We have been really blessed with the weather this June and it looks as if June is going to be slipping off the calendar with quite the heat wave! No surprise there. I can remember all of my children's graduations being sweltering!
There is nothing like being stuck in a really hot school gymnasium with a couple hundred other people on a hot and humid June evening to whet your appetite for hot weather food!
Seven Layered Salad has been a part of my summers for as long as I can remember. Its filled with plenty of color, crunch and flavor!
It is a beautiful salad composed of seven different layers of tasty salad ingredients, topped with a creamy sour cream and mayonnaise dressing. Kind of like the icing on the cake, and on top of that cheese and bacon.
BACON! Yep, bacon does make everything taste infinitely better! I'm a bacon lover!
You may think that because you are only one person the idea of an overnight layered salad is off your menu unless you are having company. It does make rather a lot for one person to handle.
For that reason today I decided to downsize, small batch, my regular recipe which feeds about 10 people to serve only one. You can find that tasty recipe here if you are looking to feed more than one person.
The full-sized recipe is a very popular salad to take to pot-lucks and family get-togethers. God willing we are able to start having some of those soon!! I have been back in Canada for seven months now and am quite eager to see the rest of my family. Its been over 8 years since!
In the meantime, I don't like to deprive me of my favorite summer flavors and so I created a single sized serving of this salad just for me. It really wasn't hard to do and you probably don't even need a recipe to do it, but I thought I would write it up for you just in case.
Make sure you use the freshest, tastiest ingredients that you can! Also now is when you will be really happy that you took my advice and froze some of your cooked bacon ahead. (A tutorial on how to cook bacon in the oven.)
A quick refresh in the microwave for 30 seconds or so and you will have plenty to top your salad with! Yum yum!!
I always, always use frozen peas for this. They taste fabulous thawed out. There is no need to cook them whatsoever!
I like to use red onion, both for the contrast of color and for the flavor. You can use spring onion if you would rather, or a combination of both.
In the summer months I will boil myself several eggs ahead of time. They come in so handy for salads such as there, for egg salad, for sandwiches, etc. I usually do about 4 at a time and they always get used.
They are also great for Deviled Eggs. Just use 1 tsp of grainy mustard and 1 tsp of mayonnaise per egg yolk and you will have beautifully flavored Deviled Eggs. Another yum! And so easy to do!
The dressing for this salad is such an easy make. I used only one tablespoon each of sour cream and mayonnaise, plus a tiny pinch of sugar.
It was just enough to coat the top of my salad. This seals the salad in, keeps it fresh in the refrigerator overnight and serves as a beautiful dressing. No need for anything else.
A final topping of grated cheddar and crisp bacon completes the picture for the win! Today I indulged myself and add some alfalfa sprouts for extra color and as a garnish.
I had them in the refrigerator and thought to myself why not! You eat with your eyes just as much as you eat with your stomach!
I just thought it looked really, really pretty. You could also use mustard cress if you had it, or micro salad greens. All would be very pretty.
I think the food we eat should be really pretty. Even if we are only cooking for one or two. It doesn't take a lot of effort just to dress things up a tiny bit.
You don't have to serve this in a mason jar if you don't want to. A bowl serves perfectly well, but again . . . why bother with layers if you aren't going to see them?
Plus if you use a mason jar it serves a dual purpose as you can close the lid when you put it in the refrigerator to chill. Easy peasy!
This looks so pretty and really whets the appetite. It would make a great starter for a larger meal, or a light lunch, served with some crisp bread sticks or a crisp roll.
You can make it for one, or two, or three or four! What a fun starter this would be for a ladies luncheon served out on the patio!
Its also easily adaptable to whatever flavors and tastes you enjoy. So long as they are colourful, I say go for it.
A layer of chopped peppers would be lovely. Crisp salad onions (French's Crispy Fried Onions) adds a lovely touch to the topping as well and a bit of additional crunch! As would some chopped and toasted nuts!
Just make sure you choose a jar with a wide mouth to make and serve it in. That way you can dig down to the bottom of the jar easily to haul up more fillings.
Setting it on a plate to serve also helps to minimize any mess that might be created. My ex boss at the manor would never serve a salad or a soup without a plate underneath the cup/bowl/jar. It just wasn't done!
She would have considered that pretty crass and common. I suppose she had a point.
In any case, I hope you will be inspired to make yourself your very own layered salad this summer and that you will enjoy every mouthful just as much as I have! Bon Appetit and Happy Summer!
Seven Layer Salad for One
Yield: 1
Why miss out on one of summer's best flavors because you are a singleton. My favorite salad, downsized for just one. Such an easy make and so delicious!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped iceberg lettuce
- 1 TBS chopped red onion
- 2 TBS chopped fresh tomato
- 2 TBS frozen peas, thawed
- 1 small hardboiled egg, chopped
- 2 TBS thinly sliced celery
- 1 TBS sour cream
- 1 TBS good mayonnaise
- pinch sugar
- 2 TBS grated cheddar
- 1 TBS crisp bacon bits
Instructions
- You will need a wide mouth jar, about large enough to hold about 1 cup of salad altogether.
- Layer in the jar as follows, lettuce, onion, tomatoes, peas, egg, and finally celery.
- Whisk together the mayonnaise and sour cream, adding a pinch of sugar. Spread this over the top of the celery.
- Sprinkle the top with the cheese and finally the bacon bits. You can eat this right away, or you can cover it and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
- This actually tastes even better if you leave it overnight before eating. Delicious!
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This looks so pretty, Marie, and perfect to take along on a picnic. We've just had a thunder storm blow through, loud thunder boomers, lightening and heavy rain. Hopefully, it will cool things down a bit. Hope I can fall back asleep. It's much too early for breakfast. Have a lovely day. Love and hugs, Elaine
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite salads. I will sometimes make individual ones just for Keith and I in some miniature trifle dishes I have. When making a big one, I make it in a 9 x 13 glass baking pan. Surprisingly, after some wicked heat, it is cooler here for a bit, only supposed to be 80s this week! I'll take it! Much love - Raquel XO
ReplyDeleteI must try your dressing recipe, sound yummy. I always keep boiled eggs in the fridge too, a great way to get some protein. Another hot, hot day today, perfect salad weather.
ReplyDeleteI've never made a layered salad and hadn't even heard of them before you talked about them. I think it looks very pretty in the mason jar, though knowing me, I'd end up wearing more of it than eating it - I am very clumsy sometimes :)
ReplyDeleteWe love salad here and I always try and do something interesting with them. This is something new, so I shall try it out for two, using one of my medium sized glass bowls - we'll still get the layers when it's served, but I'll not be able to make a huge mess trying to spoon it out.
This idea definitely works for me. I never make the big one but it is one of my favorites. Small size might be just perfect!
ReplyDeleteThis is going to be our picnic tomorrow ! :) x
ReplyDeleteNo nutritional values?????
ReplyDeleteIt is just as easy for you to figure them out as it is for me. You can just go to verywellfit.com However, since you so very nicely asked: Nutrition Facts
DeleteServings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 295
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22.4g 29%
Saturated Fat 6.9g 34%
Cholesterol 166mg 55%
Sodium 484mg 21%
Total Carbohydrate 7.5g 3%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 3.3g
Protein 15g
Vitamin D 13mcg 65%
Calcium 108mg 8%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 244mg 5%