Chef Salad {for a (Summer) Crowd}
Life is hard; food doesn't have to be #146 [vol6, 6.4]
Since writing about cooking for 100+ at my church on Wednesdays, a few of you have told me that you sometimes cook for 50+ too! I’m so encouraged that I’m not the only one who uses real food to gather people.
Summer is HOT, especially gross in the south with humidity, and I don’t want to be outside after noon — even to grill.
Salads are a great make ahead option for crowds. But also, the pickiest of eaters will find something they enjoy.
First the Dressing(s)
Salad dressings from the store are junk. They taste gross and are made with gross ingredients (I’m looking at you, corn syrup and cheap inflammatory oils).
A baby step towards better health is to learn to make salad dressing! Each week at church we make ranch (recipe is written for small and large amounts). It’s a crowd pleaser.
Salad dressings will keep for weeks in the fridge. They actually taste better the longer they sit. Do yourself and make some this weekend!
Here’s a link to a bunch of other easy and super yummy dressings.
The key to making delicious salad dressing is to taste it as you make it. Taste again just before serving, especially if you make the dressing a day or more in advance. Trust your intuition for taste. Often times it simply needs more salt. Trust me on this.
It’s recommended to make salad dressings a day or more in advance so the flavors can meld.
Honey Mustard Dressing
3/4 cup sour cream or mayonnaise (made with avocado oil is best)
3-4 tablespoons honey (raw & local is best)
3 tablespoons mustard, dijon or other
1 tablespoon lemon juice or more
½ t sea salt or more to taste
Optional: 1T barbecue sauce
Honey Mustard for a CROWD
This makes about a gallon. Easy to halve.
2, 12oz bear bottles, 1.5 lb each
12oz bottle dijon + 6 oz more (yellow mustard works)
~1c BBQ sauce, optional, adds depth
12c sour cream, 2 Costco tubs
3T sea salt
water or lemon juice to thin as necessary
Dump and mix. TASTE AND ADJUST. Likely needs more salt.
**I love using sour cream in salad dressings. It’s more economical than non-seed oil mayo + no one knows!
Chef Salad Components Made Easy
Most of these you can prep days in advance.
Protein
Turkey - for economy buy a breast and slice/chop yourself. You can roast yourself to skip other junk ingredients, or buy a pre-cooked one.
chicken - rotisserie, grill, or InstantPot
ham
bacon - I prefer to cook on cookie sheets in the oven at 400* until desired doneness. If you’re not sourcing local bacon, look for antibiotic free because pork is given routine antibiotics, whether or not the animal needs them as a precautionary measure + helps animals gain weight (me too!)
cheese - pre-shredded or shred your own. A food processor makes light work.
hard boiled eggs - many stores offer them boiled / peeled
Veggies
lettuce / spinach - so many options at the store!
carrots - shred your own or grab a bag
grape tomatoes
cucumbers - slice or chop
celery
pickled red onions (I just mix everything in the jar & don’t heat the mixture)
surplus from your garden
anyone used frozen avocado for salad? let me know in the comments!
Croutons are sometimes offered as well. If you have leftover sourdough or bread bits, they’re easy to transform into croutons.
Feeding Vegans?
If there are vegans in your midst, it’s nice to supply non-animal protein… maybe in the form of beans or nuts. Those aren’t traditional chef salad components but vegans will appreciate the extra effort.
Remember, if you’re serving only honey mustard, (some) vegans will not eat honey.
Life is hard; food doesn’t have to be.
Julie
PS - In case you missed it, I wrote words about Beautycounter back as Counter. If you’re ordering please use my link, as going to the website from their emails doesn’t credit me. Free shipping on orders over $50.
A good ole classic salad.