Layered Picnic Salad

I first saw this idea on Pioneer Woman years ago and I mentally filed that to make one day. Then I was in the thick of my May Whole30 and it crept back to the forefront of my mind. The OG had  cheese and peas and a dairy/sugar bomb dressing, all of which is a no go for this mama. I started doing research and apparently this is a Southern delicacy, mostly known as a layered pea salad.

So I went to my Whole30 creative space and thought out what would work beautifully in taste, layers, and can be prepped ahead. This gorgeous salad was born and was enjoyed by the crew enjoying Memorial Day at Casa de Campbell. It was actually the hit of the day and I enjoyed it for a couple days after the fact, thanks to using sturdy ingredients! My husband was very skeptical of how it was to be actually eaten, would I have to dump it all into another bowl and toss? Well, when I was taking pics, the magic of this salad was revealed, when I dug down to the bottom layer, the dressing perfectly coated and was distributed throughout the whole spoonful! 

The key to this salad is making sure you use ingredients that are not soggy and hold up well overnight. Go into your cupboard and dust off that trifle bowl you registered for at your wedding and have used it maybe 2 times in the last 11 years. If you don't have a trifle, just use your prettiest glass bowl, you want to show off those layers. So please make this salad and maybe double the dressing because it is so freaking delicious, you will want to dip errrrthing in it. People will be uber impressed and you too can be the person bringing the star of the meal!

Layered Picnic Salad

Inspired by Southern Lady

Salad

• half head of iceberg lettuce, about 4 cups, chopped
• 2 cups baby arugula and spinach mix or other dark greens, roughly chopped
• 1 cup shredded carrots 
• 2 baby cucumbers quartered or an English cucumber chopped, about 1 cup
• 1-2 red bell peppers, diced
• 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• half bunch green onions, sliced, about 1/4 cup

Dressing

• 1/2 cup homemade mayonnaise, or your favorite brand
• 1/2 cup cashew yogurt or your fave yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons dill, chopped (half the amount if using dry)
• 2 Tablespoons chives, sliced (I used freeze dried)
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

- Take your bowl and start the layering, when you layer, drop the ingredients along the side of the bowl, that way your layers show. You will use additional iceberg to fill the center as needed to build.

- Iceberg first, then the greens, next the carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, and lastly hard boiled eggs.

- Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl, season with a pinch of salt and a couple grinds of pepper. Remember double this if you would like extra to serve on the side.

- Pour the dressing over the eggs and spread evenly to "seal" the salad. Top with crumbled bacon and the sliced green onions. Cover with cling wrap and keep chilled until party time!

- To serve, use a large spoon to dip down the bottom, then take a second spoon to grip the portion. Everything will mix and combine with the dressing!