Category Archives: Salad

Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken Salad

06 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Dinner, Healthy, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Salad

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Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken Salad

Happy 2015!!  I can’t believe we’re already into a new year.  I’m sure many of you are vowing to be healthier this year, whether that involves more exercise, healthier meals, or a combination of the two.  I hope that some of my healthy recipes like this one will help encourage you to keep going with the health kick, inspiring you to realize that healthy food is actually quite delicious and you don’t need to feel like you’re sacrificing flavor or constantly hearing your stomach grumble for more food!  My husband and I jump-started our resolution this year and made a commitment to end December weighing less and being more toned than we started it.  It’s the first December in our lives that we LOST weight instead of GAINED and it feels fantastic!  I feel like we’re already starting 2015 off on the right foot and salads like this have helped us get here.  This truly is one awesome salad!  It’s healthy and light but will fill you up and leave you feeling satisfied thanks to the barley and lentils, making it perfect for either lunch or dinner.

Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken Salad
Time:  20 minutes total
Yield:  4 dinner-sized servings

For the chicken:
4 fully cooked chicken breasts*
6 tbsp. Dijon mustard
6 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. agave nectar

For the salad:
8 cups mixed greens
about 30 cherry tomatoes
2 carrots, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 cucumber, diced
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1½ cup cooked green lentils
¾ cup cooked barley

For the dressing:
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
¼ cup canola oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. lemon juice
6 tbsp. orange juice
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. honey
salt and pepper

1.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the 6 tbsp Dijon mustard, 6 tbsp honey and 2 tbsp agave nectar.  Dice up the cooked chicken breast and toss in the honey mustard sauce.  Transfer to a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat as you prepare the salads, stirring occasionally.

2.  Toss all salad ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

3.  Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing.

4.  Plate the salad onto four serving plates.  Top with honey mustard glazed chicken and drizzle with dressing.  Enjoy!

*My preferred method of cooking chicken breasts for recipes such as this one is to: Bring a saucepan of water to a boil.  Drop in the raw chicken breasts, and allow to boil for 15 minutes.  Remove cooked chicken from the hot water using tongs and allow to cool before storing in your refrigerator for up to five days.

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Turkey Pear-ed with Bleu

13 Thursday Nov 2014

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Turkey Pear'ed with Bleu

I love mixing and matching ingredients to invent new seasonal salads.  This is one of my favorites right now because it contains great autumn flavors and a variety of textures.

Turkey Pear-ed with Blue
Yield:  1 salad serving
Time:  15 minutes total

2 cups baby arugula, rinsed
2 oz. roasted turkey, diced
1 oz. bleu cheese, crumbled
1 fresh pear, sliced
1 handful dried cranberries
your favorite salad dressing (I recommend a raspberry vinaigrette or Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette)

Combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl.  Toss to coat with dressing.  Enjoy!

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Fiesta Quinoa Salad

27 Wednesday Aug 2014

Posted by in Dinner, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Salad, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Fiesta Quinoa Salad

A few years ago my best friend gave me a recipe very similar to this one and as soon as I made it, I instantly fell in love with it!  It quickly became a staple in our rotation of dinner recipes.  It’s evolved a bit over the years, but the core of it is still intact and just as delicious as ever!

Fiesta Quinoa Salad
Yield:  6 dinner-sized servings (or 12 side-dish servings)
Time:  30 minutes total

2 cups quinoa, rinsed
3 cups water
30 oz. black beans, drained and rinsed
1½ cups grilled corn, cut off the cob (can substitute with thawed frozen corn)
1 red bell pepper, diced into small pieces
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced into small pieces
½ cup red onion, finely diced
1 summer squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
20-30 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 jalapeño, finely diced
4 avocadoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 bunch of scallions, diced
3 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. garlic powder

1.  Place 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan.  Stir in quinoa.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Boil for 3 minutes, then place a lid on the saucepan, and turn the stove off, leaving the pan on the hot burner.  After 15 minutes, remove the lid and gently fluff the quinoa with a fork.  (Note:  do not touch the pan or remove the lid for the entire 15 minutes for optimal texture.)  Set cooked quinoa aside and allow to cool.

