Sriracha Lime Tropical Chicken Salad

The weather outside is no longer *quite* as frightful!  It's been gradually warming up and although it might not stay this way, we've been lucky enough to have a couple 60-70 degree days lately.  You can tell people are just happier.  The parks are busy, the grills are fired up, people are actually getting up off the couch to do things outside...and it's fantastic.  I'm pretty sure I'm actually meant to live somewhere with year-long average temp of 70 degrees because I can't get enough of it. 

With the warmer weather comes a new array of meals that I have been trying that are conducive to wanting to stay outside as long as possible and not spend hours in the kitchen over a hot stove or oven.  Grill...grill....grill....that's all I would need to do be perfectly happy with cooking this summer.  But regardless of weather, this meal is delicious if you want to cook inside or outside and very simple to prepare.  It's refreshing, a little spicy, and full of nutrients - what more could you ask for? :)

 What are some of your favorite spring & summertime meals? 

Sriracha Lime Tropical Chicken Salad

Serves 2-4

For the chicken:

2 chicken breasts

3 tbsp. sriracha

1 lime, juiced

1/4 tsp sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the salad:

4 cups spring mix lettuce (or romaine, chopped)

8 pineapple slices, using pineapple corer (if you have one)

1 cup Roma tomatoes, chopped

1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped or sliced

1 avocado, cubed

Lime Vinaigrette Dressing:

1/3 cup light olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 limes, juiced

2 tsp honey

Dash of sea salt

Directions:

Pound chicken breasts to about ½ inch thickness.  Season chicken breast with salt and pepper.  In a shallow dish for the marinade, combine srirarcha and lime.  Add chicken and let it marinade in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or more. 

Once marinated, add chicken to pre-heated grill if the weather permits, or cast iron or grilling pan (if indoors).  Grill about 4-5 minutes per side, or until internal temperature reaches 165F. 

Cut pineapple into rings using pineapple corer (if you have one) and add to grill or pan & grill for 3-4 minutes on each side.

While chicken & pineapple is grilling, prepare lettuce, chop avocado, tomato, and red onion and add to serving dish or individual plates.

Whisk together dressing, taste, and adjust seasoning as desired and place in fridge until ready to use.

Once chicken is done cooking, assemble the salad, toss with dressing and enjoy!  Feel free to play around with different vegetables and fruit with the salad - I think this would easily go well with anything! 

Chicken Shawarma with Israeli Salad

I've been branching out in the kitchen with different recipes these days.  From fragrant curries, to slow cooker soups, grilled meats, unique homemade pizzas, and more.  It has been fun to try new things and change up my weekly menu instead of sticking to the "usual" dishes.  I have found that with a little prep the day or night before - I can actually look forward to coming home from work and making dinner because I know the meal is already half-prepped and all I have to do is bake it, or scoop it out of the crock pot.  

With this meal, you can mix all the ingredients up the night before, marinate the chicken - and then simply grill/bake it the next day.  You can even make the salad ahead if you want to, but I found it easy enough to chop up while the chicken was in the oven and that way everything is fresh and ready at the same time. 

Have you been trying any new recipes lately?  Feel free to share!  

Chicken Shawarma with Israeli Salad

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken thighs (Boneless, skinless or bone in, skin on - which is what I used)

2 T ground cumin
2 T ground coriander
6 cloves minced garlic cloves
2 tsp kosher salt
6 T olive oil
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp allspice

Instructions:
Place all in a bowl and mix. Make a paste. Rub chicken on all sides with the marinade and let sit 20 minutes (or up to 24 hours refrigerated).

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Heat a cast iron skillet on high heat and grill chicken on each side for 3-5 minutes until skin is browned.  Finish the chicken in the preheated oven until cooked through – about 35 minutes, checking and flipping after 15 minutes.  Broil on high for 5 minutes to make the skin crispy if desired.  Make sure the chicken reaches a safe temperature of 165 F before serving. 

Enjoy the chicken over Israeli salad, or with rice and veggies.

Israeli Salad 

Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes
1 cucumber (seeds removed or use an English cucumber)
1/2 medium red onion
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
½ C herbs (I used a blend of fresh basil, mint & cilantro)
Zest of one lemon
Lemon juice (about ½ a lemon)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Chop the first 6 ingredients into a very small fine dice. Place in a large bowl and toss with the lemon zest, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper. Serve with Grilled Chicken Shawarma.

Recipes Adapted from Feasting at Home

Lemon Orzo & Asparagus Salad with Spinach & Feta

This tasty salad puts a unique spin on a typical pasta salad and is packed full of nutrients and flavor. It's also quick & easy and is delicious either hot or cold.  What more could you ask for?  Well, more of it..that's what.

 If you're looking for a great side dish to a summer meal or potluck - I recommend this! 

Lemon Orzo & Asparagus Salad with Spinach and Feta

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 cup orzo

½ tsp. salt for boiling water
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
8-10 asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup packed fresh spinach
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/3 cup feta cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add the salt. Stir in orzo. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain orzo and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, sauté garlic in olive oil. Add in asparagus pieces. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. Stir in spinach. Cook until asparagus is tender and the spinach shrinks down.

Put the orzo in a medium bowl and add in the vegetables. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the orzo and vegetables. Stir. Season with salt and pepper. Taste-add more lemon juice if you wish.

Sprinkle feta cheese over the top of the salad. Serve warm or cold! 

Recipe adapted from Two Peas and their Pod 

BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch Spinach Salad with Avocado

Sometimes simple combinations lead to the most delicious creations.  I know you probably don't even need me to post a recipe like this because anyone could easily whip this up.  However, maybe this will serve as inspiration for an easy weeknight meal or remind you that salads really can be delicious!  Considering this salad would probably easily sell for about $10 in a restaurant, it's also good to know that you can create better-than-restaurant quality salads at home for a fraction of the cost!

