Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Crispy Chicken-Skin Croutons
A sneak peek from my NEW cookbook!
Hello and Happy Thursday!
I hope you had a lovely Easter. This week’s recipe is an updated Cobb Salad that I’ve been eating at least once a week since I created it for my new cookbook Make It Easy!!
Keep reading for stories from Spring Break, a recap of all-new recipes and tutorial videos, and this brand new, never before seen recipe!
If you are over on Instagram or Facebook, you might have already gotten one of the sneak peek recipes – a sheet pan salmon with green goddess. I make one batch of that Green Goddess every 10-14 days, and use it on so many things. It elevates any simple salad or dinner with the vibrant herby and tangy notes. Here’s another easy weeknight meal that I use it in, and it comes from week 13 of the 15 weeks of the meal plans!
I was on spring break in southern CA, and was truly able to check out and be present with Ryan and the kids all week! Asher had a baseball tournament at the tail-end of our spring break, so we traveled down early to spend some time with my sister and her family for Easter, and get a little R&R. I’m was so thankful to be checked out, off of social media, and soaking in my sweet kids. We had beach time with family, saw a Padres game (ps section 105 at Seaside Market has a bunch of GF options!), watched Asher play baseball, and played tourists in San Diego!
ALSO. Remember how I mentioned that I was starting Kristin Hannah’s book, The Women, in my email 2 weeks ago? I’m 90% of the way through and I’m completely sucked in, staying up past my bedtime to read. We went to Coronado Island for the first time during our trip, and I talked Ryan’s ear off telling him all about Frankie like she was a real person. 😆 Review coming in my next installment of “Make It Joyful,” in next week’s newsletter.
I am Loving Substack SO Much
I have to take a moment to express how much I am loving being on Substack. I was able to disconnect and truly take a vacation, because I don’t need to be on 24-7 (like Instagram makes creators feel they need to be in order to have their content “seen”). Everything feels so much more personal here, and not stressing about algorithms has been so incredibly freeing. Read about my social media burn out here.
Also - knowing that the very long hours I put into my work (developing and testing a recipe, filming tutorial videos, or writing an abundance of ingredient subs for you) will actually be delivered to your email inbox makes me happier than I can express. So thank you for each and every email open. Every comment you’ve left. And every link you click.
✨I’m especially excited to start using the chat function in a couple of weeks for our first live Q&A exclusive for paid subscribers. Save some time on your calendar on Tuesday, April 9 to check in and ask me anything! I’ll be in and out of that chat all day, so I’ll try to get to as many as I can, and you don’t have to be there at a particular time!
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Make It Easy Command Centers
Here’s a look at the layout from the interior pages of my new Menu Planning and Meal Prepping cookbook - Make It Easy!
Every week of meal plans begins with what we’re calling the “Command Center.” You’ll be able to see your grocery list, make ahead tips, prep ahead tips, and other useful tips at a glance so you can plan accordingly. But as you’ll see in the PDF below, those individualized tips per recipe will also be on the recipe page themselves, so you can create your own meal plans or just cook recipe by recipe.
The QR codes will take you to printable grocery lists, as well as a digital grocery list per recipe, and a meal plan that you can customize easily yourself in case the five I’ve chosen that week don’t work for you.
I can’t wait for you to get your copy!
Danielle
This is the official 1 month mark of starting Make It Good, so here’s what you may have missed!
Recipes
Videos and Other Things!
Roll Call - Everyone here introduced themselves and some left really incredible stories of health and autoimmune disease. Please take a moment to go read through, this community is truly inspiring and so many have already connected with each other over shared similar journeys!
Make It Good Episode 1 - Where I take reader recipe requests, and bring you into the test kitchen with me!
Korma-Style Meatballs and Mango Chutney Cauli-Rice (with a full length video!)
Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Crispy Chicken-Skin Croutons
Servings 4 to 6
Excerpt from Make It Easy, publishing September 10, 2024
TOOLS
Skillet
Cutting Board
Chef’s Knife
Blender
INGREDIENTS
6 slices sugar- and nitrate-free bacon
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, skin removed and reserved
4 cups Little Gem lettuce, torn if large
1 cup pea shoot tendrils or other microgreens
1⁄2 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 avocados, cut into 1⁄4-inch slices
1⁄3 cup Green Goddess Dressing
METHOD:
Line a plate with paper towels.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook bacon, flipping halfway through, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Using tongs, transfer bacon to prepared plate to drain, leaving grease in pan.
Add chicken skin to bacon grease, turn heat to low, and cook, turning and pressing occasionally, until skin is golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, chop bacon.
Transfer skins to prepared plate to drain.
Layer all components in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine before serving.
GREEN GODDESS RECIPE
Substitutions
Chicken
Repurpose the chicken skin for these crispy croutons in this salad, save some to use in future recipes, and don't forget to make homemade bone broth from the carcass and bones! Bonus for instant pot broth - my functional doctor has told me it contains significantly less histamine. So if you have a histamine intolerance, that is the way to go.
Poach fresh chicken if you do not have rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken. Fill a small pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, turn heat to low, partially cover pot, and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let chicken sit in hot water, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove chicken from pot, allow to cool, then dice or shred.
Substitute sautéd shrimp for chicken
Crispy Chicken Skin Croutons
Swap in anything salty and crunchy! I love dry roasted cashews, plantain chips, or sprouted sunflower seeds.
Cashew Milk
Sub coconut milk for cashew milk
Dairy-free Goat Cheese
Sub dairy-free ricotta or standard goat cheese
Store Bought Shortcuts
Goat cheese brands: Treeline and Spero make dairy-free goat cheese; if dairy is tolerated, select a soft, spreadable goat cheese
Dairy-Free store-bought ranch or Green Goddess dressing can be used instead of homemade.
Use Epic Bacon Bits in place of cooking fresh bacon. Pan-fry the chicken skins in a little avocado oil.
MAKE IT AHEAD
Refrigerate dressing up to 2 weeks
Refrigerate salad up to 5 days. Layer dressing evenly in bottom of one large or four smaller containers for meal prepped lunches; add everything but crispy chicken skins and avocados and seal tightly.
PREP IT AHEAD (all will keep for 7 days in individual containers in the fridge)
Cook and chop bacon
Shred chicken
Slice onion
Hard-boil eggs
Halve cherry tomatoes
Love your cookbooks, Danielle. One day I need to share my story with you on how you helped me cook for my very ill son. It was such a trying time for me. You lifted my spirits and made cooking for him fun. So when I look at your cookbooks, I have most of them, I have such gratitude in my heart. You have no idea.
I am so happy to be here too! I feel like a V.I.P. haha. I looove your ideas. It is too expensive for me to get your cookbooks to Poland tbh and so I am even more grateful for this app.