Cobb Salad

Cobb Salad

An American classic invented by the owner of the Brown Derby Restaurant in Los Angeles, CA back in 1937. It’s said that he was rummaging through the kitchen one very late night looking for something to eat. After throwing a little bit of this and that together Bob Cobb invented the Cobb Salad! I have fond memories of shopping at the mall as a kid with my mom and sister. After a long day we’d stop for lunch or sometimes dinner at TGI Fridays and a Cobb Salad was one of my favorite things to order. It still reminds me of my mom. Much like the Chef’s Salad the Cobb has a variety of meats and cheese. It makes a wonderful lunch or dinner and is pretty simple to throw together. There are so many options for Vegan Chicken and Bacon now days which makes it fun to recreate these classic favorites.

Serves 2

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Ingredients

1 1/2 Romaine Hearts chopped

1 cup (150 g) Cherry or Grape Tomatoes cut in half

1 Avocado cubed

2/3 cup (85 g) Red Onion chopped

2 Vegan non breaded Chicken Patties (142 g) browned and cut into cubes ( I used Gardein Scallopini)

8-10 strips of Rice Paper Bacon (see recipe below)

1/2 cup (100 g) Vegan Feta or Vegan Bleu Cheese crumbled ( I used Follow Your Heart)

8 oz ( 227 g) Extra Firm Tofu pressed divided

1/2 tsp (2.5g) Kala Namak (Indian Black Salt) divided

1/4 tsp Turmeric

Salt & Pepper

1 Tbsp (15ml) Oil for sautéing

Rice Bacon Paper

2 Sheets of Rice paper cut into 2” strips

1 1/2 tsp (22.5 ml) Maple Syrup

1 tsp (5 ml) Dark Soy Sauce

3 tsp (15 ml) Light Soy Sauce or Tamari

few dashes of Liquid Smoke

2 Tbsp (30 ml) Water

3 tsp (15 g) Nutritional Yeast

1 tsp (5 g) Smoked Paprika

1/2 tsp (2.5 g) Garlic Powder

Creamy Dijon Dressing

1/4 cup (59 ml) Red Wine Vinegar

Juice from 1/2 a small Lemon (2 Tbsp)

2 tsp (10 g) Sugar

2 tsp (10 ml) Vegan Worcestershire Sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp (22.5 g) Dijon Mustard

1 1/2 Tbsp (22.5 g) Vegan Mayo

1/3 cup good (79 ml) Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients except the olive oil. Very slowly add in the olive oil as you continue to mix. Set aside

2. To make the “hard boiled eggs” cut the tofu in half and divide between two bowls. Give each bowl of tofu a rough chop, season with salt, pepepr and kala namak. Add the turmeric to just one of the bowls of tofu and gently mix to coat well. Set aside.

3. Cook the thawed chicken patties in the oil until lightly browned on each side. About 2-3 minutes per side. Let cool and cut into cubes. Set aside.

4. Make the rice paper bacon by making the marinade. Combine all of the ingredients and place in a shallow bowl or plate with an edge. Cut the rice paper into 2” strips. Submerge 1 -2 strips at a time in the marinade until they start to give or soften. Pan fry them for about 2-3 minutes until crisp. They may still be a little soft once you remove them from pan but they will crisp as they cool.

5. Assemble the salad by dividing all of the salad toppings in half between two plates /bowls. Start with a bed of the romaine lettuce and then add the rest of the toppings in rows. Start at either end and add red oinions, the white and yellow tofu, tomatoes, cooked chicken, chopped rice paper bacon, avocado and feta cheese.

6. Give the dressing a good mix before serving with the salad.