Roasted Carrots and Red Leaf Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk Herb Dressing

This easy salad recipe is from Katie Lee, from the Food Network's show 'The Kitchen'. It was a huge success the first time I made it. There are so many interesting and tasty bites to this salad it's hard to stop eating it. It's practically a meal by itself. Good thing, because my parchment wrapped cod filets were an epic fail! That story in another blog...

Total Time: 45 min
Prep: 15 min
Inactive: 10 min
Cook: 20 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

Carrots:
1 small bunch carrots with leafy green tops
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Roasted carrots cooling on the counter with the salad dressing finished.
30 minutes

Dressing:
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped carrot leaves (from the reserved tops)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

Salad:
1 head red leaf lettuce, torn into pieces
3 tablespoons chopped pistachios
3 tablespoons chopped dried cherries
3 ounces crumbled extra sharp Cheddar

Directions
For the carrots: 
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the green leaves from the carrot tops, then rinse, drain and set them aside to use for the dressing. Use a vegetable brush to clean the carrots (leave the peel on to give the carrots texture). Cut them on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces.

In a small bowl, toss the carrots with the olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast until tender and caramelized , about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them; they burn easily! Let cool completely.

For the dressing: 
While the carrots cool, make the dressing. Whisk the buttermilk, yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl until emulsified. Stir in the chives, tarragon, dill, carrot leaves and oregano.

For the salad: 
In a large salad bowl, toss the lettuce, pistachios, cherries, cheese and carrots with the dressing. Serve immediately.

Lemon-Herb Grilled Chicken with Apple, Celery and Snap Pea Slaw

Recipe courtesy of Marcela Valladolid

Total Time: 2- 3 hr
Prep: 40 min
Cook: about 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
Chicken:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces
Vegetable oil spray

Apple, Celery and Snap Pea Slaw:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sugar snap peas, cut in half
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 green apples, cut into julienne
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced

Directions
For the chicken:
Mix together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic in a 1-gallon zip top bag.

Pound the chicken out to an even thickness so it will cook more evenly on the grill.
Add the chicken and massage the marinade into the meat until evenly coated.
Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator.
Let the chicken marinate 1 to 2 hours.

For the apple, celery and snap pea slaw:
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and agave. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the peas, cilantro, apples, celery, jalapeno and onion.
Add the vinaigrette to the bowl and toss.
Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

At this point, I had some corn on the cob started in a pot and it was time for the chef to have a break. Nothing goes with a marinated chicken and apple vinaigrette salad like a margarita and a shot of Cuervo Gold.

Spray some non-stick vegetable oil on the grill.
Preheat a grill to high heat.
Grill the chicken until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
Serve the chicken with the slaw.

This was a new recipe and it turned out great. We will be having this apple, celery and snap pea slaw again soon since there was plenty left over. I wonder how it goes with ribs?

Chicken Pasta Salad

I love chicken salad. I've been refining this recipe for ten years. I finally settled on one that is very low fat, yet tangy enough for me to love it. My best chicken salad recipe ever. But first...

If you love chicken you need to know about Frankenmuth, Michigan. It's a Bavarian village in central Michigan known for their all you can eat chicken dinners.

I think they put crack in the seasonings, because I have never met anyone who doesn't speak reverently about the last time they overate when ordering the famous chicken dinner and how they anxiously await the next opportunity to overindulge. I use the secret Frankenmuth chicken seasonings blend in a lot of recipes because it is unique, versatile and reminds me of good times with family and friends.

INGREDIENTS
2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch wide strips
2 tbs. Frankenmuth or other chicken seasoning
2/3 box of Rotini pasta
2 dozen seedless red grapes halved
5 celery stalks chopped
1 medium red onion chopped
1/3 cup Miracle whip
1/2 cup fat free Zesty Italian salad dressing
1/3 cup sweet pickle relish

DIRECTIONS
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and let cool.
3. Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch strips, coat lightly all over with chicken seasonings. Arrange strips into a single layer in a glass dish for baking. Do not over-crowd the dish.
4. Bake chicken for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, chop into 1 inch cubes and let cool.
5. Combine pasta, chicken, grape halves, celery, onion, relish, salad dressing, Miracle Whip and mix thoroughly.
6. Refrigerate and try to wait to eat some!
7. Serve with red grapes, cold water, crackers and girls fanning you on the chaise.

What's left makes about 4-5 salads for lunch, if you didn't scarf it down when you made it.