I never particularly liked salads, and to be honest I am not a fan of raw vegetables. Actually, truth be told, there was a time when my friends considered 'eating vegetables' an appropriate dare to give me during a game of Truth-or-Dare just because they knew how much I didn't like vegetables. However, with the right dressing and by complimenting flavours, I have to admit I've taken a sudden liking to vegetables and salads. They're light, fresh and so easy to make.
Apart from the green leaves, I tend to cook my vegetables...just a personal preference I suppose, but you can prepare these as you please - I'm sure the salad would taste just as yummy either way. Moreover, I usually prepare my dressing a few hours before in order to give the flavours chance to enhance.
Just like with soups, I generally hear people complain that salads are not filling and have heard salads being referred to as 'rabbit food'. I definitely agree that I wouldn't quite get full with a few green leaves and vegetables, however, I do not associate salads with rabbit food either. Just by adding a little bit of chicken (my personal favourite) or any other meat, this gives a salad that extra wow factor. What's more, marinating the chosen meat results in an even more delicious final product.
The below recipe is quick and easy to make and produces a fantastic light lunch full of flavour. I generally make this to take to work as a packed lunch (a good option for those who do not have heating facilities at work), but I generally end up making 2 identical salads and eating one for dinner - yes it's that tasty you'd be more than happy to eat it twice in a row!!!
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Ingredients:
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup (60 ml) honey
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ cup (125 ml) white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup (125 ml) sesame oil
For the marinade
- ½ cup (125ml) honey
- ½ cup (125ml) soy sauce
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- sesame seeds
For the salad
- Chicken breast, cut into strips.
- Lettuce leaves, washed and chopped
- 1 small onion, diced
- ½ an orange pepper, diced
- ½ a yellow pepper, diced
- 5 cherry tomatoes
- Handful of cashew nuts
Directions:
Combine the honey, mustard, vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil, continue to whisk until dressing is slightly thickened and smooth.
In a bowl combine honey, soy sauce, lemon juice and oil. Add chicken strips and sesame seeds and leave to marinade for at least 30 minutes.
In the meantime, chop the onions and peppers and half the cherry tomatoes. Lightly fry the onions, peppers and cashew nuts in a drizzle of sesame oil until soft (optional). Set aside and leave to cool. Dry fry the chicken strips on a griddle pan until brown and honey-crisp.
Form a bed of chopped lettuce on a plate and add the peppers, onions and cashew nuts. Add the cherry tomatoes and finally top with the grilled chicken strips. Season with salt & pepper accordingly to taste and drizzle with dressing just before serving.
Note: This may be served when the chicken is still hot or when the chicken is cool. You can also substitute the chicken for sliced beef. Either way - scrumptious!
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