Grilled Chicken, Peach and Walnut Salad

Fruits and vegetables are good for you and they are even better married in  a salad. The combination of sweet, savory and crunchy makes this peach chicken salad perfection. This is easy to prepare and perfect for those warm spring and summer days when you want something satisfying and refreshing.

Peaches are the star in this recipe, so only use the freshest, ripest, juiciest ones you can find

Use a mix of fresh salad greens.

Red onion adds a nice pungent dimension to the salad

Walnuts or pecans add a nice crunch. I love to use glazed walnuts because it adds something special

 The  flavors in this salad are bright and refreshing and perfect for spring and summer when its warm and you don't feel like cooking

Ingredients

2 large peaches

2 grilled chicken breasts (roasted works well too)

1/2 cup red onion

1/2 cup salad dressing (recipe below)

6 cups spring salad mix

6 cups spring salad mix or your own blend of chopped salad greens

Citrus Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

1 small shallot chopped

3/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup Braggs organic apple cider vinegar 

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions:

Peel peach and slice into long sections, slice red onion, and slice your chicken into small pieces and put in large bowl. Add salad greens and peaches and toss with Citrus Vinaigrette dressing or store bought poppy seed dressing

For the salad dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together in a nonreactive bowl until thoroughly combined.

 

 Bon Appetit!

Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad

It is a new year and most of us have indulged in holiday eating more than we care to admit. I ate a lot of cake and cookies and pie and macaroni and cheese. Did I mention that I ate a lot of cake, cookies and pie? I enjoyed every last crumb too. I don't even feel guilty. Okay, maybe a little. Well, the holidays are over and it is time to get serious about eating healthy. I am excited about eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables and you should be too. You and I will feel so much better. This salad is something special.

It's really special

 

This salad is so good I have eaten it three days in a row. 

 

Yes.

 

It's that good.

 

 I love a good salad, especially a colorful salad that is chock full of fruit and fresh vegetables. One of my favorite salads is the strawberry poppy seed chicken salad at Panera Bread. It is one of their signature summer salads and I enjoy it quite often in the summer. After experimenting in my kitchen, I came up with my own delicious salad inspired by Panera, but with a few of my own special touches. This is simple, delicious and healthy. Try this and watch those holiday hips go away. If you are watching your sugar intake, you can swap the poppy seed dressing for a simple mix of Braggs apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Dijon and a hint of agave. Are you ready to taste this colorful masterpiece?

I like to mix my salad greens and I always include baby spinach

A little spring mix and romaine add more color and texture

And then the berries

oh the berries...

Mandarin oranges add additional sweetness

The Panera version of this salad has pecans, but I switched it up with toasted walnuts

Grilled chicken is the final ingredient. The salad is equally delicious if you make it completely vegetarian, but we need our protein. Don't we? I'm ready for some salad. How about you?

 

 

Ingredients

2 chicken breast halves seasoned and cooked

For the Lemon Poppy seed Dressing

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons diced onion
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup olive oil or regular vegetable oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Add all ingredients except oil and poppyseeds to the blender or a food processor. When everything is well blended, start adding the oil a little at a time in a steady stream. Add the poppyseeds and process for a few minutes.

In a large salad bowl, combine the salad greens, fruit and walnuts. Toss with dressing and put a mound of salad one each plate and add the chicken.

Makes approximately 10 generous servings

Go ahead and tell everyone you spent all day slaving over a cold salad:-)

Bon Appetit!

Kale Salad with Brussels Sprouts and Cranberries

I didn't grow up eating Kale, but this leafy green is enjoying a moment in the sun. Kale is the current darling of the salad world and with good reason. It is full of great nutrients and it is a great base for amazing salads. Kale marries well with so many other vegetables and this salad is a nice mix of sweet, sour and crunchy with Kale, Brussels sprouts, cranberries and toasted pepitas and a lemony poppy-seed dressing. Perfect for fresh and healthy eating and a great main dish if you add chicken or fish and it is the perfect side.

Start with Fresh Kale (any type of Kale works beautifully)

Brussels Sprouts

Cranberries for a nice touch of sweet and tart

The final touch is toasted Pepitas

Ingredients

1 pound Brussels Sprouts

1 large bunch of Kale chopped finely with stems removed

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) 

Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice 

2 teaspoons diced onion

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

For the salad: wash the Brussels Sprouts and Kale. Use a cheese grater to get fine shreds of brussels sprouts or cut in thin ribbons. For the kale, roll it and cut into fine thin shreds. Combine the kale and sprouts in a a large bowl.

For the dressing: Put all ingredients into the blender except the oil and poppyseeds. Process until blended and then slowly add oil in a slow stream until it is emulsified. Add the poppy seeds and blend for a few seconds until well combined.

Add the dressing to the kale and massage into kale for a few minutes. Add cranberries and toss until well combined. Refrigerate salad for an hour to allow flavors to soak in. While salad is chilling, preheat oven to 350. Spread pepitas on a baking sheet and cook for 7-10 minutes. Once salad has chilled and pepitas have cooled off, add pepitas to salad, toss and serve. Makes 6 servings

Bon Appetit!

Chili and Cornbread

Chili and cornbread is great comfort food. Chunks of seasoned ground turkey swimming in a spicy tomato broth with beans is a satisfying meal, but add a hunk of cornbread and some honey butter and that's some darn good eatin:-) If you are watching carb intake you can always omit the cornbread.

This is perfect for those days when you want something comforting and hearty, but completely healthy. There are some ingredients that give this a great dimension of flavor and you might not be accustomed to them in a savory dish. 

