Salads

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

~ lk529 ~ 4 Comments

One of my favorite ways to incorporate salads into our menu is under the influence of Mexican Monday. Typically salads are just plain boring, but with big flavors in Mexican cuisine, no salad is ever boring. And creamy dressings are my favorite. This dressing gets a kick from the chipotle pepper in adobo, but is mellowed out by the sour cream and cilantro.

This salad makes for a great lunch or quick dinner – and can be assembled even more quickly if you have left over cooked chicken or stop at the store and pick up a rotisserie chicken from the deli. With black beans in the salad, you could even omit the chicken if desired for a Meatless Monday too.

For a little crunch in your salad, topped with crushed up tortilla chips or the tortilla strips salad topping from the store (they’re typically next to the packaged croutons).

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

Ingredients for dressing:

  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo*
  • 1/3 C packed fresh cilantro
  • 2/3 C sour cream
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • juice of 1 1/2 limes
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

*for a milder dressing remove seeds from pepper, for a spicier dressing include some of the adobo sauce

Ingredients for salad:

  • 1-2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 1 head of lettuce, chopped
  • grape tomatoes, halved
  • red onion, thinly sliced
  • canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • canned corn, drained and rinsed
  • avocado, diced
  • red bell pepper, thinly sliced

Steps:

  1. Season chicken with S+P. In a non-stick skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat in a little bit of olive oil.
  2. Place dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.
  3. In a large bowl combine salad ingredients with cooked chicken. (Note: I didn’t specify amounts for the salad ingredients, use any or all to create your perfect salad!)
  4. Toss salad with as much dressing as desired.

*This recipe is adapted from David at http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chipotle-chicken-taco-salad-10000001215905/*

Chipotle Taco Salad

Asian Chicken Salad

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Hello, Salad Night. It’s been quite a long time since you’ve stopped by for a visit. I’m glad you popped in to say hi. You were a crisp, fresh, and light change of pace to our routine. I do hope you come by again soon.

Asian Chicken Salad 1

Asian Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 3 tbsp canola oil, divided use
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • zest of 1 lime
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 inch ginger, grated
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
  • 1/2 head lettuce, shredded
  • 1 large carrot, shredded
  • 2 scallions, sliced
  • 1/2 C slivered almonds (optional)
  • Chow Mein Noodles(optional)

Steps:

  1. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Season with S+P. Cook in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat in 1 tbsp canola oil until cooked through. Set aside.
  2. In a bowl whisk together the garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce, zest and juice of limes, sesame oil, and honey. Taste and adjust if needed.
  3. Assemble salad: toss vegetables, chicken, and almonds with the dressing. Garnish with crispy chow mein noodles, if desired.

*This recipe is modified from Vicky at http://avocadopesto.com/2014/02/12/napa-cabbage-almond-chicken-salad/*

Asian Chicken Salad 1

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. 

Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

It’s always fun to see what people come up with during the Crazy Ingredient Challenge. I’ve pinned a few recipes but I’ve never made someone else’s CIC recipe.

Until now.

For this month’s Mustard and Strawberries challenge I had considered doing a salad with strawberries and honey mustard dressing, but that wasn’t creative. It never occurred to me to make a dressing! Pure genius. And pure deliciousness.

 

Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 C (5-7) fresh strawberries, stems removed and cut in half
  • zest and juice of 1 clementine
  • 2-3 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Steps:

  1. In a food processor combine strawberries, clementine juice/zest, honey, and mustard until smooth. With the machine running stream in olive oil. Season with S+P to taste, if desired.
  2. Remove the blade from the food processor and stir in poppy seeds.

*This recipe is adapted from Cindy at http://www.hunwhatsfordinner.com/2014/02/strawberry-poppy-seed-dressing-crazy.html?m=1*

Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

Protein Packed Southwestern Salad

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

I am keeping with my healthy kick of Mexican Monday (previous weeks included Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers and Turkey Lettuce Wraps) with a double duty Mexican Monday & Salad Night.

It’s been way too long since my last salad post – and unfortunately that also indicates it’s been way too long since our last salad night! Stuart has been looking for healthier meals lately, and after eating this Southwestern Salad he was completely satisfied.

The dressing for the salad is made with Greek yogurt. If you’ve paid attention, or know me, you realize that I have a great dislike for Greek yogurt. But I do try and give it another chance every now and then. I was prepared to revert to bottled salad dressing, but I’m happy to state that I loved the creamy cilantro vinaigrette!

