BLT Salad with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Food.

Wedge BLT Salad with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Iceberg lettuce totally doesn't have any nutritional value compared to the multiple other choices one has in the greens department, but man, is it super crunchy!  There is just something about it’s texture that makes me want to cut it in wedges, smother it in dressing and chomp away.   And chomp we did.

If you are looking for an easy appetizer for a dinner party or even a quick meal for you and your honey, this is the way to go.  The dressing needs time for the flavors to develop so you should make it ahead of time.   Cutting up the lettuce, cleaning it, frying the bacon and washing the tomatoes takes only a few minutes from fridge to plate.  The best part is that you will still have some left over for use in another meal.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Chives
½ cup fresh basil, lightly packed
Juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
½ cup shaken buttermilk

Combine the chives, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt/pepper into a food processor. Puree using the steel blade section until the mixture is smooth and the basil and chives have been chopped.  Add in the mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk. Blend again until smooth.  Place the mixture in the fridge for about an hour

Salad

Head of Iceberg Lettuce
Grape tomatoes
3 slices of thick cut bacon

Peel the outer layers of the lettuce off and discard.  Cut the head into fourths and rinse/clean. Cut off the bottom of the lettuce and discard.  Leave the lettuce in a colander to let the excess water drain out.

Chop the bacon slices into small pieces and fry in a frying pan until they become dark and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate to let the excess fat soak up.

Arrange two wedges on a plate and spoon over your desired amount of dressing.  Sprinkle the bacon bits on top of the dressing and put a few grape tomatoes on the side.  Make it look presentable and even more desirable to devour.

Wedge BLT Salad with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Jeff described this meal as a “BLT” salad.  You don’t have to use iceberg lettuce; romaine or even Bibb lettuce would be a good crunchy alternative.  You can also substitute plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream.  Adding some thinly sliced red onion would also be a welcome flavor to the salad. This salad accomodates modifications with ease.

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