Kevin and I just returned back from our honeymoon in Italy. We spent a wonderful week indulging in our share of pizza, pasta, gelato, and cappuccino while soaking in all of the historical sites in the cities we visited during our trip. Read more about our adventures exploring the culture, history, and food of Rome, Venice, Pisa, and Florence here. With all of the delicious carb heavy meals we’ve been indulging in, we didn’t eat as many vegetables as we would like. In an attempt to pack more vegetables into our diets, we purchased some fruits during the first day of our trip and ordered a side salad with our meals wherever we can. The blood oranges we purchased at Eataly were especially sweet and juicy and lasted us for the first few days of our trip. For our meals, we tried to order a salad as a side dish with our lunch or dinner. If there were entrées with vegetables, we would order those. Otherwise, we would ask for a side salad or pizza topped with fresh vegetables. Each time we ordered a salad at a restaurant in Italy, the waiter or waitress would bring us a bottle of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and jar of salt to serve alongside our salad. I’ve tossed all of my salads (and dipped some of my breads) into the simple olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing at almost every meal. The sweet and acidic vinegar worked well with the smooth and mild flavored olive oil. Adding a pinch of salt into the dressing brought a savory element to the dressing. After a week of mostly carb heavy meals, I was especially craving a salad once we got back to Ohio. Today, I made a salad filled with lightly toasted almonds, cooked and cubed chicken, freshly sliced strawberries, freshly quartered rainbow tomatoes, raisins, and Gorgonzola cheese served over a bed of red and green lettuce, arugula, and spinach. The salad worked very well paired with a simple balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing on the side. I tend to opt for a salad when I want a quick, fresh lunch or dinner packed with fruits and vegetables. My favorite part of this salad was the different flavors and textures of the ingredients within the salad. Kevin and I were so hungry by lunch time, we devoured the salad within a few minutes. Paired with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing, the salad was delightfully complete and made for a refreshing and filling lunch.
For the salad:
· 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
· 2 chicken breasts, cut horizontally in half
· 2 cups red lettuce, green lettuce, spinach, and arugula blend
· 5 strawberries, thinly sliced
· 2 tablespoons raisins
· 6-8 red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
· 1 tablespoon chopped almonds, lightly toasted
· 2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
For dressing the salad:
· olive oil (about ½ tablespoon)
· balsamic vinegar (about ½ tablespoon)
· kosher salt (optional)
Directions:
1) Heat a grill pan on medium heat. Once hot, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken breasts on the grill pan for 2-3 minutes on each side until the chicken is cooked through. Let the chicken breasts rest for 5 minutes before cutting into cubes.
2) In a large bowl, toss together the red lettuce, green lettuce, spinach, arugula, strawberries, raisins, tomatoes, almonds, and Gorgonzola cheese. Add the cooked and cubed chicken to the salad.
3) To serve, drizzle an equal amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar onto the salad.
Takeaways: Salads are extremely versatile. You can swap in any fruit and protein of your choice. Some of my favorite salad combinations include Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing, Berry Chicken Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing, Cobb Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing, and Garden Cobb Salad. Feel free to omit and swap any fruits, nuts, and cheeses of your choice.