I added chicken to the salad so we’re getting 3 sources of protein: the Greek yogurt in the dressing, chicken, and black beans! I promise this is no rabbit food.

Protein Packed Southwestern Salad

Ingredients for the chicken:

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken tenders (you can also cut up 1 breast into strips)
  • 3/4 tsp Adobo seasoning
  • 1 tsp Ancho chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, divided use
  • 1 head iceberg lettuce
  • 1/2 C canned corn, drained
  • 1/2 C canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 on-the-vine tomato, chopped and seeds removed
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • crispy tortilla strips, for topping

Ingredients for the dressing:

  • 1/2 C Greek yogurt
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 C fresh cilantro
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
  • salt, to taste

Steps:

  1. In a small bowl combine adobo seasoning, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Season both sides of chicken with spice mixture (you will have some left over).
  2. In a medium skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 4-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
  3. In a food processor combine all dressing ingredients.
  4. Assemble salad with lettuce, corn, beans, tomato, avocado, and chicken. Toss with as much dressing as you like. Top with tortilla strips.

*This recipe is adapted from Chung-Ah at http://damndelicious.net/2014/01/10/southwestern-chopped-salad-cilantro-lime-dressing/*

Protein Packed Southwestern Salad 1 Protein Packed Southwestern Salad 2 Protein Packed Southwestern Salad 3

Copy Cat: Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Applebee’s is one of my favorite American chain restauarants. In high school my friend and I would share the appetizer platter, and I have ever sense been addicted to their Spinach and Artichoke Dip. There was an Applebee’s in Auburn and we would frequent the place. My entire day could be ruined by four little words, “I’m sorry, we’re out [of spinach dip].” I think I’m going to have to find another Applebee’s Copy Cat recipe for that soon… thinking about it is starting a craving… and the nearest Applebee’s to me is 20 miles away.

Copy Cat: Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad 1

When Applebee’s introduced the 2 for $20 menu, I discovered the most delicious restaurant salad — their Oriental Chicken Salad. This blog post, despite the first paragraph, is to divulge a Copy Cat recipe. I baked the chicken in the oven, so it’s not a perfect replica, but it will do in a pinch!

Oriental Chicken Salad

Ingredients (serves 2):

  • 1 1/2 hearts Romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1 C broccoli slaw
  • 1/4 C sliced almonds
  • 1/2 C Chow Mein noodles
  • 1 large chicken breast (seriously, ours are giant)
  • 1/2 C flour
  • 1-2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/2 C panko
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 C mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1/8 tsp sesame oil

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Slice chicken into strips, season with S+P. Dredge chicken in flour, coat in egg, and roll in panko. Place chicken on a greased baking sheet and cook for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through.
  3. Whisk together honey, vinegar, mayo, mustard, and sesame oil. Refrigerate until serving.
  4. Assemble salad, top with cooked chicken, toss with dressing.

*This recipe is modified from Amy at http://veryculinary.com/2013/06/19/applebees-asian-chicken-salad/*

Copy Cat: Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad 2

BLT Salad

~ lk529 ~ 4 Comments

How do you make Salad Night exciting? Bacon! Bacon makes everything better, right?

The game of sandwich to salad and salad to sandwich is a fun one to play – caprese salads make great panini so why not turn the BLT into a salad? BLT Salad 1

This BLT Salad is better than the American classic BLT Sandwich because this salad has a balsamic-mayo dressing!

BLT Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 romaine hearts, chopped
  • 2 on-the-vine tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 6 slices of bacon
  • 2 handfuls croutons
  • 3 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • zest of 1/4 lemon
  • S+P

Steps

  1. Cook bacon until extra crispy (in your preferred method – in the oven, on the stove top, or in the microwave). Transfer to a paper towel to absorb extra grease. When cool enough to handle, break up the bacon.
  2. Whisk together mayo, balsamic, lemon zest. Season with S+P to taste.
  3. Assemble salad and top with dressing.

*This recipe is adapted from Lyndsy at http://www.dinnervine.com/2012/09/blt-salad/*

BLT Salad 2

Broccoli Chicken Salad

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Here’s a lettuce-less twist to Salad Night. And a great way to practice your knife skills. I actually prepared this salad the night before we ate it. I knew if I didn’t we’d end up ordering pizza or picking up Chick-fil-A, because let’s face it what sounds better – pizza or broccoli? But if dinner is ready to go, no waiting, then it’s hard to argue with healthy. I can’t promise you that this recipe is tastier than pizza, but I can assure that it’s delicious in its own right. And it’s most definitely better for you.

