Comfort Food Brazilian Lettuce Salad with Bacon‑Maple Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 6 large Romaine lettuce leaves
• 1 medium Avocado
• 1/2 cup Roasted red bell pepper
• 4 slices Bacon strips
• 2 tablespoons Extra‑virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon Smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon Black pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat a skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon strips until crisp, about 3‑4 minutes per side; transfer to paper towels, let cool, then crumble into bite‑size pieces.

2. 2

   While the bacon cooks, wash and dry the lettuce leaves, then tear them into bite‑size pieces and place in a large salad bowl.

3. 3

   Dice the avocado and add it to the bowl along with the roasted red bell pepper strips.

4. 4

   In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper to form the vinaigrette.

5. 5

   Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad, toss gently to coat, and top with the crumbled bacon just before serving.