A Modern Remake For The 7 Layer Salad

All of the ingredients I needed to breathe new life to the classic

During these past few weeks, since winter has started showing signs of surrender, I've been pretty much obsessed with creating this recipe.  I love taking recipes I remember from my childhood and trying to reinvent them.  The classic recipe for a 7 Layer Salad is certainly tasty, but I wanted to tweak it a bit and modernize it.  For starters, I didn't cover mine in a layer of goopy mayonnaise as the original prescribes.  Instead, I opted to make a fresh Avocado Sour Cream dressing to compliment the other fresh ingredients.

I remember when I was growing up that my mom's 7 Layer Salad was something my brother absolutely loved.  There aren't too many dishes I remember him saying that about, so it stands out as a somewhat special dish she made just for him.  Of course, he also used to eat Braunschweiger liverwurst straight out of the refrigerator with a spoon, so I'm not sure what was going on in his head (Blech!)

This salad is the perfect thing to make as the weather gets warmer and cook-outs and potlucks start popping up as quickly as the dandelions in your lawn.  To refresh this old standby, I started by upgrading the lettuce.  In place of the standard iceberg I used romaine.  I think it has more flavor and serves as a great foundation for the rest of the ingredients.  In place of red onions, which I always find to be way too harsh in their raw state, I subbed in green scallion.  It provides just a bit of onion flavor without overpowering the entire salad.

For perfect hard boiled eggs bring water & eggs
to a boil for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and cover
for 12 minutes. Transfer immediately to an ice bath.

I also substituted the peas with edamame which means besides a creamier texture that is packed with fiber, I might have a prayer of my sister actually eating this version of the salad since she and peas have a long seeded hatred that's been going on since long before I was even born!  You can find edamame in the freezer section by the other vegetables.  I use them often in stir-fry's and as an add in for cous cous or risotto.  They are also a great option when other vegetables aren't yet in season because they are good all year round.

There were some elements of the classic salad that I just couldn't bear to mess with.  The hard boiled eggs, sharp cheddar cheese, and crispy bacon are still major players.  I decided to add in shredded carrot for some sweetness and garbanzo beans to round out the flavors.  The two kinds of beans make this dish more substantial so it can be a meal in itself and be satisfying.

Instead of the standard beefsteak tomato, which I think can be overly watery, I used 2 different kinds of cherry tomatoes. Besides adding a unique color to the salad, the sweet brown grape tomatoes are delicious.  If you see them in your grocery store snag them immediately! For extra color and a bit more tang, I also used small yellow cherry tomatoes as well.

All the completed layers show beautifully in a clear
glass sided bowl.  Choose the right vessel for this dish
to ensure all your hard work can be appreciated.

Putting together this salad is really quite easy.  You can put the ingredients in any order you want after you put down the lettuce on the bottom. Try and use contrasting colors for the layers to get the best look.  And of course, you'll want to choose a dish that will show all those beautiful layers.  I used two thinner layers of the cheddar cheese so it is toward the bottom of the dish as well as on top of the eggs as one of the final layers.  Be sure and season the layer of tomatoes with salt and pepper to highlight the flavors.

For the bacon layer, I baked 8 slices of thick cut bacon on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper in a 400 degree oven until crispy.  It is the perfect way to cook bacon without all the mess on your stovetop.  The time will depend on how thick of a cut you buy so just keep an eye on it.  Try this fool proof method and I will bet that you will never pan fry bacon again.

You'll notice when you review the written recipe below that I actually ended up with 9 different ingredients instead of 7.  I thought that each of them added something important to the overall dish so I decided to just go with the extra layers rather than trying to edit something out.  I've never been all that great at math anyway, so why start now?

This salad is delicious all on its own, but it is even better served with this tangy dressing.  To make the dressing, place one chopped avocado in a small bowl with 1/3 cup sour cream and 1/3 cup mayonnaise. Mash it together until the avocado is broken down and all the ingredients are completely mixed.  You can use a blender or food processor if you want it to be really smooth, but I prefer the small chunks of avocado so I just use my avocado masher to bring it all together.  Add in the whole milk slowly, as needed, to get it to the consistency you want.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

I hope you will give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!  After such a long and tiring winter, I'm going to take every chance I get to embrace the Spring.

Layered Veggie Salad
1 head Romaine, Chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 bag shredded carrots
1 bag edamame, cooked and cooled
Cherry Tomatoes, (various) quartered
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
8 pieces of bacon, cooked until crispy and chopped
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper

Avocado Sour Cream Dressing
1 ripe avocado
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup whole milk
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper

When you serve the salad you get a sneak peak of all the
gorgeous layers.  The colors really pop and
make for a beautiful presentation.