Strawberry Salad with Saffron Chicken + Citrus Mint Dressing

After all those Nutella recipes, I think we need a healthy one.

You'll need:

Salad:

Spring mix
Alfalfa sprouts
Cucumber slices
Strawberries
Goat cheese crumbles (or feta if that's your thing)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Shredded chicken - I used rotisserie chicken.
PINCH of saffron
Salt & Pepper to taste

Dressing:
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. dried mint
*Makes 2 servings... I've made this dressing before for THIS AMAZING SALAD.

Here's my secret to quick, no-fuss chicken. When I go grocery shopping - usually on Sunday - I buy an already-cooked rotisserie chicken. Then I tear it apart, shred all the meat, and store it in a tupperware container in the fridge. It's good for the rest of the week for sandwiches, salads, chicken nachos, casseroles, just about anything! One day I'll make my own rotisserie chicken, and it'll be more delicious. But not today.

Drizzle the olive oil in a small sauté pan on medium-low heat.

Add chicken, and sprinkle with pinch of saffron. Toss well to coat the chicken in the saffron. If you're not using pre-seasoned rotisserie chicken like me, add some salt and pepper, too. (If you want the chicken to be really moist, add a few tablespoons of a dry white wine or chicken broth.) Sauté for 6-8 minutes until the chicken is hot and begins to turn a golden color.

While that's sautéing, start building your salad... spring mix, sprouts, cucumbers, strawberries, goat cheese, salt & pepper, and really anything else you're in the mood for. I like to prepare my salad in a big bowl so there's plenty of room for tossing.

For the dressing, juice the lemons, using a strainer to catch the seeds.

Add dried mint. (Sometimes I'll add salt & pepper to the dressing, but this time I added that to my salad instead.)

Whisk in 2 Tbsp. olive oil.

Pour over the salad, toss, and plate!

Top with chicken.

I like to add a little more cheese right before serving.

Enjoy!

Pear & Pecan Spinach Salad w/ Salmon + Citrus Mint dressing

Best salad I've ever had. By far. And it's quick and easy!

For the salad:
Salmon (seasoned with a bit of Salt & Pepper, Saffron - just a pinch, and Olive Oil - a light drizzle)
Pecans, chopped
Goat cheese, crumbled
Pear, thinly sliced
Spinach


For the dressing*:
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Pinch of crushed, dried mint
Salt & Pepper to taste (Just a pinch of these, too)
*Makes 2 servings

I found this amaaaazing Wild Alaskan Salmon at HEB. The quality of your salmon really can make or break a dish. The key words you're looking for when purchasing are "fresh" and "wild." If it fits both categories, it's definitely worth splurging a little. (I've settled for "frozen" and/or "farm-raised" salmon before... never again.)

My filet came in a long strip, so I sliced it, rinsed it, and placed it on pan greased with olive oil.

You can marinate your salmon in the refrigerator if you plan ahead, but I rarely do that. I sprinkled it lightly with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and saffron. Be very, very stingy with the spices. There's so much flavor in the salmon, and you don't want to mask that. Then, give it a quick drizzle with olive oil and gently rub in the seasoning with your fingers.

Bake that in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 min per inch of salmon. (Measure the thickest piece, and use that to set your cooking time.) Mine took about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the pear. I only sliced about 1/4 of the pear and snacked on the rest!

Chop the pecans.

And prepare your bed of spinach.

When the salmon is flaky and no longer translucent, it's done! The tiny bit of saffron goes a long way and smells so good!

Begin assembling...

Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients with a fork and drizzle over the salad.

Mmm dinner.

Sending you love from my kitchen.

Balsamic Chicken & Tortellini Salad

This recipe is another steal from Multiply Delicious. All I changed were the proportions of the ingredients because, to be honest, I really despise exact measurements.  With the spinach, for example, I'd so much rather just grab a gigantic fistful of it and let that be my form of measurement... That's acceptable, right?

This pasta is phenomenal. I made it once for a baby shower to go with a few other appetizers, and I recently made it as a main dish for an Italian-themed potluck dinner.  It's served cold, and the dressing keeps the dish light and healthy without compromising the flavor. Feel free to play around with the proportions yourself!

You'll need:
2 lbs. tortellini (from the frozen food aisle, pre-cooked)
3 cups shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup basil, chopped
2 fistfuls spinach
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

First, cook the tortellini. Drain and set aside.

Shred chicken, cut tomatoes, dice pepper, and chop basil.

Whisk together the balsamic and mustard with a fork.

Throw all the ingredients into a bowl and drizzle the dressing over the top.

Add a bit of salt and pepper.

Add your fistfuls of spinach.

Toss together!

I like to refrigerate it for at least an hour before serving to let all the flavors marinate together.  Enjoy!

Sending you love from my kitchen.

Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Happy New Year everyone! I thought I'd start the new year off with something healthy for all those with "get in shape" resolutions. :)

I made this salad for a lunch with some friends and served it on the side of homemade chicken strips and sweet potato fries... those recipes are coming soon!  I was originally wanting to a make a strawberry salad and dressing, but strawberries this time of year are not very pretty.  Raspberries turned out to be the perfect choice.  I love how everything is fresh and colorful.  Enjoy!

For the salad, you'll need:
Spinach
Sliced almonds
Fontina cheese, cut in small rectangles
Raspberries
Raspberry Vinaigrette (See recipe below)
*Don't worry about proportions too much, just put however much feels right.  :)

Fill a bowl with spinach and pile on the fresh raspberries, Fontina, and almonds.

Drizzle with vinaigrette.

Raspberry Vinaigrette

I'm really proud of this because I made it up on the spot.  Luckily I wrote down the ingredients because I'm making this again for sure!

You'll need:

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

A few basil leaves

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon sugar

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until you get a vinaigrette consistency. My recipe made about a cup of dressing.

Sending you love (and a wonderful 2011) from my kitchen.