This light and refreshing salad wasn't the meal I was expecting when I arrived at PMC (a private hunting & fishing club on the NY/CT border) last month for a 36 hour getaway with a group of friends. I came prepared to eat deliciously heavy meals that would leave me feeling way too full to even consider running or biking through the club's hundreds of acres. What I didn't realize was that club's chef was given advance notice that our group was "healthy" so each meal was crafted to please our endurance athlete crowd.

What I like about this salad is that it is more than just a bowl of lettuce. There's plenty of protein and flavor with steamed shrimp, bacon, and blue cheese, but just enough to keep things in the good-for-you spectrum. The salad was served with turkey and swiss cheese sandwiches and a stack of giant chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. That was plenty of fuel for a long afternoon of fishing, shooting, running and, for some of us, relaxing by the fire. I'd say the chef nailed it. --Bec

The Club Salad

Here are the ingredients from the salad. Experiment with quantities based on your likes and dislikes. Or try this combo next time you're at a salad bar or chopped salad place.