Barbecue Chicken Salad

I love when I can meld two flavors into a whole new culinary creation. In making this salad, I took my love of salad and my husband's love of barbecue chicken and came up with one of the best salads I have made in a long time. I also was intrigued by what to use as the base for the dressing, so I used the barbecue sauce that the chicken cooked in for the base of the dressing. I wish I could have posted a picture but my husband ate it before I could snap a picture of it. We both loved it so much there weren't any leftovers. I guess I will have to make this one again. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did.

Barbecue Chicken Salad
Suppose to serve 4

Barbecue Chicken

2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 bottle Stubbs Barbecue sauce or barbecue sauce of choice (I use Stubb's because it is gluten free and does not have high fructose corn syrup in it)

Place both in a 4-qt crock pot. Cook on LOW for 8 hours. When chicken is done cooking, remove chicken from sauce and shred.

Salad

1 large bunch lettuce (Romaine, green leaf, or red leaf), chopped
1 bunch baby bok choy, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Mix together in large salad bowl.

Barbecue Dressing

1/2 cup heated barbecue sauce from crock pot
2 T lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon tarragon
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Whirl in blender or food processor until smooth.

To plate: Divide salad mixture on four plates. Sprinkle evenly with shredded chicken. Pour on Barbecue Dressing. (If you want leftovers you may want to make a double batch of this.)

Enjoy!!

Grilled Steak Salad

I must admit, I have been making and eating a lot of vegetarian dishes. My husband always goes along with me, tastes things for me, and does not complain about eating the vegetarian way. Yesterday I got the notion that he wanted some red meat. We were in the grocery store, and he was looking at some small organic steaks. He even asked me if I could work the two steaks into our weekly menu. So I did, and here is what we had for dinner tonight.


Grilled Steak Salad
Makes 2 servings

In large salad bowl mix:

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 large red pepper, thinly sliced

Grilled Steak

2 small steaks (I used small skirt steaks, anything without a bone will work)
Mrs Dash salt free seasoning (Garlic and Herb flavor)

Sprinkle both sides of steaks with Mrs. Dash and grill to desired doneness. Remembering the food safety rules for rare meat.

When steak is done, slice thin keeping steak intact.

It's About Thyme Vinaigrette

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
1 T chopped fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T water
2 T lemon juice
6 T extra virgin olive oil

Whirl together in food processor until smooth.

To plate: Place salad mixture on plate, top with sliced steak, and drizzle on two to three Tablespoons dressing across steak lengthwise. Enjoy!!

Let me know your thoughts on this one!!

Vegetarian Bok Choy Cobb Salad

It has been a long time since I posted a recipe or cooked for that matter. I have had my nose in my textbooks studying and working on final papers for this current set of classes. Hopefully my grade point average will stay put to make it to the Dean's List. Now that I am done with homework for 10 days I thought I would continue to post some of my salad ideas, pictures will come as soon as I make them. I have had so many ideas for salads running through my mind that even when I am asleep I have to get up and write them down.

I use to make Cobb Salad all the time, with so much meat, cheese and processed meat, too. Last night I was in the mood for a Cobb Salad but not in the mood for all the fat, I thought I would tweak my original version into a healthy nutritious one that even my husband would like. Then it happened as we were eating the salad, my husband asked where did the Cobb Salad come from. So I did some research into the origins of the Cobb Salad, and here is what I found out.

The Cobb Salad was named after its inventor Bob Cobb, who owned the Brown Derby Restaurant in California in 1937. Apparently he was hungry late at night and made a salad with the things he pulled out of the refrigerator at his restaurant. Check out the complete history and the original recipe for the Cobb Salad at http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/CobbSalad.htm

This vegetarian version of the Cobb Salad is just as good, and better for you than the original. I skimped a bit on the oil in my vinaigrette since I was not about to use a cup of oil. According to my husband, who is my official taste tester, the Strawberry Vinaigrette gives the salad a light airy feel. I hope you all like it too.



Vegetarian Bok Choy Cobb Salad
Serves 4

1 bunch baby Bok Choy, sliced
1 head read leaf lettuce, chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup fresh corn
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

Mix together in a salad bowl. Set aside.

Strawberry Vinaigrette

In a food processor combine:

4 large strawberries, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T. fresh lime juice
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dill
1/4 teaspoon tarragon
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 T. extra virgin olive oil

Whirl together until smooth and creamy. Pour over salad, toss and enjoy!