As a child I loved to color Easter eggs with my family, it was so much fun! My mom would boil the eggs, let them cool and then we would have the whole kitchen table set up with so many different cups of  colors to dye the eggs with. My mom would also do some traditional Czech Easter eggs, but I just loved the vibrant colors.

Now as an adult, I still love to color Easter eggs, but what am I to do with all of these eggs? Well, for starters, eggs are a great source of protein, so I can substitute with the eggs instead of eating meat. Since these eggs are already cooked, they are great for breakfast, an on the go snack, or as I did here in a colorful Cobb Salad.

Traditionally,  Cobb salads are made with crispy pork bacon and Romaine lettuce, but I changed it up for a healthier yet  tasty version. I substituted the pork bacon with turkey bacon that does not contain nitrates (preservatives). I also used fresh organic baby spinach for that added iron mixed in with the Romaine lettuce. Hey, change and variety are good. What I suggest is that you serve the dressing on the side and just dunk a forkful of your salad into the dressing as you are eating. Trust me, this will cut back on how much you use, and you won’t even miss it. But if you are a dressing junky, at least this one is home made and better for you than the stuff you buy in a jar. Enjoy!

Healthier Cobb Salad

Ingredients: For Dressing

• 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Whisk all of the ingredients together and set aside

Ingredients for Salad: Serves 2

• 2 hard boiled eggs, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 4 slices of turkey bacon (I used Applegate original)
• 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• Kosher Salt to season
• Fresh Cracked Pepper to season
• 4 handfuls of  a mix of fresh organic baby spinach and romaine lettuce
• 1 cup watercress, thick stems removed
• 1 large organic tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/4 small red onion, sliced
• ½ cup crumbled Roquefort or Blue Cheese (about 2 ounces)

Heat half  the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium heat and place the bacon in the skillet, but do not crowd them. You want the turkey bacon laying flat, not on top of each other.Cook for 3 minutes per side. Place the bacon onto a paper towel to absorb excess fat. Allow to cool a bit and then cut into pieces. Set aside.

Season  the chicken with salt and pepper. Into the same skillet from the bacon, heat the rest of the oil and the bacon fat that is left in the skillet. Add the chicken and cook for about 6 minutes. Place onto a paper towel to remove any fat. Set aside.

Divide the ingredients for two plates. Spread the salad and the watercress onto a large plate. Place the tomatoes on top of the greens forming a row down the middle. Then place the diced avocados, chicken, cheese, diced egg, and the turkey bacon in rows along the other ingredients. Add the onion slices on each side. Serve with the dressing on the side