Roasted Chicken Salad

Chicken salad is a great weekend meal.  It doesn't use a ton of oven heat and since it needs to sit in the fridge for the flavors to come together it's the perfect thing to make when it's hot outside.

Roasted Chicken Salad:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon season salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

1 carrot, shredded or chopped
1-2 stalks of celery, chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup dried cranberries


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the chicken breast with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.  Drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken and roast until cooked through, about 20 minutes.


When the chicken is cooked allow it to cool then cube it.  Mix the cooled chicken with the Greek yogurt, carrot, celery, dried cranberries, and salt and pepper to taste.

Moroccan Chickpea Salad

I recently started getting Clean Eating Magazine in the mail.  It's full of fantastic recipes and so far I've enjoyed everything that I've tried.  It's forcing me to get outside of the box with my eating, while being healthier at the same time.


I've never been a huge fan of whole chick peas.  I know that they're good for you but the texture throws me a little.  This salad made me think about changing my mind.

Moroccan Chickpea Salad:
(Clean Eating Magazine, March 2011)
Serves 6          

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoon sea salt and ground pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
3 cups BPA-free canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
¼ cup of chopped cilantro and chopped mint
1/3 cup crumbled low-fat feta cheese

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, carrot, onion, tomatoes, red pepper, cilantro, mint, and feta cheese. 

          

Pour lemon juice dressing over chickpea mixture and toss to combine.  Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.                                                                                                                                                    

Chicken Salad

You can only left over chicken breast for so long without needing to change it up some.  One of the easiest ways to do that is to make chicken salad. 

Chicken Salad:

2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
2 carrots, shredded
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste.  It's good as a sandwich or right out of the bowl.

Weight Watcher's Tabbouleh

I never tried tabbouleh when I worked at the vegetarian cafe in college.  I don't know why, it was a really popular item on the menu.  I found this version when I was poking around one of my cookbooks.  I've enjoyed eating it this summer because it's filling without making me feel gross in the summer heat.

Tabbouleh:
(Weight Watchers- 2 points per serving)

1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup Bulgur
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
3 scallions (green parts only), sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
In a medium saucepan, bring the lemon juice and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil.  Stir in the bulgur, oil, salt, and pepper.  Remove from hear; cover and let stand until the water is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, parsley, onion, scallions, and garlic.  Add the bulgur; toss to combine.   Refrigerate, covered for at least 3 hours.

I love this dish because it's easy to make and it will keep a couple of days in an air tight container.  It's perfect for Labor Day picnics too.  :)

Confetti Corn Salad

Before Mr. T and I got married we had a bridal shower (I guess I should say I had a bridal shower, I think he went out with some friends and got wings).  One of the gifts I got was a cook book from my cousin Kristi.  She got it from the Junior League of Pensacola.  It's full of amazing recipes and invitation ideas for about a dozen different party themes.  I recommend it to anyone looking to add to their cookbook collection.

Spanish Confetti Corn Toss:
(adapted from: Invitation Only:Artful Entertaining Southern Style)

2 (16-ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ cup chopped purple onion
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin


Combine the corn, beans, tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro in a large bowl and mix gently. Combine the vegetable oil, lime juice, chili powder, and cumin in a small bowl and mix well. Add to the vegetable mixture and mix gently. Chill, covered, for 3 hours or longer. Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs and tortilla chips.

In the summer I think it would be nice to use fresh corn.  It just depends on what time of year it is and what you have available where you live.

Bacon-Ranch Potato Salad

Confession: I'm not the biggest fan of cold potato salad.  I think i'm the only person in the south that feels that way.  I'm learning to love it.  My family on the other hand loves it.  I decided to compromise.  I'd make a potato salad for them and add bacon and ranch for me.

Bacon- Ranch Potato Salad:

Ingredients:

2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed
1 (12 ounce) package sliced bacon
1 ½ cups sour cream
½ cup + 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 bunch green onions, chopped
¼ red onion, minced
1 pinch Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons ranch salad dressing

Directions:

Place the potatoes into a large pot and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tender enough to pierce with a fork. Drain, cool enough to handle, and cut into cubes.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve bacon grease.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, green onions, red onion, Italian seasoning and ranch dressing. Crumble the bacon into the bowl and pour half of the reserved bacon grease over all.  Stir gently until everything is evenly distributed.

Refrigerate over night for the best flavor.

For reals... this is amazing.  I love it and I have spread the bacon-ranch potato salad love to my friends and family.   :)