BLT Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese and Green Goddess Dressing

So the other day I whined...really bad.  I hate driving myself to work in the morning.  I'm eating my oatmeal, singing along with the radio, balancing my coffee, I just don't have an extra hand (or knee) to drive, especially when it is icy.  So I asked Dave to drive me....and he said no.  Well, I asked again, another no.  I had to start whining, but it didn't work.  Then I was just a little pissed. I HATE to drive, I want him to drive me, we work blocks apart, my car uses less gas than his, I had a million good reasons, and he had the nerve to say no.

So I drove myself to work and muttered to myself the whole way there and especially when I had to get into a cold car to drive home (o.k. yes I have auto-start, but it sounds better if I say my car was cold).  But then I felt bad for being so whiny.  He does drive me most of the time and he was going to get off work before I was, so he didn't want to wait around until I was done.  O.K. I get it, and felt I needed to make it up to him a little.

We start our dinner, almost every night, with salad.  Most of the time it's just a handful of greens and maybe a tomato.  But tonight I did it up a little.  I made a BLT wedge salad with blue cheese crumbles and Green Goddess dressing.  It was wonderful.  It was also huge and big enough for dinner in itself.  The Green Goddess dressing came from Ellie Krieger and it makes a lot.  Enough that we can have this again soon.

By the way, Dave drove me the next day.  I like to think it was because he loves and cares for me, but really it is probably because he wants me to make this salad for him again.

BLT Wedge Salad
for 2
1 head Iceburg lettuce cut into 4 wedges (I only used 2 and saved the other 2 for another night)
4 pieces bacon
1 Tbsp. butter
2 pieces whole grain bread, cut thick
1 tomato
4 Tbsp. crumbled blue cheese

Core and cut the lettuce into 4 wedges, place 2 wedges on salad plates, put 2 away for another night.  Cook bacon until crisp, place on paper towel to drain.  Remove bacon fat from pan, add 1 Tbsp. butter.  Cut bread into cubes, add to pan and saute until bread is toasty and crisp.  Remove from pan to paper towel.  Cut tomato into cubes.  Crumble bacon.

Over the top of each lettuce wedge sprinkle 1/2 the bacon, tomato, bread cubes and 2 Tbsp. blue cheese.  Top with Green Goddess Salad Dressing.  Serve with a knife and fork.

Green Goddess Dressing
adapted from from Ellie Krieger
1/2 ripe avocado, peeled

• 3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Any leftover dressing will keep well in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container

January 21, 2013   Daylight 5 hours, 47 minutes, 35 seconds   Temp. H 9/ L 1°F