Sunday, August 16, 2009

CHICKEN FLORENTINE SALAD

Here's a delicious salad recipe that was given to me by a good friend that we visited in Colorado. (I'm going to have to hit her up for some more recipes; everything she makes is scrumptious!)It's great as a summery main dish; or try it without the chicken as a vegetarian entree or side dish.

4 main dish servings

Vinaigrette:
2 tbls. lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbls. finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tsp. chicken base*
salt and pepper to taste

Salad:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled & thinly sliced,
approximately 12 oz. (You can purchased pre-grilled chicken;
see "helpful products" post)
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup black olives, sliced
3 tbls. capers, rinsed & drained
8 oz. spinach (approx 1 bag), very thinly sliced
1 cup purple cabbage, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup orzo** (measured uncooked), cooked, drained & chilled

Directions:
Mix all vinaigrette ingredients; whisk thoroughly.
Toast pine nuts in dry skillet. Combine all salad ingredients in large bowl. Pour about half of the vinaigrette over the salad & toss. Garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper. Pass remaining vinaigrette at table, as desired.

*Chicken base is like bouillon granules but in a paste form; find it by the bouillon in the grocery store. You can use granules, but you will need to dissolve them in a bit of water first in order to blend into the vinaigrette.
** For added flavor, add 1 tsp. chicken base to orzo while cooking. After cooking, drain, but do not rinse. Chill, stirring occasionally to prevent pasta from sticking.

Cal: Approx 450 per serving