Splendid Summer Salad

I am a salad lover, but I'll be honest: Salads are not my favorite dishes to make. For some weird reason, I tend to enjoy ones that are prepared by hands other than my own. When I found a delicious-looking and sounding salad recipe on Annalee's blog several weeks ago, though, I decided it was a must-try. Here's what Brett and I dined on this evening:

{I actually prefer the pic Annalee took. I really wish I would have put the onions and peppers on the salad first; they cover up so many of the other yummy ingredients!}

Here is the version of her recipe that I made. I made a few modifications, such as opting for fresh bell pepper, feta cheese, and dried basil, and adjusting some of the ingredient amounts used.

Spring Chicken Cobb Salad

*1 - 9 oz pkg fresh spinach

*2 c chicken, cooked and chopped

*1 large sweet onion

*1 red bell pepper

*1 tbsp olive oil

*1/4 tsp salt

*1/4 tsp pepper

*1 avocado, sliced

*4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

*4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Dressing Ingredients:

*1/2 c plain fat-free yogurt

*1/4 c olive oil

*2 tbsp red wine vinegar

*1 tbsp honey

*2 tsp dried basil

*1/2 tsp salt

*1/4 tsp pepper

Whisk all dressing ingredients together to make a yogurt-basil vinaigrette; set aside. Cut onion and red pepper into thin slices, then toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Saute over medium heat until tender. Top spinach with chicken, onion and pepper slices, avocado, bacon, and cheese. Drizzle with dressing.

As evidenced by the fact that I'm posting it on our blog, we thoroughly enjoyed this dish! It was an incredibly satisfying summertime dinner. I can't recall ever making a salad that I thought was as good as something I'd eat at a restaurant, but this one definitely rivaled ones that I've ordered. I will, without a doubt, be making it again soon. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as we did!