I am a self-proclaimed “Crappy Salad Maker.”
As in, I don’t make good salads. Not that I make salads with crap. (I gotta give Minny (from The Help) credit for that pie she made!)
I love eating salads, but I’ve always hated making salads. My salads tend to taste like bunny food. Bland, grassy, boring.
I’m also a salad dressing snob. I cannot find a bottled dressing that I like and I’m one of those “barely coating each leaf” kind of dressing people. Too much dressing on a salad gives me the chills. Literally.
So, you can imagine that my veggie option for most dinners is grilled, steamed, or somehow incorporated into the main dish. No bunny food for dinner here.
This summer I’ve been on a mission to turn things around on the salad front. I’m a smart girl! I’m a capable cook! I’ve done harder things in the kitchen than toss a salad! (That’s what she said.)
The results?
Success! I’ve made 3 delicious salads this summer that I’ve truly enjoyed eating! Woot!
I’m only sharing one today. The others were kind of made up on the spot, so I’ll have to jot the recipes down later.
This salad caught my eye because it sounded a little daring, and what can I say, I’m a thrill-seeker. It was a really unique combination of flavors: tart, tangy, sweet, bitter, grilled, creamy.
It was an excellent summer dinner and I could even see it as an option at a bridal or baby shower. So, without further ado:
- 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Salt And Pepper, to taste
- Olive Oil, For Drizzling
- 3 stalks Celery, Finely Diced
- 2 ears Fresh Corn (briefly blanched and then sliced off the cob) blanch=boil for a short time
- 1⁄4 whole Medium Red Onion, Finely Diced
- 1-1⁄2 cup Blueberries
- 2 heads romaine lettuce
- 3 Tablespoons Fresh Dill, Minced (I used dry dill and it was fine)
- 4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
- 4 Tablespoons Sour Cream
- 1⁄4 cups Half-and-half (I used milk)
- 1 whole Lemon
- 1 teaspoon Sugar (more To Taste)
- Salt And Pepper (additional) To Taste
- 3⁄4 cups Crumbled Feta
- Place chicken breasts into large plastic storage bag or between two sheets of wax paper. Pound with a mallet or rolling pin to flatten to ¼ inch uniform thickness.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat grill and drizzle chicken with olive oil.
- Grill chicken on both sides until done, about 7 minutes per side. (Rotate halfway during grilling each side to ensure pretty grill marks.) Remove from pan. Allow to cool.
- With a very sharp knife, shave kernels off each corn cob (that you previously blanched!). Combine with the onion and celery. Set aside.
- Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, feta, and half-and-half. Stir in sugar, squeeze in lemon juice, and add dill, salt and pepper. Stir, then taste. Add more salt if necessary; do not under salt, but don't go crazy either. Slow and steady wins the race :)
- Slice chicken on an angle to create flat, randomly shaped pieces. Throw into a bowl with celery, onion, and corn. Stir to combine.
- Pour half the dressing over the ingredients and toss gently. Add more as desired, but don’t overcoat the salad; it should be light!
- At the end, toss in the blueberries to lightly coat them in the dressing. Serve, then sprinkle individual helpings with feta.
*Note* I changed it up a little and served this salad over romaine lettuce. I chopped up the romaine, topped it with the corn/onion/celery mixture. I laid the chicken pieces on top next, then sprinkled with blueberries and topped the whole thing with the dressing. Yum!
Nutrition Estimate
Using the Lose It app on my phone, I entered the ingredients for this recipe and determined there to be about 434 Calories per serving.
This recipe can be found at Tasty Kitchen and originally at Natalie’s Blog.
oh my gosh, this looks GOOOOEEEEEUUUUDDDD!!!!!! Home girl is hungry lookin at that yumminess.
You are so awesome! Only you could make me laugh out loud during a blog about salad! Also this salad was very refreshing and tasty, thanks for making sure I eat green.