Start the year with a healthy salad.
About now everyone is probably thinking “how can I take off those extra pounds I put on over the holidays”. I put on .6 of a lb. xmas week but probably did more damage New Years than that and I will be saying “yikes” how did I gain that much just letting go for a few days. Well, whatever the numbers say, I’ll deal with it because putting those extra pounds on was quite fun and who wants to past up fun times with friends and family.
So, this recipe idea started with a segment on the Today show New Years day with how to make extra meals from a grilled chicken. I changed the recipe so much that I decided to rename it. I swapped the carrot with tomato, added avocado and changed the walnuts to pistachios. I also decided to do a quick pickle on the broccoli stems instead of cooking them and when it was all put together I decided to add a little dried cranberries for color and their recipe morphed into a new recipe.
Don’t you just love eating salads? I do, because I feel like I’m eating healthier than normal and getting lots of extra veggies. This salad went to my bunco group for our first get together in 2018.
Other than eating healthier, what are your New Years resolutions? Mine are to travel more, keep weight off, volunteer more, read more, cook more (if that’s possible), and enjoy the little things that happen in my everyday life. (You can leave comments below in “comment” section at end of blog.) What I won’t be giving up is going to the movies twice a week (sometimes), or my popcorn at the movies.
Happy New Year to everyone and have a healthy, happy 2018.
BLAST FROM THE PAST: My Coconut Banana Puffs are delicious as a snack or a small sweet snack. You can make your own creme fraiche or buy it ready-made.
The pistachio nuts in this recipe were delicious.
Slice the celery on a slant.
Cut cucumber into small pieces.
Put the broccoli stems in the vinegar mixture and let set 10-15 minutes. (If you buy a bunch of broccoli then you will have enough stems without using the florets; I had a bag of broccoli pieces and just used what I had.)
Put the tomatoes, cucumber, celery, kale, cranberries and nuts in a large bowl.
Add in the pickled broccoli.
Add in some of the salsa verde and toss to coat. Then fold in the chicken and avocado.
- 2 c. grilled or roasted chicken, diced 1/2" cubes
- 1 c. broccoli stems, cut in 1/4" dice
- 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
- 1 c. Tuscan kale, chopped coarsely
- 1 tomato, chopped 1/2" dice
- 1 avocado, 1/2" dice
- 1/2 c. pistachios
- 1 c. cucumber, cut into 1/2" pieces
- 1/2 c. dried cranberries or cherries
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 c. herbs (I used rosemary, parsley, oregano and some dill)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced.
- 1/2 c. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
- juice of one lemon
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. water
- 1/2 Tbsp. honey
- Cut the broccoli stems into 1/4" dice. Whisk the apple cider vinegar, water and honey together and pour over the broccoli stems. Toss and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
- You can season your chicken however you want. I used salt and pepper and my Strawberry's BBQ seasoning. You want to save 2-3 c. of the chicken and chop/dice into 1/2" pieces.
- In your salad bowl, mix the chicken, celery, kale, tomato, broccoli stems (no need to drain), pistachios, cucumbers and the dried cranberries. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Whisk all the verde ingredients together and pour enough over the salad to lightly coat. Add in the avocado right before serving.
- Enjoy.
- http://www.strawsbbq.com we use this BBQ seasoning on salmon, and just about everyone we do on the grill or smoker.
No Comments