P.S. Please excuse the low quality photo - I just snapped it quick with my phone before devouring the salad!

BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch Spinach Salad 

Makes about 3-4 servings

Ingredients: 

1-2 Chicken breasts, thinly sliced or cut in small chunks

1 tbs light olive oil

1 bag of spinach 

2-3 mushrooms, sliced

1/2 small onion, sliced

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 avocado, sliced and cubed

3-4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

2-3 TBS BBQ sauce

Salt & Pepper 

Ranch dressing

Heat medium sized skillet on stove until hot and add oil.  When oil is hot, add pieces of chicken to pan and cook for about 4 minutes on each side until no longer pink.  Remove from stove.  Meanwhile cook bacon (I usually do this on a plate with paper towel in the microwave but you can either cook it on the stove or in the oven).  When chicken is cooked, remove from pan and place into small bowl.  Mix with BBQ sauce and add salt & pepper to taste.  Mix all salad ingredients together in large bowl or portion into smaller bowls depending on how many people you are serving.  Add BBQ chicken pieces and top with ranch dressing.  

Spicy Thai Chicken Salad

Sometimes I just want to shout from the rooftops when I have a super delicious meal.  

This is one of those. 

This dressing has just the right amount of sweet & spicy which will keep you wanting more...

Let's just say I was sad when we ate this all up.  Sad but happy.  Happy I could experience something so tasty.  This is definitely going in the "keepers" file.  

So I guess what I'm trying to say is...I liked this salad.  You should make it.  As soon as possible...

Spicy Thai Chicken Salad 

Serves 4 (or 2 hungry people)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Dressing & Marinade

1 cup Mae Ploy (sweet chili sauce)

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup canned coconut milk (light)

6 tablespoons brown sugar

4 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced

2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

1 ½ tsp. ground ginger

2 limes, juiced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then place in the baking dish.

Combine chili sauce, vinegar, coconut milk, sugar, garlic, ginger, peanut butter, soy sauce and lime juice in a saucepan, whisking to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and pour about half (I would actually recommend only using about ¼ of it because it is SO good as a dressing and you may want leftovers!) of the sauce over the chicken, turning chicken to coat completely. Set remaining sauce aside to dress the salad with.

Bake chicken for 25-30 minutes, or until it is cooked through.

Salad

10 oz. (1 bag or 1 small) shredded red cabbage

5 oz. (1 bag) of spring mix lettuce

2 green onions, sliced

1 large cucumber, peeled, sliced and quartered

2/3 cup chopped or sliced carrots

2/3 cup broccoli

2/3 cup chopped peanuts

While chicken is cooking, combine all salad ingredients, except for peanuts, in a large bowl and toss. When chicken has finished cooking, let it cool for a few minutes and then shred or cut into chunks. Top salad with chicken, top with peanuts, then top with dressing.  If you aren’t going to eat the entire salad in one sitting, I recommend keeping the veggies separate from the peanuts and dressing and assembling together right before eating.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from how sweet it is 

Berry & Bacon Walnut Salad - and a giveaway!

Courtesy of their Blogger Outreach Program, OXO sent me a free "Good Grips" green salad spinner and also sent me an extra one to giveaway to one lucky reader!  Thank you OXO :)

 This is what OXO has to say about their new salad spinner:  

For fun and easy salad preparation, try the OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner, now available in green. Simply press the soft, non-slip knob to start the basket spinning. Easy, one-handed operation makes this Spinner a pleasure to use, and a built-in brake stops the Salad Spinner so you can unload it. A non-slip ring keeps the bowl steady on the countertop, and the basket and bowl can be used separately.

There are multiple ways to win!  Make sure to check them out below:

1) Leave a comment on this blog about your favorite thing about spring (or any nice comment will do!)

2) Like my Facebook page (if you haven't already) and leave a comment on the Facebook page!

3) Follow me on twitter (yes, I caved and created a twitter account…my handle is @maedeforyou)

4) Post about this giveaway and recipe on your blog or Facebook page and link it back to me!

You will be entered once for each method you choose!  Winners will be selected randomly (using a lifeless random number generator) and announced on Friday, April 6^th, 2012.  I will ship the salad spinner to the winner for free within the U.S.

Good luck!  

Berry & Bacon Walnut Salad

Ingredients:

Spring mix lettuce

Sliced strawberries (1/2 pint) 

2 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)

1/4 cup walnuts (toasted if desired)

Freshly shredded Parmesan for topping

Raspberry Walnut dressing for topping 

Directions:

Wash and dry lettuce using OXO Salad Spinner.  Toss all ingredients together in large bowl and serve.  Enjoy!

Ginger Sesame Salad

This salad is simple.  From the ingredients all the way to the dressing.  As part of the the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program I received free Marzetti Simply Dressed salad dressing! Thank you Foodbuzz!  When I went to the store to pick out the dressing with my free coupon, I had a really tough time picking just one!  I will definitely go back to try other kinds.  For this recipe I chose the Ginger Sesame all natural vinaigrette.  Marzetti Simply Dressed uses only all natural ingredients and no preservatives, so it's a healthy addition to an already healthy salad.  You can find it in the produce section of your local grocery store.

For each single serving salad: 

Grape Tomatoes (4 whole) 

One small mushroom, sliced 

White onion, chopped (about 1 tsp) 

Green pepper (4 large slices chopped into smaller pieces if desired) 

Mozzarella cheese 

Ground ginger (sprinkled on top if desired)  

Dressing:  Marzetti Ginger Sesame