Harvest Cobb Salad

A tasty twist on the classic cobb salad but with seasonal ingredients. Perfect for fall (and now winter), this Harvest Cobb Salad has it all: bacon, avocado, hard boiled egg, local apples and sharp cheddar and an apple cider vinaigrette to finish things off.

My husband and I don’t go out that often. I suppose it’s because he travels so much but the last thing he wants to do when he comes home from a job is to get a sitter and go out. He’d much rather spend his nights wrestling and watching football with the boys. I dig it too as I turn into a pumpkin a 8 o’clock and am happier in bed with a cup of tea and my book than going out for a late dinner (or gasp) a bar. I might be lame but I totally I own it.

With that being said, we both realized the importance of spending time with one another so a few years back we coined the term, day dating. We’re able to do this as neither of us have traditional jobs and once we drop the kiddos at school, we can pretty much make our own schedules. One of the many perks of working for yourself. Often times we make a date on the mountain- to snowboard in the winter and hike or bike during the dry months. More times that not our dates involve some kind of activity because my husband is like a puppy and if you don’t tire him out, he’s exhausting.

The best is when we get to mix some form of workout with a lazy lunch and log some time on the couch catching up on our latest tv show. (Scandal and Top Chef, currently.) One of our favorite lunches is a big ‘ol salad. And by big I mean BIG. I’m not sure how it started but years ago whenever we were going to share a salad while on the couch watching tv, I made the salad in a big mixing bowl. I brought out two forks and we dug in. Now it’s standard and almost always how we do it. One less plate to wash….

Yesterday we did just that. We were able to sneak a few runs in on the mountain together and then have a quick lunch and watch Scandal before we parted ways in the afternoon to do our own thing. I had 4 pieces of bacon that we’re begging to be fried, hard boiled eggs in the fridge, and 1 lonely apple- the last of my farmers market loot sitting on the counter. I had greens in the fridge, a hunk of Beehive Seahive Cheddar in the crisper and a perfectly ripe avocado sitting next to the apple. Some already honey-candied pecans and dried cranberries from Whole Foods made this complete.

My always sweeter better half of a husband, not wanting to be outdone, brought his own contribution to the table- a half eaten leftover turkey sandwich. Apparently it was so good that he ate half of it while walking the 4 feet from the counter to the table…..on a paper plate no less. Men. Nuff said.

But whatever. We went snowboarding, we shared lunch on the couch (I even managed to a get a bite or two of the sandwich), we held hands, and we were done with our date by 1 o’clock. How’s that for a hot date?

Harvest Cobb Salad

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons apple juice
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 3 dashes your favorite hot sauce
• salt and peper

For the salad:

• 6 heaping cups of mixed greens
• 1 hard boiled egg
• 4 slices cooked bacon
• 1 apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup shredded or diced sharp cheddar
• 2 tablespoons candied pecans
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
• 1/2 avocado, pitted and sliced

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. To make vinaigrette, put all ingredients in a mason jar with tight fitting lid and shake vigorously until all incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Place greens in a medium-large bowl. Top with sliced hard boiled egg, crumbled bacon, sliced apple, diced cheddar, candied pecans and dried cranberries. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing (you won’t use it all) and devour with a loved one!