Salad with Seared Salmon - 100 Days of Recipes: Day 42

More salad! I'm just now getting to the end of the veggies I got at the tailgate market over a week ago. $50 spent at the market seems a bit steep, but when I can get meals for over a week, it's money very well spent. Even the salmon came from that trip, initially going into the freezer, and coming out for a thaw and a quick sear to make this meal.

Simple Salad of greens, roasted sweet potato, turnips & carrots,
pickled onions, walnuts, and a quickly seared salmon fillet.

For the salmon, after rinsing it and patting it dry with a paper towel, I gave it a very light coating of olive oil, and some salt and pepper on each side. I heated a heavy-bottomed skillet on med/high (our studio stove top cooks pretty hot, but you do want a hot pan!), and I started the salmon skin-side down. It stayed that way for about 6 minutes - I could see the pink turning lighter on the skin side, and after about 6 minutes I could move the fillet around the pan. I flipped it over for another minute, and then removed it to the cutting board. What you don't see in the picture is the crispy skin - kinda ate that while I was cutting up the salmon and plating. The salad was lightly dressed in the last of my balsamic vinaigrette, and then topped with the salmon.

I don't usually eat salad with chopsticks, but I love these bowls and the way they frame the food they hold, and one thing I love about eating with chopsticks is that you slow down. At least I slow down - it's kind of fun to pick up the individual parts of the salad and enjoy all the flavors. Of course you don't HAVE to use chopsticks with my chopsticks bowls, but it turned a quick studio lunch into a lovely dining experience all around. I'm just glad I used walnuts instead of sunflower seeds. 

Salad Days Continue! 100 Days of Recipes: Day 37

Salad Days Continue!

A quickie post today, because when you have great, fresh salad ingredients, and you have delicious roast chicken in the fridge, you have lunch - all the things from the jar in my previous post, plus strawberries, and the leftover roast chicken. Mixed up a quick balsamic vinaigrette to lightly dress, and served it up in one of my 'big salad' bowls. Bon Appetit!

Grilled Chicken and Citrus Salad. 100 Days of Recipes: Day 9

Grilled Chicken and Citrus Salad


Today I am the 'gallerina' at The Village Potters, and on those days I usually bring foods to prepare in our studio kitchen. My studio mate Sarah is working hard to finish glazing a kiln load of pots and load it later today, so I told her I would bring food to prepare us lunch, and that it would fit within her preferred eating regimen, which is basically protein with fruits and vegetables, no refined grains, sugars, or saturated fats.

Chicken in the marinade.

To me, that says salad with a protein! I put the chicken breasts in the marinade at 7am, and they were perfect for the George Foreman grill by noon. The marinade and salad portion of this recipe reflects what I had on hand, paired with things from Sarah's shelf in the studio fridge - as is usually the case with the recipes I provide, you may adjust to your own tastes and what's in your pantry!

That moment when you realize you've completely failed as a taking-pictures-
of-your-food-for-social-media member of society.

The result was so good, and we were so consistently busy in the gallery, that I forgot to take my usual "plated" shot, but remembered just before I took the last bite of chicken.

Literally, the last bite of chicken.

worth it.

Grilled Chicken and Citrus Salad

Serves 4

Marinade for the chicken:

2 cups white wine, or rice wine vinegar
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves pickled garlic, sliced
generous pinch of sea salt
1 tsp. turmeric
small bunch parsley, chopped
small handful of basil, chopped
1/4" nub of fresh turmeric, grated
1/2" nub of fresh ginger, grated
2 large chicken breasts, no skin, no bones

Mix all marinade ingredients, then add chicken and let marinate 4 hours or overnight.

I used a Foreman Grill - you can use a grill pan, or even a grill! Get it hot, and grill approx. 7-8 minutes per side. If you close the Foreman grill, that amount of time just about does it - it all depends on the thickness of the chicken breasts. Remove them from the grill, but don't cut them until you're ready to plate them on the salad.

for the salad:

1 head of Romaine
2 cups mixed baby greens
1/2 cup baby carrots
1/2 yellow pepper, sliced
3 large crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 grapefruit, sectioned
1head broccoli, lightly steamed
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1 avocado, chopped
1 hard boiled egg
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 sweet onion, thinly sliced

Salt
Balsamic Vinegar

Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and balsamic vinegar. Slice the chicken into strips or chunks, and place on top of the salad. Enjoy!