Vegan Cobb Salad

There are few things I miss since going vegetarian a few years ago, but now that dairy is out of the question, I have been mostly vegan for the past 2 1/2 months (ok, some ice cream has fallen into my mouth a couple of times, but that's it).  For the most part, I can make anything that I had before in a vegetarian or vegan way.  The problem is when I go out.  Now I don't go out very much and definitely even less with kids, but when I only sleep for a couple of hours continuously, and try to run, maybe work that day, straighten up the house, make lunches for the next day, etc. I am pretty tired and making a lovely dinner is not a priority.  Of course, I would rather be in the kitchen making a yummy dinner than cleaning the house or doing laundry.  So I have had to down play dinner for a past few months.  One thing I used to love is cobb salads.  I never made them at home, but I used to order them a lot.  Now I know they are not healthy, but boy they were yummy.  Well this is something I really can't order anymore, so I had to come up with something I could do at home.

Vegan Cobb Salad

(serves 1)

Ingredients

2-3 cups romaine lettuce

1/2 plum tomato

1/4 avocado, chopped

1/2 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 strips of veggie bacon (I used Smart Bacon by LightLife)

1/4 cup celery

1/4 cup non-dairy cheese (I used Daiya cheddar shreds)

2 tablespoons of your favorite dressing (I wanted creamy so I went with Goddess dressing)

Directions

1. Make bacon according to packages (I have microwaved it and cooked it on the stovetop, if you have the time use the stovetop)
2. Spread out lettuce
3. Take each ingredient and line them up over the romaine
4. Sprinkle on the dressing

Yes, simple directions, but like I said, this was never something I made, I usually just ordered it in restaurants.  I haven't found a restaurant that does vegan cobb salads, so this is a great way to get my fix.  The chickpeas are a great substitute for eggs here.  And I usually got mine without chicken anyway, so I don't miss a thing with this version.

Do you have any meals you now make at home that you used to get only when you were out?