(Picture forthcoming.)
I just decided I have a new goal: to have an interesting homemade salad for lunch at least 3 times a week. Maybe it’s a belated new year’s resolution of sorts.
Jon and I had some chicken breasts that needed to be cooked, so I thought I’d make salads with chicken for lunch. I wasn’t expecting them to be very memorable (alas, I didn’t bother to take pictures at all). It surprised me how filling and satisfying these tasted and inspired me to try making interesting salads more often. Also, I realized I should never settle for a mediocre lunch when delicious ones can be simple!
This particular salad came about using what was in the fridge—fairly basic ingredients:
For 2 very filling salads:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 medium tomato
- 1/2 C feta cheese
- mixed greens! (I use the bag of supergreens from Costco)
- balsamic vinaigrette (again, mine is from Costco. I love Costco.)
I made the chicken breasts the night before, seasoning them with a little salt and pepper, and then cooking them on a hot pan coated with coconut oil. 6-7 minutes on each side, or until the juices run clear. Timing will depend on the size of the breasts (yes, I just said that).
Now for the salad assembly…
- Fill the salad container you’ll use with mixed greens. I recommend a big one! Start by adding 2-3 tablespoons of dressing and toss to coat. If you need more dressing, add it little by little. Some of the best salads I’ve tried have just a light coating of dressing on the greens (no puddles of dressing at the bottom). Now that the greens are lightly covered, they should sink down a bit and create space for your toppings.
- Slice the carrots into matchstick pieces. I cut the carrot into 2 inch pieces, cut these pieces in half lengthwise, and then sliced them finely. Cut these in half again and sprinkle on the salad.
- Slice and/or dice the tomato and add a layer to your salad.
- Cut the chicken into strips and then dice into pieces. Add to salad.
- Sprinkle a generous layer of feta cheese over all of this.
Voilà! A simple recipe for a deliciously filling salad.