Super Salad With Crunch

It's been real hot out lately, so we've been making a lot of salads. :)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds, skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
•  salt
• 1/2 cup lime juice (about 12 key limes or 4 regular limes)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 small head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced (6 cups)
• 1/2 small red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (4 cups)
• 1 jicama (1 pound), peeled and cut into matchstick-thin strips (4 cups)
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium red pepper, chopped
• 4 ounces white cheddar cheese, cut into1/2-inch cubes (optional)

Directions:
Heat pan over medium heat until hot. sprinkle chicken with 1/2 tsp salt. grill chicken 12 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with knife, turning over once. Transfer chicken to cutting board; cool slightly.

Prepare vinaigrette: in a bowl, with wire whisk, mix lime juice, oil, honey, and 1 tsp of salt. Cut chicken into 1/2 inch pieces; place in large bowl with remaining ingredients and vinaigrette; toss to combine. serve immediately.

Reactions:
Jicama is a new favorite veggie in this family. We loved the salad, and it is so refreshing on a hot, muggy, Texas day.

Dijonic Tortispinach Salad

Ok, so...

take this 

 plus this

And you get... oh. We ate it too fast to get a picture. :) But trust me, it's yummy. And we have invented a new, yummy salad that I call Dijonic Tortispinach Salad. It is part Dijon, part Balsamic Vinaigrette, part spinach salad, and part tortellini salad.

Ingredients:

Salad:

• 1 (20-ounce) package cheese tortellini, cooked according to directions, strained, and lightly oiled (so it doesn't stick)
• 1 lb skinned and boned chicken breasts, grilled and chopped small
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 cups firmly packed fresh spinach, chopped
• 1/2  cup yellow bell pepper, diced
• 6 oz feta, crumbled
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces

Dressing:

• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic - minced
• 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Honey Dijon mustard (we use Boar's Head)
• 2 Tbsp Citrus Vinaigrette (Maple Grove Farms of Vermont is a great brand)
• Pepper to taste

Directions:
Dump all of the salad ingredients into a large bowl. In a separate, small bowl, mix all of the dressing ingredients, whisk, and let set for about 15 minutes. Then whisk again and pour over the salad ingredients. Toss well to coat. Eat and die from the bliss of this strange concoction!

Reactions:

• Daddy - this stuff is awesome. Hard to eat, but awesome!
• Mommy - wow, I love the sweet, tart, bold flavors of the salad
• Briaunna - eh, I like everything separate, but together it is confusing. Maybe I'll like it when I'm "more mature"... (mom replies, "you mean when your older", I reply, "take off the 'er' and your right")).
• Kairi - I don't like it. Well, I like the tortellini and chicken, and I like the pecans and cranberries... but I don't like the spinach (surprise suprise)
• Charis - yum! Can I have more?
• Jocelyn - I'm full. I ate a bite and I'm full.
• Xander - it sticks in my mouth! I want to take a nap.