It’s been hot here in the mid-Atlantic. And I mean HAWT. Depending on which Meteorologist you trust, it was to hit well over 100 this week. Blarg. So I’ve been trying to avoid turning on the oven and instead use the toaster oven and microwave and electric skillet. But, as some of you know, running those appliances simultaneously with the window AC unit causes the kitchen fuse to blow. And that blows.
So I was happy with #102 Chef’s Salad because it involved no cooking, with the exception of nuking some turkey bacon and peas (and for that I put the AC on hold).
With a Chef Salad I typically think of cheese and cold cuts and cooked egg but this didn’t have any of those things. Or am I thinking of a Cobb? Regardless this was a nice twist on an entree salad and this recipe utilized leftovers so that’s a win (Although I still have a crap-ton of leftovers in my freezers–Chicken with Pineapple, Hamburger Pie, lots of crab cakes and meat sauce. Anyone want leftovers?).
I recycled a large chicken breast that was left over from the Chicken with Pineapple. I rinsed it off under the sink (I don’t think that pineapple juice really goes with a Chef’s salad, do you?) and chopped it up for use in the salad. I took a can of medium cooked shrimp and rinsed them in a colander with cool water. The peas I microwaved and then rinsed with cool water as well. And I used turkey bacon instead of the real stuff.
The completed salad is pretty much identical to the original, which pleases me greatly. And the colors are pretty! It was fun to assemble as well because I just kept layering and layering the ingredients ad directed by Dinner is Served!
#102 as a healthy meal? I think it was fairly ‘figure-friendly.’
I served some refrigerated crescent rolls (lo-fat version) sans butter or margarine as an accompaniment and the salad itself was more than enough as a meal, so soup and dessert were nixed. I made the dressing as directed but with half of the oil (Olive only) and didn’t toss the entire salad in it. I just drizzled a small amount onto the served portions. That’s light, right?
The remaining undressed salad (and there was a lot–this was a big salad) kept really well in the fridge. In fact, I had enough leftovers for lunch the next day and dinner the next night.
I liked this salad. It would never occur to me to put chicken, shrimp, peas and a Dijon dressing together in one salad, but the varying textures and colors were a nice change of pace.
In summation, well played, Dinner is Served!
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