healthy recipes

Warm Chicken Salad with Peppers, Pears & Toasted Pinenuts

A warm chicken salad makes a wonderful Autumn weekend dish and is a great way to use up leftover roast chicken. This recipe calls for just that, but freshly roasted chicken breasts work just as well.

The combination of warm, salty chicken with crisp refreshing pear, peppery rocket and crunchy pine nuts is a real winner.

Ingredients

Leftover roast chicken, wrapped in foil and re-warmed at 350 (save juices and drippings)

1 bunch of Rocket, washed and torn

2 pears, sliced paper thin

4-6 small sweet peppers, slivered

1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted

2 Tbs. finely chopped rosemary

2 shallots, thinly sliced

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 Tbs. sherry vinegar

1 Tbs. whole grain mustard

1/2 c. olive oil

Method –

Combine chicken, Rocket leaves, peppers, pears and pine nuts in a large bowl.

Place rosemary, lemon juice, sherry vinegar & mustard in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling in olive oil until emulsified. Whisk in roast chicken juices/drippings.
Add dressing to salad and toss until well combined. Serve at once.

Recipe and images courtesy of farmhousedelivery.com

Chopped Autumn Salad

Ingredients
*6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
*2 medium pears, chopped
*1 cup dried cranberries
*1 cup chopped pecans
*8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
*4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
*Poppy seed Salad Dressing
*Balsamic Vinaigrette

On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. (We would estimate that I used about a cup of dressing: 70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette) If you prefer your salad to have more dressing, feel free to experiment with the combination.

Courgette, Feta & Hazel Nut Salad

Courgettes are at their best right now, but many people are unsure how best to use them. This warm hearty salad is healthy, filling and simply delicious.

Use a potato peeler to slice strips of courgette then griddle or quick fry them with a little olive oil. Toss with spinach, salad leaves, hazel nuts and feta.

Drizzle with a little dressing and viola! A perfect healthy lunch or light dinner.

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