decided to go for a meatless version this time around. I replaced the bacon with some fried slices of smokey tempeh. Lightly fried smoked tofu stood in for the chicken breast. There are, of course, various imitation chicken and bacon products available. In general, I find I tend to prefer meat alternatives that don't try to imitate meat. Veggie burgers that try to look and taste like meat are usually disappointment burgers. Veggie burgers that look and taste like veggies that just happen to be formed into a patty -- with nice chunks of carrots, corn, peas, and onion -- are delicious! Hence my choice of tempeh and tofu over veggie bacon and Chick'n.

My avocado was a bit over-ripe and a bit too soft to chop. It ended up getting mashed and stirred into the dressing, which worked rather well actually.

Cobb Salad
Adapted from Food Network
1 (227g) package smoky tempeh strips
2 Tbsp. peanut oil, divided
4 large eggs
1 (210g) package smoked tofu, sliced
1 avocado
6 cocktail tomatoes, quartered
1 gigantic head of green leaf lettuce (or 2 normal-sized heads)
65g blue cheese, crumbled
freshly ground pepper
fine/table salt

For the Dressing:
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. dried onion
1 tsp. garlic paste
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 Tbsp. mustard (we used home-made)
2 tsp. granulated sugar (optional)¹
1/4 c. olive oil

1. Fry the tempeh in 1 Tbsp. of oil over medium heat. Chop.
2. Hard cook the eggs. Peel and chop.²
3. Fry the tofu in the remaining Tbsp. of oil.
4. Halve, pit, peel, and chop the avocado.³
5. Season the tomato wedges with salt and pepper.
6. Wash and tear the lettuce.
7. Top lettuce with tempeh, eggs, tofu, avocado, tomato, blue cheese, and dressing.
8. Toss to combine.

To Make the Dressing
1. Combine the vinegar, dried onion, garlic paste, sea salt, and mustard in a bowl.
2. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. It should make a smooth, emulsified dressing.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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Adaptations

Vegan Version

Cobb Salad
Adapted from Food Network
1 (227g) package smoky tempeh strips
2 Tbsp. peanut oil, divided
1/2 c. corn
1 (210g) package smoked tofu, sliced
1 avocado
6 cocktail tomatoes, quartered
1 gigantic head of green leaf lettuce (or 2 normal-sized heads)
1/2 c. cashews
freshly ground pepper
fine/table salt

For the Dressing:
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. dried onion
1 tsp. garlic paste
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 Tbsp. mustard (we used home-made)
1 1/2 tsp. agave syrup (optional)¹
1/4 c. olive oil

FODMAP-Friendly Version

Cobb Salad
Adapted from Food Network
1 (227g) package smoky tempeh strips
2 Tbsp. peanut oil, divided
4 large eggs
1 (210g) package smoked tofu, sliced
1/2 c. brie/Camembert, cubed
6 cocktail tomatoes, quartered
1 gigantic head of green leaf lettuce (or 2 normal-sized heads)
65g blue cheese⁴ or feta, crumbled
freshly ground pepper
fine/table salt

For the Dressing:
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 Tbsp. mustard (we used home-made)
2 tsp. granulated sugar (optional)¹
3 Tbsp. shallot- or onion-infused oil
1 Tbsp. garlic-infused oil

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¹ We didn't use any sugar this time, but I think I'd add a bit next time just to balance out the acidity of the dressing. It was delicious as-is, but I think that little bit of sweetness would round it out nicely.

² Hard cooked eggs take 10-12 minutes and can be done several different ways.
On a stove top, bring a pot of water to a boil, gently add eggs, continue to boil for 10 minutes, then immediately drain and cool.
OR
Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow eggs to stand in hot water for 12 minutes before draining and cooling.
OR
Place 2 c. of water and a steaming rack in a pressure cooker. Bring to full pressure. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and allow a 5 minute natural release followed by a quick release. Immediately remove eggs from cooker and cool.

³ If your avocado is over-ripe, it can easily be mashed and added to the dressing after all the other ingredients.

⁴ I have not been able to get a definitive answer on whether or not blue cheese is generally considered FODMAP-friendly/low-FODMAP. If blue cheese is a no-go for you, try substituting crumbled feta instead.