Heathy Italian Chopped Salad

One of the easiest ways to save money and eat healthy meals at home is to buy a rotisserie chicken. If you work long hours, but you're tired of eating out all the time, you could easily pick up a rotisserie chicken from a grocery store and use it all week. You could make your own roast chicken at home, of course, but for time sake, rotisserie is the way to go.



One of my favorite salads of all time is an italian chopped salad. Salami has held a special place in my heart ever since I was a kid. Some people are grossed out by it, but I love it.



So I decided to make one at home and try and spruce it up a bit--make it healthier. I used organic baby romaine lettuce and organic spinach, and chopped the greens up. In addition, I made my own vinaigrette with fresh basil, lemon juice, olive oil and red wine vinegar. I used part-skim mozzarella and good quality salami, free of nitrates and chemicals.



The thing with italian chopped salad is that you can pretty much throw in whatever you want, that's what makes it so great. You can obviously omit any of these ingredients and change the salad to your liking. I had to throw in some cheesy garlic bread with mine (Brett's request). But with these simple ingredients, I assure you, this will be one of the best salads you've ever had.




Ingredients: (serves 2)

2 cups chopped organic spinach
3 cups chopped organic baby romaine
1 cup chickpeas (drained)
1/2 cup julienne cut salami
1 cup chopped chicken
5-7 leaves of basil, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded light mozzarella

For the Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
juice of half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon of chopped basil
1 tablespoon fresh parmesan cheese
pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)

In a large bowl mix the greens together. Top with chickpeas, salami, chopped chicken, cheese, tomatoes, and fresh basil. In a small bowl (I prefer mason jar) whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, basil, and parmesan cheese until it emulsifies. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dress salad with vinaigrette right before serving.

White Bean, Tomato, and Avocado Salad

I came up with this recipe on a whim when I was making lunch in a hurry. We had leftover beans from dinner that I wanted to incorporate into a salad, and also the most beautifully green avocado and some ripe cherry tomatoes. So I threw them all in a bowl, added chopped cilantro, chopped jalapeño, lime juice, and cotija cheese...This salad was seriously delicious.



The wonderful thing about this salad is that it can also double as a salsa/appetizer for a party. Put it next to a bowl of tortilla chips and I guarantee it won't last long.



It's like chunky guacamole and chunky salsa had a delicious bean baby. No, that doesn't work at all.

But seriously, this salad/salsa is filling, healthy, and super delicious. And gluten free if you eat it with gluten free tortilla chips!

Ingredients: (makes two salads or one bowl of party salsa)

1 can of canned great northern beans, drained
1 avocado, chopped
2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1/4 cup diced red onion 1/2 a chopped jalapeño, seeded (or more if you like it spicy!)
bunch of cilantro, chopped
juice of a lime
cotija cheese for topping (or you can use feta)
salt and pepper to taste


Toss all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with tortilla chips or on it's own.

Japanese Grilled Chicken Salad

Ingredients: (for marinade)

4 tablespoons gf soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon grated ginger
juice of 1/2 a lime
sriracha to taste (optional)
1 teaspoon chili paste (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 chicken breast tenders
3 cups mixed greens
1 cup chopped raw broccoli
1/2 cup julienne cut carrots
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2 tablespoons roasted shelled sunflower seeds or almonds

For Salad Dressing:
1/4 of above marinade
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a bowl, mix marinade ingredients well (except chicken!). Reserve 1/4 of marinade in a separate bowl and set aside for salad dressing. Add add chicken and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

On medium heat, add chicken to a grill pan coated with olive oil. Grill 3-4 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from grill pan and cover with foil while you make your salad. Toss together greens of choice, chopped broccoli, carrots, scallions, cucumbers, and sunflower seeds.
Mix olive oil and vinegar into reserved (chicken-less) marinade and whisk well.

Serve salad with grilled chicken and dressing.

Kale & Arugula Salad with Roasted Brussels

I came up with the idea for this salad after going to Tender Greens for lunch over the weekend. I really wanted a salad with kale in it, however, they didn't have any at the particular location that I went to, so I settled for an arugula salad with roasted vegetables on top. I decided to come up with my own version this week using the vegetables I had here. I mixed chopped kale, arugula, and roasted brussels sprouts with dried cranberries, toasted almonds, and a lemon-parmesan balsamic dressing. The result was delicious. Next time, I might add some roasted sweet potato or butternut squash for extra flavor. Yeah, that sounds gooood.



This recipe serves two, but you could easily double, or triple it, for a larger group. Or half it, just for yourself

Ingredients:

2 cups packed, chopped kale  (I say packed as to say, 'as much you can fit into a cup as possible')
2 cups packed arugula
8-12 brussels sprouts, chopped in half
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss chopped brussels (face down) in olive oil and roast for roughly 20 minutes, turning over halfway through. Remove brussels from baking sheet and allow to cool. Meanwhile add kale, arugula, almonds, and cranberries to a bowl. Toss roasted veggies on top of salad. Mix salad dressing ingredients together and drizzle on top. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese on top, of course.

Kale and Spinach Salad

This salad is super simple, high in vitamins, and delicious. I usually combine whatever salad ingredients I have on-hand, this salad in particular containing organic kale, organic spinach, thinly sliced red onion, toasted pine nuts, crumbled feta, fresh basil, and organic cherry tomatoes. I made an easy lemon vinaigrette to go with the salad, making sure to allow the kale to sit in the vinaigrette for at least 30 minutes (raw kale can be very tough, and allowing it to marinate tenderizes the kale). This salad would also be very delicious with homemade croutons and/or parmesan cheese.






Ingredients: (per serving)

1 cup chopped kale leaves (washed and dried)
1 cup chopped spinach leaves (washed and dried)
1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1-2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1-2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

 For Vinaigrette:

 Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped basil
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
pinch of granulated garlic (or fresh chopped garlic)

 Add all vinaigrette ingredients and whisk until incorporated. Wash and chop kale leaves and add to a bowl. Add chopped cherry tomatoes and vinaigrette, toss and allow to marinate for 30 minutes. Then add chopped spinach, onions, pine nuts, and feta cheese, toss and add salt and pepper as needed. That's it!

Chili Lime Chicken Salad with Quinoa

I came up with this salad recipe the other night, and to my surprise, my husband loved it. You can add any salad add-ons you like, feta or cotija cheese would be great, though I didn't have any on hand when I made the salad. I marinated the chicken only for about five hours, though I think overnight would be even better.



Serves 2

Ingredients:

4-5 pieces of chicken breast tenders (or you could opt out and just use quinoa as a protein)
2 cups spinach, chopped
2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 of an avocado
1 cup cooked quinoa

Marinade:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp  cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 clove of finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
a sqeeze of sriracha or a dash of cayenne (or both!)

Balsamic Dressing Ingredients: (or you could use a spicy creamy dressing)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 a lime, juiced
dash of cayenne
1/4 tsp cumin
1 cloved finely chopped garlic
chopped cilantro (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Five hours ahead of time (or up to 24 hours), place the marinade ingredients in a ziplock with the chicken and set in fridge. Now for the dressing: add all balsamic dressing ingredients to a mason jar or small bowl and whisk, refrigerate until later. Once the chicken has marinated, sautee in a skillet on medium high heat about 2-3 minutes on each side, and only turning once. The marinade will start to brown, which will create great flavor on the chicken, but you don't want it to burn.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove from heat and let it sit for 5-10 min. Meanwhile, add the spinach, romaine, tomatoes, onion, sliced avocado, quinoa, and any other ingredients you wish to a bowl. Chop up chicken and add to salad, and serve with the dressing.