Unsweetened chocolate is very common in Mexican cooking and is usually added to moles.  I love the extra layer of flavor it gives this chili. Adding unsweetened chocolate adds body, color and flavor. The tiny hint of brown sugar balances the saltiness and spiciness of the chili. This chili also has three different beans and each one adds something special to the taste of the chili. The ground turkey instead of beef makes this quite a bit healthier than traditional chili. I always love to sprinkle some cheddar cheese and green onions on top or a dollop of sour cream.

Ingredients 
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1 small green chili pepper seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pound ground turkey
2 cups water
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes and the juice
1 15 oz can chili beans in spicy sauce
1 15 oz can red kidney beans
1 15 oz can black beans
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa 

Directions:
 Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add onions, garlic, chili pepper and celery.  Saute until fragrant Place turkey in the pot, and cook until evenly brown.
 Pour water into the pot and add bouillon cubes. Mix in tomatoes, chili beans, kidney beans and black beans. Add  all seasonings: chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Chili is one of those dishes where you have to taste and adjust flavors as you go. You can add more peppers to give it kick, or substitute beer for the water. Beer in chili is one of those things I can't explain. It just makes it taste good. And if you don't drink, don't worry about the alcohol because it will cook out only leaving great flavor.

Bon Appetit!

Kale Cranberry Apple Salad

This salad is full of good stuff and perfect for the Holiday season. Apples, cranberries, pecans and a melange of crispy veggies balance nicely with the robust kale. If you are looking for a great holiday salad for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, this is it!

Kale is a very robust salad green and can handle a lot more dressing than the typical salad. Massaging some of the dressing into the kale takes away some of the harshness that kale can have and the longer it sits with the dressing on it the better it tastes. Another great trick to make kale salad even better is to warm the vinaigrette and let it slightly cook the kale and take some of the rough edge out of it. This salad has a nice sweetness, a little tartness, crunch and lots of flavors that blend well together.

 Start with fresh kale and chop the leaves as small and thin as possible

Red Cabbage adds some flavor and texture

Carrots add more color and a little sweetness

Dried cranberries add so much flavor and more sweetness that balances well with the kale

Apple marries well with all of the other ingredients. My favorite apple to use in salads is granny smith or pink lady, but your favorite one will work perfectly

Pecans add that delicious crunchiness that we love in a good salad

This is so good, you will want to eat it all the time. Try making this for the holidays

Ingredients

1/2 cup pecans

8 ounces of kale 

1 carrot

1/2 cup chopped red cabbage

1 granny smith apple

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Dressing Ingredients

6 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons honey

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and spread on a cookie sheet or baking pan and bake for about 5-7 minutes. Wash kale and remove the stems. Chop the kale into bite size pieces/  Sprinkle a dash of sea salt over the kale and massage by the handful by scrunching with your hands gently. Set aside.

Grate the carrot and chop the red cabbage into thin shreds. In a small bowl, whisk the salad ingredients together. Take a couple of tablespoons of dressing and massage it into the kale. Add the carrots, red cabbage, apple, and cranberries. Toss the ingredients and let sit for 20 minutes. Add the pecans and toss once before serving.

The apples are so good in this salad and you can swap the apples for pears and it works beautifully

 

This is a great way to get your fruits and veggies in one meal

What are you waiting for? 

Bon Appetit!

Baked Goat Cheese Salad

Baked Goat Cheese adds a delicious element to a green salad. I often order this salad in high end restaurants and wanted to recreate this dish at home. I wanted to make this a little healthier by baking the goat cheese, but you can also pan fry this and get the same crispy results. This starts with a mix of arugula and spring salad mix, a delicious vinaigrette and these crispy baked goat cheese rounds. If you have never tried Goat Cheese, you are truly missing out on some extreme deliciousness.

Slice goat cheese into rounds discs (approximately 3/4 inch thick) . You can also use dental floss to slice the goat cheese. It is less messy this way, which I found out after starting with a knife. Roll each disc into a round golf ball size. Roll cheese into chopped chives.

This is what the cheese looks like before it is dipped into crumb mixture. I like to use a mixture of seasoned bread crumbs mixed with Panko crumbs, but rather you combine the bread crumbs, or use one type, this will be very tasty.

Toasted Hazelnuts and the herbed goat cheese taste amazing together. I like to dress this salad with a bright citrus vinagrette, but this works well with any vinaigrette, especially balsamic.

Ingredients

8 oz log of fresh goat cheese

1/2  cup chopped chives

1/2 herb bread crumbs

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

6 cups spring lettuce mix

1 cup Arugula

2 Tablespoons toasted Hazlenuts

Vinaigrette

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

Cut goat cheese into 8 discs. Roll into balls and dip into chopped chives. Mix the two bread crumbs and place into a bowl.  Roll the cheese into the bread crumbs. You can also lightly brush the balls with olive oil to get the crumbs to coat the cheese better.  Flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass and place the goat cheese rounds in freezer to set for 30 minutes.

While the cheese is setting in the freezer. Preheat oven to 375.  Wash salad greens and tear into bite size pieces.  Toast the hazlenuts until they are golden brown (about 5 minutes).

In a medium bowl, whisk all of the vinaigrette ingredients together. Place goat cheese in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Flip halfway through cooking so that both sides are crispy and golden brown.

Toss salad and sprinkle with toasted hazlenuts and top with 2-3 rounds of goat cheese.

Bon Appetit!