Passport & Plate - French Cobb Salad

gyoungwoman — Tue, 3 Mar 2015 06:27:32 GMT

Ingredients
Fresh garden greens
Fresh basil
Fresh parsley
Hard boiled egg
Cucumber
Freshly sliced ham from the market
Avocado
Roquefort blue cheese
Red wine vinaigrette (Olive oil, red wine vinegar, finely chopped shallots, salt and pepper, Dijon)

How to prepare this recipe
In a big bowl combine fresh greens from the garden, fresh herbs, chopped hard boiled egg and cucumber, freshly sliced ham from the market, avocado and crumbled Roquefort blue cheese. Whisk together your red wine vinaigrette and drizzle on top. Toss gently before eating and serve with a crisp glass of wine.

The story behind this recipe
The best parts of my childhood took place in France. When I was four-years-old my mother was sick of being a mother of three kids living a boring life in Canada, and bravely packed our bags and took us all to France. Here we visited the Roquefort caves, fell in love with pungent cheese, learned to speak French like the locals, and expand our culinary horizons. As a young woman, I continued to visit France with my family and alone, moving to Paris for a year to discover myself and write a guide book for young women. Not only did France teach me the art of elegant dressing and romance, it also nourished my soul and my body. I spent many of my younger years suffering from an eating disorder and poor body image, but visiting the French markets and feasting on abundant salads at lunchtime reignited my love of food. I discovered a love for cooking, fresh produce, meat and cheese. I was reminded that life was too short not to be delicious, and that the restraints encouraged by the North American diet weren't necessary. In fact, if I focused on eating a varied diet with fresh ingredients, my body and mind could thrive. To this day I encourage women to find their own beauty, to nourish their bodies with beautiful food, and enjoy abundant salads like this one.