Southwestern Salad

Hey People! Here's another recipe. It's for a salad I made the other day. I really don't know what to call it- it kinda has a Southwestern or Tex-mex, or Mexican flair. I think you will really enjoy it. 

For the Chicken Marinade:

3 skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp smokey chipotle pepper hot sauce

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ancho chili powder

2 limes, juiced 

Directions:

Mix all listed ingredients together and marinate chicken for at least one hour. 

Heat a skillet on high and sear your chicken. Lower the heat to medium and cook chicken until no pink remains. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes and then slice on a diagonal. 

Avocado Marinade:

1 avocado, cubed

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp hot mexican chili powder

1/4 tsp coriander

1 lime, juiced

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

Combine all spices and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss cubed avocado in marinade and let sit for for 15 minutes. 

Salad Ingredients:

Lettuce of your choice

Cucumber

Grape Tomatoes 

Red, yellow, orange bell peppers, thinly sliced

Red onion, thinly sliced

Jalapeno, thinly sliced, optional

Sliced olives, optional

Directions:

Toss all salad ingredients together and top with as much sliced chicken and avocado as you want. Oh, don't forget to top it with my Southwestern Vinaigrette.

Southwestern Vinaigrette Dressing

Hey Ladies and Gents!

I am really enjoying experimenting with salad dressings as of late and so I am bringing you all another recipe. This one is really delicious and has a southwestern kick. 

You'll need:

2 Tbsp Smoky Chipotle Pepper Sauce

1 Tbsp honey flavored Agave

1-2 limes, juiced

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

Mix spices and sauces together and salt and pepper to taste. 

I am telling you, you will love it. It's zingy, tangy, zesty, tad spicy and is great on salads. 

Black Bean and Chickpea Salad

This recipe comes from a bean salad I had for lunch one day at Trader Joe's. I read the ingredient list when I bought it but the memory is kind of fuzzy since that was a while ago. The one thing I remember was mint because I never have it and I rolled my eyes at the thought of wanting to recreate the salad with a herb I never use. I don't have an herb garden and buying fresh herbs is something I reserve for when they are on sale or for holidays. I really must start growing them inside my kitchen. Somehow, someway but that is for another post.

Well, mint never went on sale so I finally just said forget it and bought it because I really did like the salad. It is extremely fresh, light and refreshing. The bright colors, zesty flavors and ease in which it is prepared makes it a winner.

You will need:

4 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno
10 grape tomatoes
2 tbsp mint
2 tbsp cilantro
1/2 cup onion
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 lime, juiced
Kosher Salt
Fresh Pepper

Directions:

1. Mince all your herbs, garlic and onion.
2. Chop tomatoes and jalapeno
3. Add all ingredients to a bowl, add seasonings and mix.

Mighty Green Kale Asparagus and Leek Salad

Hey People,

This is the special salad I mentioned earlier when giving you the recipe to my Lemon Vinaigrette. I wanted to make a healthy salad but one different from the standard romaine, tomato, cucumber salad we all know. This was definitely what I was looking for. Very healthy and very filling. The addition of egg rounded everything out perfectly. I actually think next time instead of boiling it I may make it runny and let the yolk coat the lettuce along with the dressing. Ohhhhh, now I'm salivating. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

1/2 bunch Kale, rinsed well and spun dry

1/2 fresh bunch spinach or 1/3 bag

1 Leek, cut down the center and rinsed thoroughly

1 bunch thin Asparagus, tough bottoms removed

1/2 bunch Parsley, rinsed and dried

1 cucumber, sliced

1 egg per person

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of water.
2. Rinse leek. Seriously, get in there and rinse out that leek. They are full of dirt in between the layers and dirt salad just is not appetizing.
3. Rinse your asparagus and cut off the tough bottoms. A nice way to know where to cut is to take one asparagus, hold it at both ends and start to bend. Where it breaks is where you should cut.
4. Place you asparagus in the boiling water and boil for around 2-4 minutes. Asparagus should be right on the edge between crisp and tender. They will still be bright green if blanched correctly. Once blanched, run under really cold water to stop the cooking. Dry them and place in a dish to rest. Sprinkle with a little salt.
5. Repeat the process for the split leeks. Submerge them in the boiling water, let them boil for around 2-4 minutes and remove. Run them under cold water to stop the cooking, dry them and then slice them into 1 inch, half moon shaped, slices.
6. Boil your eggs, cool, then peel.
7. Rinse your cucumber. Peel the skin if so desired and slice into thin rounds.
8. Assemble kale, spinach, leeks, asparagus and cucumbers together in a bowl. Tear parsley off stems and add.
9. Add salt and pepper to each individual serving along with one egg. Serve with Lemon Vinaigrette. 

Sweet Onion Vinaigarette

This Sweet Onion vinaigrette doesn't disappoint. It lends a powerful punch of flavor to any dish and is great replacement for store bought salad dressings and marinades. Plus, this is an easy and simple salad dressing that takes no time to whip up.

Ingredients:
3/4 cups Olive Oil
1/2 medium Sweet Onion such as Vidalia
Pinch Salt
Pinch Pepper
1 clove Garlic
1/4 cup Vinegar

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend to the desired consistency.

Lemon Vinaigrette

I had a specific salad concept that I wanted to create and I needed a special dressing to brighten it all up and bring it together. I love the flavor lemon brings and decided to make a lemon vinaigrette for my special salad. I think I succeeded in making a healthy and tasty dressing free from all that junk that comes in the store brands.

Yield: 7 oz


Ingredients:
1/2 cup Light Taste Olive Oil
1/4 cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Fresh Rosemary
1/2 tsp Fresh Thyme
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1 tbsp Whole Grain Mustard
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp Ground Mustard
Pinch Salt
Ground Pepper
1/2 tsp Agave or Natural Sugar

Wisk thoroughly. Adjust any flavors if needed.