I have always loved this recipe for Strawberry and Chicken Salad ever since I first saw it in the May 2009 edition of Cooking Light magazine. When I picked up our half-share of our local farm’s community-supported agriculture (CSA) program and found that it included both a quart of native strawberries and a head of romaine lettuce, SensitiveHusband and I knew what we were having for dinner!
We made a few changes to remove the yeast and sugar from this meal. In the dressing, we replaced the sugar with agave nectar and the red wine vinegar with fresh lemon juice. Instead of using a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, which is convenient yet typically has sugar and other preservatives injected under the skin, we sautéed some chicken tenderloins with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley and basil. You may notice that there is a slice of crusty bread on my plate. Hooray! I found a baguette made by Against the Grain that is free from gluten, yeast and sugar. The taste is pretty good and rounded out our meal nicely.
Our dinner was delicious. The blend of salad, chicken, and dressing was light and refreshing. I enjoyed the baguette warmed with butter. The leftovers made a great sandwich the next day.
Ingredients
Dressing:
2 tablespoons agave nectar
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salad:
4 cups torn romaine lettuce
4 cups arugula
2 cups quartered strawberries
12 ounces skinless, boneless sauteed chicken tenderloins
2 tablespoons unsalted cashews or peanuts
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled gorgonzola cheese
Preparation
1. To prepare dressing, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Gradually drizzle in oil, stirring constantly with a whisk.
2. To prepare salad, combine romaine and next 4 ingredients (through chicken) in a bowl; toss gently. Place about 2 cups chicken mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cashews and 2 tablespoons cheese. Drizzle about 4 teaspoons dressing over each serving.
P.S. If you haven’t already done so, please take the two-click poll on my home page. The question is to choose your favorite dessert flavor. Happy choosing!
I am sharing this recipe with Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, Food Trip Friday and Carole’s Chatter.
SensitiveEconomist 