Bagel Salad

During our second produce delivery from Perfectly Imperfect Produce in Cleveland, we got tomatoes and cucumbers which were the perfect addition to this salad which I've had pinned for a few months. I've always loved Molly Yeh and watching her show on Food Network for new recipe ideas is always a great way to spend Sunday morning. I just used what I already had on hand and added an extra sprinkle of Trader Joe's Everything but The Bagel Seasoning over top of the salad. If you have everything bagels they would make a great crouton instead of plain bagels. Dave and I both liked this salad and the leftovers were an easy lunch to put together the next day. I liked using local goat cheese instead of cream cheese because I think it gave the salad a little extra zing.

Slightly adapted from Molly Yeh.

Ingredients:
Dressing

-1 tablespoon lemon juice

-1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 

-1 teaspoon honey 

-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Salad

-2 tablespoons unsalted butter

-2 large bagels, torn into bite-sized pieces 

-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

-4 large eggs 

-2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning 

-2 ounces soft goat cheese

-5 ounces arugula

-4 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges 

-1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

Dressing

Whisk together the lemon juice, Dijon and honey in a small bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking until creamy. Season with salt and pepper.

Salad

Place the everything bagel seasoning in a bowl. Roll the goat cheese into little balls with your hands and then roll them around in the everything bagel topping until thoroughly coated. Set aside.

Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat and add the bagel pieces. Toss them occasionally until they are golden and crispy on the outside but still chewy on the inside.

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and reduce the heat to a rapid simmer. Add the eggs one at a time, cover the pot, and cook for exactly six minutes. Remove from the heat and add the eggs to an ice bath to stop the cooking. We cooked the eggs two at a time for our salads but all four can be prepared at once if you're serving the entire salad.

On a plate arrange the arugula topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, bagel croutons, goat cheese balls, soft boiled eggs, and a few dashes of everything bagel seasoning. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy.