Chef Salad

Another salad that is interesting and tasty enough for a manly man!  My husband loved this chef salad.  I know you all probably don't really need a recipe for salad, but I always find it helpful to see salad recipes to inspire me!  So, I thought I would share.

Chef Salad

2 c Mixed greens

½-1 c Cooked ham cubes*

¼ c Carrot, shredded

¼ c Cheese, shredded 

¼ c Black olives, sliced

½ c English cucumber, sliced and quartered

½ c Grape tomatoes, cut in half

1-2 T Ranch (We like Wishbone Ranch, which is egg-free and gluten-free.)

In a large bowl, combined desired amount of each ingredient, omit some, add others, depending on your tastes.  I find that if you add a little dressing and mix it into the salad, then you can get away with using a lot less dressing.

The quantities I listed above are great for one large salad.  According to my calorie counting ap, it is only about 400-600 calories.  That is not bad at all for a filling, delicious lunch.

*The first time I made this salad, I used leftover ham that we had in the freezer from our Easter dinner.  I have also bought packaged cubed ham from the grocery store.  I like to sear my ham in a skillet to brown it up a little, which enhances the flavor and dries up any excess moisture on your ham pieces.  You don’t need to add oil or anything to the pan.  If you are on a gluten-free diet, make sure your ham is gluten-free.

Chicken Fiesta Salad

In our continual attempts to try to eat healthier, my husband and I are trying to eat more salads.  But for him to really be on board with that, I need to keep them somewhat interesting and tasty!  He loved this Fiesta Salad.  I know you all probably don't really need a recipe for salad, but I always find it helpful to see salad recipes to inspire me!  So, I thought I would share.

Chicken Fiesta Salad

Mixed greens

Chicken, shredded (I used rotisserie chicken.)

Easy Corn Black Bean Salsa

Carrot, shredded

Cheese, shredded 

Black olives, sliced

Ranch (We like Wishbone Ranch and Chipotle Ranch.  They are egg-free and gluten-free.)

In a large bowl, combined desired amount of each ingredient, omit some, add others, depending on your tastes.  I find that if you add a little dressing and mix it into the salad, then you can get away with using a lot less dressing.

Tomato Cucumber Salad

In my last post, I served my Pesto Chicken Salad sandwiches with a simple cucumber salad.  Again, this is not a typical fall recipe.  But I find you can always find some decent tomatoes and cucumbers in your local grocery store, even when some veggies are out of season.  So, I made this quick salad!

Cucumbers release a lot of water and can really soak down your salad.  This salad has a light dressing so I tried to minimize the excess water by salting and draining the cucumbers first.  I was amazed at how much water I drained off.  The salad did seem a crisper!

Tomato Cucumber Salad

1 English cucumber, peeled and cubed

Salt, to taste

6 Campari tomatoes, cut and seeded

1 T diced shallot

1 T red wine vinegar

½ T olive oil

Pepper, to taste

Place peeled in cubed cucumbers in a medium sized bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and refrigerate for about four hours.  Remove from refrigerator and pour off excess water.  Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat.   

Notes:  I used Campari tomatoes because I like their crisp, sweet taste.  You could substitute 3-4 plum tomatoes or 10-12 cherry tomatoes.  I also used a shallot because of its mild flavor.  You could substitute red onion, if preferred.

Pesto Chicken Salad {Egg-free}

I am always looking for new and delicious meal ideas using Shredded Chicken (EF, DF, GF).  I saw this recipe on Pinterest and had to try it!  It is chicken salad made with pesto and greek yogurt, rather than maynoise.  My husband loves chicken salad and can rarely have it due to the egg in maynoise.  I love pesto so this recipe was win for all of us.  The kids even liked it!

I know this is kind of a summery recipe to share in November.  But I also think it would be delicious in a warm panini sandwich.  Maybe we can try this recipe with a little leftover turkey later this month . . .?

If you like this recipe, you may also like  Chicken Pesto Pasta (EF, GF).

Pesto Chicken Salad - Click here to link to recipe.

Gluten-free notes:  This dish can easily be made gluten-free by serving on your favorite gluten-free bread.  The chicken salad is gluten-free.  I even used Classico brand pesto to save time on making my own.  According to the Heinz website (Heinz owns Classico), Classico Basil Pesto sold in the United States is gluten-free!