2.  Meanwhile, place the black beans, corn, bell peppers, red onion, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, jalapeño, and cilantro into a large mixing bowl.  Toss together gently.  Once the quinoa is ready, mix it in and gently fold in the avocado.

3.  Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, salt, and garlic powder.  Drizzle over the ingredients in the mixing bowl and gently toss to coat.

Fiesta Quinoa Salad
PDF to Print Recipe for Fiesta Quinoa Salad

(Original recipe credit:  Shining Health Holistic Nutrition Counseling, and also to Leah for sharing it with me!)

Citrus Shrimp Summer Salad

03 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by in Dinner, Fish, Fruit, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Salad

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Citrus Shrimp Summer Salad

The first few hot days of the year always make me crave summer-inspired salads filled with fresh berries!  Here’s a salad you can enjoy now and continue making all the way through the end of August!

 

Citrus Shrimp Summer Salad
Yield:  4 dinner-sized salads
Time:  25 minutes total

For the shrimp:
1 lb. raw shrimp (peeled, deveined, and tails removed)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
zest of one orange
2 tbsp. lemon juice (or orange juice)
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

For the salad:
6 cups salad greens
2 avocados, chopped into bite-sized pieces
¾ cup blueberries
10 strawberries, sliced
¼ of a red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces
6 small tomatoes, quartered
8 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing:
lemon oil
blueberry balsamic

1.  Wash the salad greens and arrange on four dinner plates.  Top with avocado, blueberries, strawberries, red onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, and goat cheese.  Drizzle the salads with lemon oil and blueberry balsamic.

2.  Place the EVOO and shrimp in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Stir in the garlic, orange zest, and lemon juice.  Cook until the shrimp is opaque, about 5-8 minutes.  Stir in the parsley and cook for another 2 minutes.  Top the prepared salads with the cooked shrimp.

Citrus Shrimp Summer Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PDF to Print Recipe for Citrus Shrimp Summer Salad

Slimmed Down Cobb Salad

23 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by in Dinner, Healthy, Lunch, Salad

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Slimmed Down Cobb Salad

This is my slimmed down version of the classic Cobb Salad.  I swapped the greasy bacon for juicy chicken breasts, and instead of using a heavy cream-based dressing, I use a heart-healthy olive oil-based dressing packed with great flavor.  Cheers to eating deliciously all throughout bathing suit season!

Slimmed Down Cobb Salad
Yield:  2 dinner-sized salads
Time:  40 minutes total

Salads:
1½ small heads of romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 hard boiled eggs*, cut into quarters
6 small tomatoes, cut into quarters
2 avocados, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 oz. crumbled bleu cheese
1 small bunch fresh chives, diced

Dressing:
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. sugar
1 small shallot, minced
a dash each of salt and freshly cracked pepper

1.  Fill a medium pot halfway with water.  Bring to a boil.  Place raw chicken breasts in boiling water.  Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, until fully cooked through.

2.  In the meantime, divide the lettuce between two plates.  Arrange the eggs, tomatoes and avocados on top of the lettuce.  Sprinkle with crumbled bleu cheese and chives.

3.  Once the chicken is fully cooked, set aside to cool for a few minutes.  (Make the dressing–see step 4–while waiting.)  Once cool enough to handle, slice into strips.  Place chicken strips on top of the prepared salads.

4.  To make the dressing, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.  Drizzle over the salads and enjoy!

*Note:  Here is my preferred method for hard-boiling eggs:  Place raw eggs in a pot.  Cover with 1-2 inches of cold water.  Place pot on stove, bring the water to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for one minute.  Remove the pot from the heat.  Cover and let stand, undisturbed, for 10-15 minutes.  Transfer the eggs to an ice-water bath to make them easier to peel later  (immediately chilling the eggs prevents the membrane from adhering to the shell).  Also, it’s easier to peel the eggs if you use eggs that are a week old instead of very fresh eggs.  I have no idea why this is, but it works!

Slimmed Down Cobb SaladSlimmed Down Cobb Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PDF to Print Recipe for Slimmed Down Cobb Salad