Tag: #salad

Balsamic Grilled Chicken and Strawberry Cobb Salad

Spring can’t come any sooner with this light and healthy favorite!

Watch me make it here: https://youtube.com/shorts/r96UcjvMP_o?feature=share

Ingredients

For the Strawberry Vinaigrette:

  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the salad:

  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 head Romaine Lettuce, torn
  • 2 chicken breasts, grilled and sliced
  • 2 c. Sliced strawberries
  • 4 oz. Crumbled feta
  • 1 c. cooked peas
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1/2 c. sliced red onion
  • Your favorite balsamic vinaigrette dressing
Directions

For the dressing:

  1. Blend strawberries, honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, and black pepper together in a blender until smooth and set aside.

For the salad:

  1. Take chicken and marinate in honey/balsamic dressing up to 2 hours
  2. Grill chicken breasts on grill, then remove and let rest. After 20 minutes, slice chicken
  3. Place romaine in a large bowl and top with chicken, strawberries, feta, peas, avocado, and red onion.
  4. Season with salt and pepper
  5. Drizzle with dressing. Toss and serve immediately.

Green Goddess Salmon with Peach Salad

When summer fruits are in season.
Ingredients

Seared Salmon:

  • 4 (6 oz) skin-on salmon pieces
  • salt
  • cooking oil

Green Goddess:

  • 1 cup packed spinach
  • 1 cup packed fresh basil
  • ½ cup packed fresh dill
  • 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp water
  • ½ kosher salt

Peach Salad:

  • 2 ripe peaches, diced
  • 1 medium English cucumber, diced
  • 1 shallot, very thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • ¼ cup fresh basil, torn
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
  • kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

  1. Pat the salmon dry and let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
  2. For the green goddess, combine the spinach, basil, dill, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Blend in the greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, water, and salt until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  3. For the peach salad, add the peaches, cucumber, shallot, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and honey to a mixing bowl. Toss well to combine. Stir in the basil and dill. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.
  4. Heat a 12” stainless steel pan over medium heat. Add enough oil to just coat the bottom of the pan. Season the salmon with a pinch of salt. Once the oil is hot (it will shimmer), carefully place the salmon skin-side down into the oil. Sear for about 5 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and easily releases from the pan. Flip the salmon over and finish cooking on the other side, about 3-4 minutes longer, or until cooked to your desired doneness.
  5. Serve the salmon with the green goddess drizzled over top and the peach salad alongside. Optional add is couscous.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken and Avocado

Nothing says Summer more than this.

INGREDIENTS

Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon golden balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh tarragon
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 6 cups loosely packed fresh spinach
  • 6-8 large strawberries, hulled and quartered
  • 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
  • 3-4 thinly sliced rings of red onion
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons sliced almonds

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Whisk the extra virgin olive oil with the balsamic vinegar, sugar, tarragon, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl until blended.
  2. Place the chicken breasts in a shallow bowl and cover with half of the dressing, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
  3. Spray a grill pan or 12-inch non-stick pan with cooking spray and heat to medium high. Place the chicken breasts on the hot grill pan. Cook for 3 minutes then flip the chicken breasts. Cook for another 3 minutes and turn. Reduce the cooking temperature to medium low and cook the chicken for 20-25 minutes more, turning every 5 minutes or so. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the chicken, but it will be done when it hits 165 degrees internal temperature. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes then slice into 1/4-inch slices.
  4. Arrange the spinach, strawberries, and red onion in a bowl. Lightly toss with the remaining dressing. Add the avocado, sliced chicken and top with feta and almond slices. Serve immediately.

