OhYaGood

Whole Food Lover + Recipe Hacker

Green Salad with Chicken and Mustard Vinaigrette

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Chicken Field Green Salad with Mustard VinaigretteIt’s been too long since I’ve posted anything green. The holidays kind of got the best of me and to be honest, I’ve been in a bit of a funk ever since. I was certain all this uber clean eating and less alcohol would take care of it but I think this deep freeze is to blame. The next few days are supposed to be better (like 15 degrees instead of -15 degrees for all you non-northerners). Hopefully a little child’s play like sledding or skating will take care of these blahs. That and finishing up the maddening documentary, Making a Murder. I go to bed pissed off almost every night we watch it. When does New Girl start? Ok, I’ll stop my whining now.

I’ve been hesitant to post salad recipes because they are a no brainer in my world. I make them often so I’ve had a lot of practice however, I’ve been told to keep giving ideas. If you want to substitute things like pears for the beets or pecans for the pistachios, that would also make a lovely combination. Remember the formula, something sweet or tangy, something salty, something crunchy and of course, the greens.

Chicken Field Green Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
 
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Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • SALAD
  • 3½ cups field greens or green mix of any variety
  • 1 cooked chicken thigh or small breast, sliced
  • 1 large already cooked beet, diced (jarred or steamed work too)
  • ¼ cup shelled pistachios, salted
  • VINAIGRETTE
  • 1 Tablespoon oil of choice, I used Pistachio
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, I used stone ground
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
  1. Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together
  2. Toss salad ingredients together with vinaigrette

 

Wilted Spinach Salad

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Wilted_Spinach_SaladAnyone else wishing for snow to cover all the grayness? I’m fighting the lack of sunlight and brown, dead ground with some green-action in the kitchen. Seriously, I bought poundssss of spinach this week. It’s a miracle cure.

I had never eaten a wilted spinach salad till working at an italian restaurant in my early 20s. I was instantly in love. While back in Iowa over Thanksgiving, my Mom served almost the exact same salad I remember from the restaurant so I asked her to share her recipe so I could dissect it and of course, make it my own. It’s really the perfect salad during these cold-ish December days.

Wilted Spinach Salad
 
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Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: American
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
  • 4 slices of thick bacon
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • ⅓ cup champagne or white wine vineagar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons mayo
  • 6-7 cups spinach
  • ½ pine nuts (optional)
Instructions
  1. Render bacon until cooked to your liking (I prefer the oven for 10 minutes at 400ªF on a foil lined baking sheet)
  2. Use one tablespoon of the bacon grease to oil a frying pan and set to medium heat
  3. Sauté onions until softened, about 10 minutes
  4. Add vinegar and honey and bring to a simmer
  5. Add bacon, cut into small strips
  6. Add mustard and stir until dissolved
  7. Remove from heat and add mayo, stir until dissolved
  8. Drizzle the mixture over 2 cups of spinach for each serving and garnish with pine nuts

 

Chicken Sausage Salad

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chicken_sausage_saladI’m usually the person that brings a salad to pot luck functions because so many salads have cheese on them which means I’m S.O.L. There’s a basic equation when thinking about a salad I heard years ago that I try to follow.

1) Start with your base green or filler

2) Add some protein

3) Add something salty or crunchy

4) Finish with something sweet or tangy

This delicious tangy salad follows that equation and it’s super easy to put together. Aidell’s Chicken Sausage makes it extra easy because it’s already cooked. All you have to do is heat it up.

Chicken Sausage Salad
 
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Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 2 chicken apple sausages
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 2 granny smith apples, diced
  • ¼ cup red onion, diced
  • ½ cup walnut pieces
  • 1 T hemp seeds
  • 1 T olive oil
  • ½ T apple cider vinegar
Instructions
  1. Cook sausages per package instructions, I prefer to pan fry or grill.
  2. Slice the sausages.
  3. Toss with the spinach, apples, onion and walnuts.
  4. Dress with olive oil and vinegar.
  5. Garnish with hemp seeds.

 

Green Chicken Salad

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Green_Chicken_Salad

Some people hate leftovers. I am not one of those people. I LOVE leftovers. Mostly because clean up is minimal and I’m lazy. The ultimate leftover in our house has always been rotisserie chicken. There’s so much you can do with already cooked chicken but my favorite is chicken salad. I’ve made it numerous ways but this is one is super easy and delicious with ingredients I usually have stocked. I used cucumbers as a vehicle but you can use bread, lettuce, whatever your hearts desire (or stomachs can handle.)

If you’re doing whole30 or eating paleo, you can omit the mayo for just oil and vinegar or make your own paleo mayo. It took me a few attempts to make it but I did get it to work. Not as satisfying as I’d hoped.

Green Chicken Salad
 
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Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
  • ¼ leftover rotisserie chicken, picked apart
  • ⅛ cup mayo
  • ½ avocado, diced
  • ¼ cup slivered almonds
  • ½ cup green grapes, sliced
  • 2 green onions, sliced
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix.

 

Carribean Cabbage Salad

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CarribeanCabbageSalad

Sometimes you just want to eat like you’re on an island somewhere. At least us Minnesotans do. As much as I don’t like to admit it, food gives me so much comfort. Probably something I need to deal with down the road but for now, I’m going to just enjoy these delicious flavors and pretend it’s not going to be cold soon. Denial? Maybe but I like to think of it as manifestation?

The key to this salad is fresh ingredients. Except for the Trader Joes frozen mango. That is purely for convenience and because I’m terrible at peeling and cutting up slippery mangos. I’ve also used pineapple in place of mango in the past.

Carribean Cabbage Salad
 
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Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: Caribean
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • Cooked Shrimp (6-12)
  • ¼ medium red cabbage, thinly sliced
  • Juice one lime and grated zest
  • One avocado, diced
  • ¼ cup diced mango (I love Trader Joes frozen mango)
  • half a yellow pepper, julienned
  • a handful of fresh cilantro
  • ¼ cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon full fat coconut milk
Instructions
  1. Cook shrimp in a sauté pan with oil of your choice or grill it.
  2. Add cabbage and onion to bowl and dress with lime juice. While that's marinating, cut up remaining vegetables, fruit and nuts.
  3. Add to the bowl.
  4. Whisk white wine vinegar, coconut milk and zest. Dress the salad.
  5. Salt and pepper and extra lime juice to your liking.