Modified Cobb Salad

With temperatures climbing every day, I am happy to find any recipe that doesn't involve using the oven! I saw a this recipe on 30-Minute Meals with Rachael Ray and I knew it would be a good choice for a hot day.

I modified the recipe some in part because I couldn't find watercress at the grocery store and I forgot to get my chicken out of the freezer! So, I used only the steak and bacon and a bit of romaine lettuce. It was delicious. The marinade for the steak really gives it a great flavor. In addition, to save some time, I didn't make a homemade dressing. I used a small amount of raspberry vinaigrette already on hand and it was perfect.

I like the versatility of salads. You can add hardboiled egg, onion or even another type of meat. You could even cut out the meat entirely for a vegetarian entree. No matter what you try, it's bound to be good!

Cobb Salad: Double the Meat and Hold the Lettuce
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
2 tablespoons hot sauce, eyeball it
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
2 pounds flank steak
8 pieces "thin cut" chicken breast cutlets
2 slightly under ripe Hass avocados - dark skinned, but still firm
2 vine ripe tomatoes cut into wedges
2 bunches watercress, trimmed and roughly chopped
8 strips bacon, thick sliced
1 lemon, zest and juiced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
1/3 pound blue cheese, crumbled (recommended Maytag Blue)
Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to high heat.
Mix garlic, steak seasoning, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil. Divide the mixture between 2 shallow dishes. Add the flank steak to one and the thin chicken cutlets to the other. Toss to coat all of the meats thoroughly and marinate for 5 minutes.
While the flank steak and chicken are marinating, cut the avocados in half lengthwise cutting around the pit. Separate the halves then, using a spoon, scoop out the pit, then use the spoon to scoop the avocado from its skin. Chop the avocado flesh into bite size pieces add to a mixing bowl. Add the tomatoes, watercress and crisp chopped bacon. Dress the salad with the juice of 1 lemon and a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

Grill flank steak 6 to 7 minutes on each side. Grill the thin cut chicken cutlets 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove both meats from the grill to a cutting board to rest for about 5 minutes. Thinly slice the flank steak on an angle, cutting the meat against the grain. Cut the chicken into thin strips. Add both meats to a platter or dinner plates. Top the meats with a mound of the salad. To make the dressing, combine in a small bowl the lemon zest and juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, crumbled blue cheese, whisk in 3 tablespoons EVOO. Pour the dressing over the salad. Eat and enjoy the lack of lettuce getting in your way!

Recipe from 30-Minute Meals with Rachael Ray