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Monday, October 26, 2009

B.A.T.L. Salad with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette



A bacon, avocado, tomato and lettuce. B.A.T.L.  Another way of saying it is a BLT sandwich in a bowl with avocado. I was in the mood for something relatively light. It's been a while since I've made myself a good salad and I didn't want to cook anything heavy either. Besides I love salads especially when they have a good vinaigrette to go into it.

I made a roasted garlic vinaigrette with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, some dry herbs, and a few cloves of roasted garlic that I minced up and mixed all of is together. Crumbled the bacon over the salad like those Bacos bacon bits. Remember those? They tasted like bacon, but I'm sure they were made of something else. I also made some croutons by cutting up some bread, tossing it a tiny bit of olive oil and toasting it in the oven.

A sandwich in a bowl. I like the sound of that. This is great for those watching carbs, too. Though, i'm not one of them.

Serves 2




B.A.T.L. Salad

1 ripe avocado
1 large ripe tomato - diced or 1 lb cherry or grape tomato
1 medium head lettuce (red leaf, romaine, or iceberg)
4 bacon strips
roasted garlic vinaigrette (recipe below)
croutons (optional)
shredded cheese (optional)

In a skillet, cook the bacon strips until it is brown and crisp. Place on a paper towel to remove any excess fat.

Assemble the salad together and crumble the bacon over the top along the croutons. Drizzle the garlic vinaigrette over. Sprinkle a little bit of cheese.

Note: To make homemade croutons, cut a couple slices of bread into squares. Toss it in a little olive oil and toast in a 350˚F preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown and toasted.




Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette


4 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp dry thyme
salt and pepper


Roast the garlic cloves in a 375˚F oven until they are soft and lightly browned.

Let the garlic cool a little bit before handling them.

Combin the balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil, dry basil and thyme. Mince the garlic and add to the vinagrette. Whisk together and season with a little salt and pepper to taste.

Note: You can also us a blender or food processor.


34 comments:

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

What an amazing salad! And I love the dressing!

Unknown said...

Avacados are one of those things i cant stay away from (i'm sure its cause of the high fat content lol). Beautiful salad :)

Unknown said...

Looks great! I love the dressing - sounds so yummy!

Pam said...

This is my kind of salad - it has all of my favorite ingredients.

Nithya said...

Lovely salad :)

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a lovely salad! It has all my favorite ingredients.

Bob said...

What a great idea. Heh, I remember Bacos. Although I don't remember them tasting much like bacon... ;)

Debbie said...

Looks colorful and delicious. If that plate were in front of me the first things I would go for is the avocado!

Esi said...

I love the idea of doing a salad because sometimes all that bread gets in the way. I'd have to skip the avocado though..allergic.

Jenn said...

Andrea, Valley, Nithya: Thanks.

HH: Same here. I need my avocado.

Pam, Mary: ;-D

Bob: They sort of tasted like bacon. Sort of.

Debbie: Me, too. I love avocados.

Esi: Aww...That sucks. Well, the rest of the salad is mighty tasty, too.

Mardi Michels said...

That is my idea of a perfect salad. YUM! Another great use for the bacon we just finished curing...

pinknest said...

Me likes your BLT bowl!

Fresh Local and Best said...

I miss having great access to huge ripe hass avocados in California. Your salad is beautiful. I'm glad that you used real bacon.

OysterCulture said...

Looks and sounds so good. I've seen the word bacon mentioned so many times lately that I have been craving something like ths

Admin said...

This salad has at least 3 ingredients I love more than anything in the world. :)

Sippity Sup said...

another winner, particularly that vinaigrette. GREG

Diana said...

Oh my gosh - that vinaigrette sounds to die for! Looove garlic in my salad dressings! Yum!

The Duo Dishes said...

Mmmm. Bacon. Avocado. Yes.

Unknown said...

what a fantastic salad! For me, the dressing can make or break a salad and this dressing sounds wonderful!

NMOS said...

I've heard it spelled as "BLAT", but it's all the same. Looks delicious.

Christo Gonzales said...

I could do battle with this BATL .. looks perfect for right now!

figtree said...

I would love to come home to a salad like this!!YUM

Anonymous said...

I love bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado all in one dish!

Nutmeg Nanny said...

I'm so trying this salad! The salty bacon mixed with the smooth avocado sounds amazing:)

Jenn said...

Mardi: Anything for bacon.

pinknest, Fresh, Greg, Danielle: Thanks.

Oyster: That means you have to cook up some bacon.

Leela, Duo, Hummingbird: ;-D

Diana: Give it a try.

MNOS: lol.

Doggy: Me, tooo.

figtree: So would I.

Nutmeg: It's a great combination of textures and flavors.

Anonymous said...

An awesome salad, love the avocado here and the vinaigrette is excellent!

Sophia said...

I love that! Sandwich, done salad style. Lots more crunch and munch!

theUngourmet said...

Mm Mm Good! My favorite things together in one bowl! I love this salad!

Reeni said...

This looks delicious! Especially with the roasted garlic vinaigrette! That sounds so yummy!

Jamie said...

I love it! I so love a good BLT and this salad is all the goodness without the white toast. Love the vinaigrette and must try it. Yum, I want to make this now this week!

Jenn said...

5 Star, Ungourmet, Reeni: Thanks.

Sophia: Yup.

Jamie: Vinaigrette is really good.

lisaiscooking said...

I love big pieces of avocado on a salad, and your vinaigrette sounds fantastic!

Jenn said...

lisa: avocado is a must in my household.

Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction said...

Yum... We both know how much I love avocado! Sounds delicious... I like the roasted garlic vinaigrette.

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