salad.

i've pretty much always liked salad. ok maybe not as a child when the only vegetable i would eat was corn slathered in butter and salt, but most of my adulthood i have enjoyed eating salads. in this day and age every tom, dick and harry is trying to market different, exciting and new salads as healthy, but so many of these said salads are covered in so much junk that you're better off eating a royale with cheese than indulging in these "healthy" greens.

while salad is a side component of many meals in our house, i decided last week (how behind am i in posting? lame ass!) to make a heartier salad for dinner. i knew this salad needed to appeal visually as well as have great texture and flavor but i wasn't willing to dump loads of cheese (even though i'm a self admitted cheesehound) or lovely buttery croutons on it to mask the actual salad.

per usual salad, i started with a pre-washed bag of mesclun greens:
i then made three large hard-boiled eggs. always a quick way to add some protein to a salad without overpowering it.
then time for more vegetables, i used roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts that were each cut into 1/2 inch slices and mixed into the greens.

I probably used about half a can of the artichoke hearts and 3 large pepper slices, which amounted to one whole pepper. using canned vegetables can be such a godsend to your wallet and your diet. for one, these caned vegetables are very affordable and can last in your fridge once opened for much longer than fresh vegetables. they also are packed in water so you're not getting any extra oil that you really don't need anyway.

after chopping up, i added the veggies to the salad along with about 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese and got started on my chicken breasts.
thanks to my handy dandy rolling pin, i flattened those ladies out with ease before sprinkling each side generously with salt and pepper, and then maybe 1/4 teaspoon oregano, red pepper flake and rosemary.
now heat a large skillet to medium heat, spray with cooking spray and 1 teaspoon of your favorite olive oil. i used my shallot oil:) lay the breasts down and don't touch them for 5 minutes, when you flip you'll get this type of crust:
hoo-ahhh!!!
another 5 minutes on the other side and then remove the breastsand let them cool for about 40 minutes or until cool to the touch. i wanetd my hearty salad to be a cold one, but if you like warm chicken salad then definitely add right away. also while not so patiently waiting for the breasts to cool i decided i was going to shred the chicken to give that whole rustic feel that i SO love about italian cooking.
once shredded (and the best way to do this is just to pull at the chicken with 2 forks) i added to the salad and made a very simple dressing out of these ingredients:

yes, that is lemonade! i was out of lemons and it really made quite the addition because this lemonade is very tart!
Mix together:
3 tablespoons goddess dressing
1 tablespoon lemonade
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
dashes salt and pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil

Then simply toss the dressing over your salad to combine:

ok i have to say i was very pleased with the result of this salad. excellent flavor, texture and i didn't rob the bank of daily calories to eat it, success! next time i think will add some black olives and maybe quinoa to give it even more staying power in my tummy.

btw, this lasted two days in my fridge. by the end i was spreading in on triscuts with the fridge open a la nigella lawson style without her massive breasts of course.
food is so meant to be relished in all its glory.