Broccoli Chicken Salad

Ingredients for salad:

  • 1-2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 lb broccoli, chopped
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 C shelled edamame
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • Crunchy Chow Mein Noodles for garnish

Ingredients for dressing:

  • 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp sriracha
  • 1 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp salt

Steps

  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. In a medium skillet brown chicken in olive oil over medium-high heat. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
  3. Par-boil broccoli for 2-3 minutes. Drain broccoli and put into an ice bath.
  4. In a salad bowl, combine the broccoli with the edamame, carrot, and red pepper.
  5. Whisk together dressing ingredients and toss with the salad. Top with the Chow Mein noodles. Note: If you choose to make this ahead of time like I did, keep the dressing separate from the salad until serving.

*This recipe is adapted from Sara at http://www.wherethecookiesare.com/2013/07/10/chinese-chicken-broccoli-salad-with-fresh-ginger-sesame-dressing/*

Broccoli Chicken Salad 1 Broccoli Chicken Salad 2

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Salad

~ lk529 ~ 5 Comments

When I travel I like to bring a magazine on the flights with me. On my last business trip in April I made it through the 3 Food Network magazines I brought with me before my last flight, so during my layover in Atlanta I scoured the shelves for something that would interest me. I was hoping for a book of crosswords, but all I could find were Sudoku and Word Searches. Then I saw the most appetizing looking salad on the cover of Everyday with Rachael Ray. It was the May issue and had lots of Mexican style recipes and party ideas. This salad recipe has been worth the $4 I spent because I’ve made it four times already! I’ve even made just the sauce for leftover chicken and created nachos when I didn’t have any lettuce left.  Another variation, and time saving tip, is to use leftover chicken and warm it through in the sauce.

You have to make this! (It takes care of Mexican Monday and Salad Night)

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb chicken, sliced into strips
  • 1 tsp each cumin, paprika, coriander
  • 1/3 C + 1 tbsp olive oil, divided use
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce depending on your desired heat level
  • 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 hearts of romaine lettuce
  • 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • juice 1 lime
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 C chopped cilantro
  • 2 C crushed tortilla chips

Steps

  1. Season chicken with salt and pepper and spices. Cook completely in a large skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
  2. Make the sauce/dressing in a food processor or blender. Puree shallot, garlic, chipotle peppers, vinegar and brown sugar. While the machine is running, pour in 1/3 C olive oil. Simmer in the same skillet from step 1 for about 1 minute.
  3. Make salad with remaining ingredients. Top with chicken and warm dressing.Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Salad

And don’t throw away the remainder of the can of chipotle peppers in adobo! I have an ice cube tray that I use for freezing foods. Simply put a pepper in each segment of the tray and the sauce over each of them, when frozen put into a freezer bag and now you’ll have chipotle peppers in adobo whenever a recipe calls for them. As a general rule of thumb, one ice cube is about 1 tbsp. I do this for tomato paste too.

Update August 2016: We’ve made this salad many times and it was a favorite go-to dinner for quite some time. It was fun to revisit it this summer, and while I’m still not thrilled with these updated photos, they’re immensely better than what you see above! I now prefer to buy the colorful tortilla strip salad toppings to crushing up regular tortilla chips; I find they provide a better crunch ratio as they don’t get soggy as quickly.

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Salad | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Buffalo Chicken Salad with Avocado Ranch

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

In an effort to keep a balanced diet, I try to do Salad Night once a week. As you could imagine, this could become pretty monotonous – unless you’re a rabbit and you like that kind of thing.

When I met my husband in college, he did not eat lettuce. He didn’t eat too many vegetables actually. On our one year anniversary I prepared a three course meal, complete with Caesar Salad. He amused me and ate a couple bites. He said it was a texture thing. That I don’t get – lettuce is light, and crisp, and refreshing! After we got married and I fell in love with cooking, our pallets became more adventurous. His more so than mine I’m sad to admit. He eats vegetables now! And better yet, salads. He’ll even choose salad at a restaurant while I opt for the burger.

Buffalo Chicken Salad with Avocado Ranch

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1/4 C hot sauce
  • 1 tbsp dry ranch seasoning
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 6 tbsp Ranch dressing
  • 4 C salad mix
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, deseeded and diced

Steps

  1. Marinate chicken for at least two hours in hot sauce and ranch seasoning. Grill chicken until cooked through.
  2. In a blender, puree avocado and ranch dressing.
  3. Assemble salad with remaining ingredients. Top with chicken and dressing.

*This recipe is modified from Amanda at http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/skinny-grilled-buffalo-chicken-salad*

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