Balsamic Summer Steak Salad with Roasted Corn

Get that backyard grill working this summer season.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE MARINADE

  • 1 lb sirloin steak
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon coarse salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

FOR THE SALAD

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ red onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
  • 2 heads endive lettuce, outer leaves removed, halved and roughly chopped into 2 inch pieces
  • 6 cups mixed spring greens
  • 1 corn on the cob, husk removed
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling corn

FOR THE GREMOLATA

  • 2 tablespoons basil leaves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest

FOR THE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • Dash of salt and fresh ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Marinate the steak: In a medium size bowl, stir together ingredients for the marinade. Place steaks in a large Ziplock bag. Pour marinade over the steaks, seal the bag, and shake to coat. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  2. Make the gremolata: Combine the basil, parsley, lemon zest, and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside.
  3. Preheat a cast iron grill pan at medium-high heat or an outdoor grill. Drizzle corn on the cob with 1 tablespoon olive oil and liberally sprinkle salt and pepper. Using tongs, place on the heated grill. Cook each side until grill marks form on the corn kernels and they are somewhat softened, about 10 minutes total. Remove from heat when done and let cool. Slice corn kernels off the cob.
  4. Remove the steak from the fridge. Place on the grill or grill pan. Grill both sides 4-5 minutes for rare to medium rare. Remove steak to a plate and let rest for five minutes. Slice thinly against the grain.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together ingredients for vinaigrette.
  6. Toss together half of the vinaigrette, half of the gremolata, mixed greens, endives, tomatoes, gorgonzola, sliced corn, and red onion in a large bowl.
  7. Lay sliced steak on top of salad. Drizzle steak and salad with gremolata and remaining vinaigrette as desired.

Grilled Shrimp and Watermelon Over Arugula

A fun yet elegant entrée brimming with summer flavors.

Ingredients

  • Two 1” thick slices from a round 5 lb seedless watermelon (about 8-9” in diameter).
  • 1/4 cup olive oil for brushing watermelon and shrimp
  • 1 lb medium size shrimp shelled, deveined, and cleaned, (about 25 per pound)
  • 8 cups of loosely packed baby arugula
  • ½ cup of crumbled blue cheese (omit for dairy free)
  • fine ground sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • For the balsamic vinaigrette:
  • 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ tsp Dijon mustrd
  • ½ tsp raw honey
  • 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ tsp course kosher fine ground sea salt

Instructions

  • Soak 3 wooden skewers in clean, cold water for 10 minutes.
  • Preheat a clean and seasoned grill to high.
  • Cut two 1” thick slices of watermelon, you can either trim off the rinds before or after grilling. Save remaining watermelon for future snacking or another recipe.
  • Brush watermelon slices, on one side with olive oil, about 1 & 1/2 tsp of oil per slice.
  • You only need to grill the slices on one side. Lay the slices oiled-side-down, onto the grill and close the grill lid. After about 90 seconds, quarter turn (don’t flip), the slices to create crosshatch marks and grill for another 90 seconds.
  • Remove to a cutting board and allow slices to cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.
  • Clean and season the grill, then heat back to high.
  • Following the directions from the video above, skewer shrimp onto soaked wooden skewers, approximately 8 shrimp per skewer for 1 pound of shrimp, (or 10 shrimp per skewer if you will cook 2 pounds).
  • I left the tails on my shrimp because I think they are pretty, but you could remove the tails if you prefer.
  • If your shrimp are moist, pat them dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper, and then brush fronts, and backs of the skewered shrimp with olive oil, about 1 Tbs per skewer.
  • Grill shrimp for 2 minutes on one side, with the grill lid closed. Then flip the skewers and cook for 1 more minute, lid closed. Remove to a clean platter; the shrimp will continue to cook, off of the heat, as they rest.
  • Meanwhile, cut the watermelon slices into 1” cubes.
  • For the vinaigrette, whisk together the balsamic, Dijon, honey, olive oil and salt.
  • In a large salad bowl, toss the arugula with the balsamic vinaigrette and season with freshly ground black pepper.
  • Sprinkle the dressed arugula with crumbled blue cheese, and top with cubed watermelon and grilled shrimp (removed from skewers).

Enjoy!