This salad has my name written all over it. For lunch, my favorite thing to eat is a big salad with layers of different textures and flavors. I love to incorporate several elements of “crunch” to my salad to make it more enticing. With every bite, comes a different flavor on your tongue. I love that I can never get bored with each bite I take. There’s always something new!
I got some fresh and juicy pears today at the store and just had to use them in something. This salad with the perfect thing to toss them in. The salad has an equal amount of sweet to salty elements. The two even each other out perfectly with the peppery greens tossed between. My idea of “making a salad” is seeing what I have in my fridge and making it all work together somehow. I really don’t think there is any way to mess up a salad. Just keep adding things till it looks good and make sure to have a good dressing to tie it all together. I just so happen to have a lot of vegetables and chicken in my fridge today. I also had some cauliflower that was laying there begging to be used. Who says you can’t throw cauliflower in a salad? I think it adds so much to the overall construction of the meal.
I think this is such a great salad to meal prep for yourself. This recipe is good for 3 lunch portion salads. In order to pack it, I would separate a lot of it into separate containers.
Container #1 (big container)
Spring mix
Micro greens
Bell peppers
Scallions
Red onion
Toasted almonds
Golden raisins
Container #2 (small)
Cooked chicken
Cooked cauliflower
Container #3 (small)
Goat cheese
Container #4
Honey lemon vinaigrette
It’s as easy as that! Then you can have a fresh salad at work, school or wherever you are at lunch time. No need to go out and buy a lunch. This works just fine! Whether it’s lunch or dinner at home or on the go, this is a healthy flavorful option that you’re going to absolutely love.
WARM CHICKEN + CAULIFLOWER SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE CRUMBLES + TOSSED IN A SWEET HONEY LEMON VINAIGRETTE
Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Serves: 3 lunch portions
INGREDIENTS:
SWEET LEMON VINAIGRETTE:
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp veggie oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 lemon, juice of
1/4 tsp kosher salt
SALAD:
3 heaping handfuls spring mix greens
1/4 cup American micro greens
2 tbsp red onion, sliced paper thing
1/2 pear, sliced paper thin
1/4 cup goat cheese
1/4 cup red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 cup cauliflower, cup into small florets
1/4 slivered almonds, roasted
2 tbsp golden raisins
1 scallion, sliced very thin
1 chicken breast
Seasoning salt
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Toss cauliflower with about 1.5 tbsp olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, until tender but still crunchy. Set aside once done cooking.
Slice chicken breast in half lengthwise and remove any fat attached. Season both sides of each half with your choice seasoning salt (about 1.5 tsp) (I used Trader Joe’s seasoning salt).
Note: you can also use a store bought rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your own chicken. Will work great as a substitution.
In a large skillet add 2 tbsp olive oil and set to medium heat. Add chicken breast halves and cook for about 4-6 minutes a side till cooked through. Use a cooking thermometer to gage its temperature if you are unsure. Should register 160 degrees. Slice chicken into strips and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine spring mix, micro greens, red onion, scallions, toasted almonds, bell pepper, pear, raisins, sliced chicken, cauliflower and goat cheese. Add in vinaigrette and toss together well.
Serve immediately.