BLT Salad with Avocado and Blue Cheese Dressing

By á-25138

Ingredients

• serves 4, prep 10-15min
• 1/4-1/2 pound thick sliced bacon, cooked
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/4 red onion, sliced
• 1 large avocado, peeled and diced
• 2 small heads green leaf lettuce, washed and chopped
• blue cheese or ranch dressing

Preparation

Step 1

Combine salad ingredients, serve.
Drizzle with dressing.

Blue Cheese Ranch Dressing or Dip
makes about 1 cup, prep 10 min, chill before serving

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream (or 1/4 cup buttermilk for thinner dressing)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (can use dried)
2-3 tbsp parsley, minced (can use 1 tsp dried)
1 green onion, green and white parts, minced
1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar (use lesser amount if using buttermilk)
2 tbsp blue cheese, more if desired-this is very lightly flavored
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients, except blue cheese. Stir well.
Spoon a small amount of mayo mixture onto a plate and use a fork to mash blue cheese until well combined with dressing. Or if using blue cheese crumbles just stir them in.
Stir cheese mixture into remaining dressing.
Salt and pepper to taste, chill.
Thin with a small amount of milk, buttermilk or water before serving if too thick.

Make your dipping sauce first so it has time to chill and the flavors can develop. We are still sort of weenie-ish when it comes to blue cheese so this is very lightly flavored, as in it is basically ranch dressing. Add in additional blue cheese until it is a pungent as you like it. This dressing is really delicious by the way on a fresh, green salad.
Fantastic served alongside steaks. Salad dressing is one of those things you really shouldn’t bother buying at the store. Make your own a few times and you will see what I mean. The flavor of homemade salad dressing is so bright and fresh compared to the bottled stuff, they are hardly comparable. I have never been a fan of the thick, globby bottled blue cheese dressings, but this dressing tastes both light and creamy with the flavors of herbs and spices rounded out with whiff of blue cheese. It really makes this salad that much more delicious. Do you make your own salad dressing? Or is there a bottled dressing you can’t live without?