I probably haven’t said this before but I am a huge salad fan, back in the old days I used to be so creative in making such big humongous salads that to be honest weren’t the healthiest out there and weren’t really what a salad should be. They had all kinds of add on’s to them like fried potatoes, crispy fried chicken, tortilla chips, all sorts of fatty cheese options … etc and boy was I generous when it came to dressing those big beautiful colourful bowls of goodness. Those salads were kind of my way of saying see you guys I eat salads … I am healthy
However, this was a gazillion years ago (literally about 14 or 15 years ago) then I started being more mindful of what I should eat and what my salads should look like, and for some reason I was convinced that my salads should start looking and tasting a little less sexy and sassy then they do, I don’t know where I got the idea that for me to reap all the great benefits of greens, veggies and the occasional fruit my salad got to be Bland …. Basic if I may say. And that had me stuck eating really boring salads for quite some time, until one day …. the creative salad and food guru in me awoke from her deep slumber. And she was HUNGRY for a good, beautiful, big hearty SALAD
Except now the food guru in me wasn’t only a “food guru” but also a nutritionist and a healthy recipe developer that really knows how to make good, homy comfort food that sure packs a punch, doesn’t compromise taste and is calorie and health conscious.
The kitchen was like my laboratory my experimentation hub and boy did I experiment with food. But for some time, I steered clear of salads, actually it was more like they never crossed my mind because I mean salads …. They are pretty healthy already what more can you do to them. Until it dawned on me “don’t make them healthier, just OOMPH them … healthily of course” and the work began, some really good creations started seeing the light of day and salads became a staple again at the dinner and lunch table.
And now behold one of my favourite summer salads of all time ….
My ‘Peachy Chicken Salad’
Ingredients:
- 4 cups shredded lettuce
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 large red onion
- 420g chicken breast, grilled and sliced
- 70g light crumbled feta cheese
- 2 flat peaches, pealed & sliced
- 30g pecan halves, roughly chopped
- 1Tsp salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2Tbsp pomegranate molasses
Preparation method:
- On a cutting board slice the cucumbers and the onion
- In a big bowl add the shredded lettuce, cucumber and onion. Toss all the veggies with the salt and lemon juice.
- Place the dressed veggies in a big serving plate, in the middle place the sliced-up chicken breast
- To the left of the chicken place the sliced peaches
- To the right of the chicken place the crumbled light feta
- And garnish all over with the chopped pecans
- Finally drizzle with the pomegranate molasses
This recipe is light, nutritious and packed with big flavours. The dressing is very light which gives each ingredient a chance to shine on its own, you get creaminess from the feta, meaty goodness from the chicken, a burst of summer in your mouth from the peaches and a lot of crispiness from the fresh veggies, it is definitely a must try
The recipe can be enough for 4-5 people if salad is just a starter or a part of a bigger meal, however two can easily devour the whole thing if they are really into salads and if they are going for a salad as a main meal
Nutritional Information for whole Salad
790 Kcals
56g Carbohydrates
11g Fat
116g Protein
