Hi kids! How's about a nice summer salad?
Hello, fellow geeks! I know many of you--I'm Steven, and used to RP with several members of this board back in the day. And while I've watched this community for a while, I never actually got around to joining until now. So, since I finally have, I thought I'd offer a "recipe" I came up with tonight and am eating AS WE SPEAK. Er, type.
See, I really like vegetables. Meat is okay, but I tend to use it to add to the dish, rather than basing my meals around it. So I eat a lot of salads, vegetarian dishes, things of that sort, and occasionally perk it up with chicken or turkey--I avoid red meat if possible, and my pork intake is limited pretty much to tenderloin or pepperoni.
Tonight's meal was an example of that, and the entire prep time, start to finish, took less than 30 minutes. It's not something I'd suggest if you're making for a lot of people, but it's perfect for just one or two, especially on a hot summer day where you don't really feel much like eating a heavy meal.
Ingredients:
Thin Boneless Skinless Chicken Strips (I'm that person who only uses free range, steroid-free chicken, but obviously the recipe doesn't call for that specifically)
Greek Seasoning
Black Pepper
Fresh Spinach
Grape Tomatoes
Fresh Mozzarella cheese (Buffalo works best, but Sargento's mozzarella balls make a fine substitute for a much lower price)
Balsamic Vinger
Olive Oil
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Then, begin preparing the chicken.
On a small plate, pour about 1/4 c Greek Seasoning. Shake the plate so that you have a nice layer, rather than a big mound. On a cutting board, slice the chicken into 1-1.5 by .5 inch strips (You can go larger or smaller, but I find this size perfect for mixing into the salad, and isn't so small that it burns). Next, roll each chicken strip in the Greek Seasoning, coating each side with a thin layer. Add more seasoning as/if needed.
The oven should be ready by this time, so place the chicken strips on a broiler pan. Slide in the oven and note the time. I check mine initially after ten minutes because I'm a spaz, but they took seventeen minutes to get where I wanted them. If you're a timer kinda geek, I would suggest starting at fifteen and then checking every two minutes after that.
Next comes the salad. Wash your spinach and tomatoes, and pour each into a bowl. Hand-shred the mozzarella cheese and place in with the salad. Now, I don't include amounts here, because I'm a to-taste kinda cook who doesn't measure anything. I like a lot of cheese and a lot of tomatoes in my salad, and I love fresh spinach. But go for your tastes here. However you like your salads.
Now for the dressing. Again, I portion to taste, but for a standard I would suggest 1/4 cup of olive oil, and two to three tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Add black pepper or greek seasoning to taste, and mix together to blend your bases. Go check your e-mail, or if you're me, wolf down the remainder of the mozzarella cheese before anybody notices, and fix yourself a drink. By the time you're finished, the chicken should be as well.
After that, it's as easy as adding the dressing to the salad, tossing it, and adding chicken. Easier than pie.
The chicken is also great on its own, but the salad balances out the spice and makes a pretty great blend, if I do say so myself.
So there you have it. A light summer meal that takes about twenty-five minutes, start to finish. And fairly minimal clean up as well, which for me is the worst part of any meal.
Let me know if y'all try it, and anything you do differently! I love experimenting with food, and enjoy hearing what other people have come up with as well.
See, I really like vegetables. Meat is okay, but I tend to use it to add to the dish, rather than basing my meals around it. So I eat a lot of salads, vegetarian dishes, things of that sort, and occasionally perk it up with chicken or turkey--I avoid red meat if possible, and my pork intake is limited pretty much to tenderloin or pepperoni.
Tonight's meal was an example of that, and the entire prep time, start to finish, took less than 30 minutes. It's not something I'd suggest if you're making for a lot of people, but it's perfect for just one or two, especially on a hot summer day where you don't really feel much like eating a heavy meal.
Ingredients:
Thin Boneless Skinless Chicken Strips (I'm that person who only uses free range, steroid-free chicken, but obviously the recipe doesn't call for that specifically)
Greek Seasoning
Black Pepper
Fresh Spinach
Grape Tomatoes
Fresh Mozzarella cheese (Buffalo works best, but Sargento's mozzarella balls make a fine substitute for a much lower price)
Balsamic Vinger
Olive Oil
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Then, begin preparing the chicken.
On a small plate, pour about 1/4 c Greek Seasoning. Shake the plate so that you have a nice layer, rather than a big mound. On a cutting board, slice the chicken into 1-1.5 by .5 inch strips (You can go larger or smaller, but I find this size perfect for mixing into the salad, and isn't so small that it burns). Next, roll each chicken strip in the Greek Seasoning, coating each side with a thin layer. Add more seasoning as/if needed.
The oven should be ready by this time, so place the chicken strips on a broiler pan. Slide in the oven and note the time. I check mine initially after ten minutes because I'm a spaz, but they took seventeen minutes to get where I wanted them. If you're a timer kinda geek, I would suggest starting at fifteen and then checking every two minutes after that.
Next comes the salad. Wash your spinach and tomatoes, and pour each into a bowl. Hand-shred the mozzarella cheese and place in with the salad. Now, I don't include amounts here, because I'm a to-taste kinda cook who doesn't measure anything. I like a lot of cheese and a lot of tomatoes in my salad, and I love fresh spinach. But go for your tastes here. However you like your salads.
Now for the dressing. Again, I portion to taste, but for a standard I would suggest 1/4 cup of olive oil, and two to three tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Add black pepper or greek seasoning to taste, and mix together to blend your bases. Go check your e-mail, or if you're me, wolf down the remainder of the mozzarella cheese before anybody notices, and fix yourself a drink. By the time you're finished, the chicken should be as well.
After that, it's as easy as adding the dressing to the salad, tossing it, and adding chicken. Easier than pie.
The chicken is also great on its own, but the salad balances out the spice and makes a pretty great blend, if I do say so myself.
So there you have it. A light summer meal that takes about twenty-five minutes, start to finish. And fairly minimal clean up as well, which for me is the worst part of any meal.
Let me know if y'all try it, and anything you do differently! I love experimenting with food, and enjoy hearing what other people have come up with as well.