Hey Everyone!
Hope you all had a great Presidents Day weekend… Brett and I were pretty mellow. Workouts, laid out Saturday by the pool before the weather cooled down, I went for a hike… It was great to have some free time even though I worked Friday and Monday.
On Saturday when Brett and I were on our way to lay out at a friend’s pool, we stopped at Pita Jungle in Newport to grab some lunch. We both ordered the Mediterranean Chicken Salad. They were huge! We probably could have split one and shared some hummus, but they were delicious!
Last night I decided to head over to Sprouts for some veggies for dinner. I couldn’t decide what the heck to get, so I flipped through my camera roll on my cell phone and saw the pic I had taken of our salads from Pita Jungle. I was able to get most of the ingredients I could remember having, and making a version at home.
*Note: I did forget the feta cheese, peeled and chopped cucumber, and tomato, but your could easily add it to this recipe if you want.
Ingredients:
1 big handful of chopped curly leaf parsley
1 large sweet corn, boiled and kernels cut off
1/3 cup wild raisins
1 bell pepper chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
1/2 bag mixed salad greens
2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken strips (fresh)
Dressing
1 part White Pear Vinegar (or white wine works)
2 parts EVOO
2 tsp Lime juice
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cracked pepper
Start by putting a pot of water onto boil for the corn. It should take about 8 minutes for the corn to cook.
Once you have cleaned the chicken, season it. I like Tyler Florence’s Sun Dried Chili Rub, some ground cumin, salt, and pepper. You could also do a curry seasoning if you prefer. I cooked my chicken strips in a bit of EVOO on the stove in a skillet. It took about 15 minutes on medium heat.
Once you put the corn in, grab a measuring cup and combine your ingredients for the dressing. Whisk until combined and set aside.
While the corn and chicken finish up, grab a big salad bowl and start adding in ingredients. Chop and add the onion and parsley. Pour in a bit of the dressing so the onion mellows out a bit.
Chop up the bell pepper and throw it in the skillet once you take the chicken out. Just for a couple of minutes, so the bell pepper soaks up some of that chicken flavor, and loses some of that “bell pepper bite.” Let the chicken rest while you grab the corn and throw it in an ice bath to cool down.
Add the cooked bell pepper to the salad bowl, as well as the raisins. Shave and add the corn. Then chop the chicken and add it too. Toss these ingredients, and then add the salad greens and remaining salad dressing to finish.
When plating, try to get the salad greens on the bottom, so all the other delicious ingredients are shown. Top with feta cheese if desired and serve!
This recipe takes about 25-30 minutes at home, but the result is a restaurant quality salad dinner that is both delicious and beautiful! It has all of the components of a balanced meal: protein, starch, and veggies.)
I hope you will give this a try! Double the recipe if your cooking for more, and don’t forget to taste your food along the way! If the dressing is too bland or oily, add more mustard and lime juice. If its too sour or has a bite, mellow it out with a dash of sugar.
Have fun and enjoy!!!
Lots of love,
Mrs. B
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