A delicious low carb salad with all the makings of a full meal. Greens, eggs and ham, and the cilantro ranch dressing is amazing. This post is sponsored by Jones Dairy Farm.

It’s amazing how you can find hidden gems of restaurants in the most unlikely of places. A few summers ago, my husband and I decided to take the kids on their first ever camping trip. We used to be big campers and hikers in our day and we’d been longing to introduce our city-bred kids to a little bit of roughing it. But we also knew we shouldn’t toss them into it full-on, but break them in a little gently.We settled on a state park in southern New Hampshire that got great reviews and booked one of the last campsites they had for the 4th of July weekend. Perhaps that was our first mistake. The penchant for fireworks in New England is big and that meant pops and cracks late into the night, not just on the 4th but on every single night of the weekend. We didn’t sleep much. And it was VERY hot and VERY buggy, and despite all of our precautions, our kids were getting eaten alive by mosquitos. It’s all the tender young flesh, I suppose.

They were good sports for the most part, especially for such young children unused to camping. But partway through the second full day, we decided to give them a bit of a break. We drove to the nearest town, a small hamlet just a few miles away with few small shops and buildings clustered around the main road. And a total anomaly: a large, inviting red barn of a restaurant called the Tuckaway Tavern and Butchery. At that point, we didn’t care much what the food would be like, we just wanted a place to cool off and spend a little time. But we were very pleasantly surprised by a lovely interior, great service and fantastic food. I had a salad that has lived on in my memory and I’ve been planning to recreate it ever since. I especially liked the name, a little tip of the hat to the illustrious Dr. Seuss.

When Jones Dairy Farm asked me to develop a recipe with their Canadian bacon, I kicked around a few ideas. But it occurred to me that the bacon would be delicious on a version of the salad from New Hampshire. Fried to be a little crisper and then chopped up, it would work as a replacement for the crispy prosciutto in the original. I distinctly remembered the dressing as well, a deliciously creamy cilantro concoction that went so well with the spinach, eggs and meat in the salad. I wasn’t quite sure I could do the salad in my memory justice but it was worth a try. And boy I am glad I did. This may not be an exact replica of the dish I had on a hot July day in New Hampshire but it was fantastic. Everything together, the dressing, the greens, the egg and the Canadian bacon, was truly delicious. Have it for breakfast, have it for lunch, have it for dinner…who cares, just have it!

Looking for more delicious cilantro recipes? Check out this Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad from Noshtastic. Leave off the pineapple for low carb!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Jones Dairy Farm. As always, all thoughts, opinions, recipes, photography, random tangents and incoherent ramblings are my own.

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Greens, Eggs and Ham Salad

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

A delicious low carb salad with all the makings of a full meal. Greens, eggs and ham, and the cilantro ranch dressing is amazing.

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 310 kcal

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or whole milk
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (make your own for a healthier paleo mayo)
• 2 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp chipotle powder

Salad:

• 1 tbsp butter or coconut oil
• 1 6- ounce package Jones Dairy Farm Canadian Bacon
• 8 ounces baby spinach washed and dried
• 4 hard-boiled eggs peeled and sliced
• 1 avocado chopped
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Dressing:

1. Combine the cilantro, milk, mayonnaise, garlic, salt, pepper and chipotle powder in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.

Salad:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry Canadian bacon slices until browned and crisped (you will need to do this in batches). Slice into matchsticks.

2. Divide spinach among 4 plates. Top with sliced Canadian bacon, hard boiled eggs and avocado. Sprinkle with pepper and drizzle with dressing.

Recipe Notes

Serves 4. Each serving has 8.44 g of carbs and 5.36 g of fiber. NET CARBS = 3.08 g.

Food energy: 310kcal
Saturated fatty acids: 6.20g
Total fat: 25.92g
Calories from fat: 233
Cholesterol: 193mg
Carbohydrate: 8.44g
Total dietary fiber: 5.36g
Protein: 9.33g
Sodium: 518mg

Nutrition Facts

Greens, Eggs and Ham Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 310 Calories from Fat 233

% Daily Value*

Fat 25.92g40%

Saturated Fat 6.2g31%

Cholesterol 193mg64%

Sodium 518mg22%

Carbohydrates 8.44g3%

Fiber 5.36g21%

Protein 9.33g19%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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