Salads

Berry and Goat Cheese Salad

July 3, 2020~ Salads, The Platefull Blog

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I love salads for lunch or as a side with dinner. Berry and Goat Cheese Salad is a great way to get in some extra vitamins! It’s packed with flavor and brightens up any meal. It is incredibly easy to throw together too!

I get asked a lot if my kids eat the salads I make. The answer is yes and no. I find that they often eat things better in a “deconstructed” fashion. So, I don’t typically cook separate meals for them, but I do serve things a bit differently to them. They also eat much better and are willing to try more new things if they serve themselves. So, when serving something like this salad, I’ll make the bowl of salad for my husband and I, but for the boys, I will put the fruit, avocado, greens, and pecans in small bowls or on a plate, but with each ingredient separated. I put that on the table with a spoon and they will serve themselves. One of the best books I’ve read on feeding kids is called Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School. It breaks down feeding strategies for every age group and walks through what’s normal and not. I’ve found that the strategies have worked very well for us. Who knew that something as simple as no longer plating their food for them would bring about such a huge change in our dinnertime battles?! I highly recommend this book after reading more than my fair share of books about feeding kids!

By the way – you can easily turn this Berry and Goat Cheese Salad into a main dish by adding a little shredded rotisserie chicken. Yum!

Berry and Goat Cheese Salad

Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

Mixed greens

Strawberries, sliced

Blueberries

Goat Cheese

Avocado

Candied Pecans (I buy mine at Trader Joe’s)

Balsamic vinaigrette dressing

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Instructions

In a bowl, combine all ingredients (quantities of each to your liking). Top with a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Blackened Cajun Chicken Salad

February 27, 2020~ Main, Salads, The Platefull Blog

Blackened Cajun Chicken Salad is super quick to prep and I am seriously hooked! I’ve made this salad more times that I can count in the last month. It makes a quick weeknight dinner, but also a packable nutritious lunch. I posted the seasoning for the chicken a while back. It is Whole 30 compliant and packed with flavor. It is seriously so, so good!

I keep a lot of homemade seasoning mixes on hand, and Cajun seasoning is one of them! I love these spice containers for easily mixing and storing seasonings in an airtight container. The containers will hold a double batch of this Cajun seasoning. Here they are in use in my kitchen! I store taco seasoning, spaghetti seasoning, Cajun seasoning, Au Jus seasoning, Italian dressing mix, and homemade beef bouillon granules in them.

Okay, so for the Blackened Cajun Chicken Salad, the first step is to pound the chicken breasts. I do this for two reasons. One, I’m impatient and want them to cook faster. Two, I like more surface area for the yummy spice mix! Once they are pounded to about 1/2 inch thick, I coat both sides really well with the spice mix and pat them to make it stick. Then, I throw them on the grill (outside or a grill pan both work great). Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side while you prep the rest of the salad.

I serve this salad with big leaves of Romaine (because, hello, can’t be bothered with cutting lettuce – let those people work for their dinner). I pile on tomatoes, cheddar cheese, thinly sliced red onion, avocado, and sliced Blackened Cajun Chicken. Drizzle with ranch and that’s it! So easy, and so incredibly delicious!

Blackened Cajun Chicken Salad

Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

FOR THE CAJUN SEASONING

1 Tbsp paprika

1 Tbsp garlic powder

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp thyme

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

FOR THE SALAD

4 chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness

1 head romaine lettuce

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 avocado, sliced

1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

Ranch Dressing

Croutons (optional)

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Instructions

Mix all seasoning ingredients in an airtight container or small bowl. (I like to use an airtight container so that I can shake well to mix).

Heat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle a generous amount of seasoning on both sides of each chicken breast, to completely coat the chicken, without leaving loose seasoning. Gently press the seasoning into the chicken breast. Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until blackened and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the grill and set aside.

To assemble the salad, tear large pieces of romaine and place on large serving platter or divide amongst individual plates. Slice the chicken breast and place on top. Top with tomatoes, cheese, onion, avocado, ranch dressing, and croutons (if using).

Easy Buffalo Chicken Salad

January 14, 2020~ Salads, The Platefull Blog

I’ve made this salad for years now, but always breaded my own chicken tenders to put on it. One night, I was making the oh-so-complicated dinner of frozen chicken nuggets and Mac and Cheese for my kids, with no plan for the grown up meal other than to raid the fridge, when it dawned on me that I could make an easy buffalo chicken salad using their chicken nuggets! How genius is that?! They don’t like spicy buffalo, but I love it, so we both win. No second “kid-friendly” meal for me here! I felt like it was pretty genius.

I use a very specific brand of chicken nugget for this. I use the Purdue Simply Smart Organic Chicken Nuggets (I get them at Costco). They are so good! They get nice and crispy and are chicken breast meat. I always bake them in the oven and would not recommend microwaving them for a salad like this (yuck). I would definitely not use any sort of animal shaped chicken nugget product type food either. These are real chicken, real breading, and real delicious. (This is not a sponsored post, they are just chicken nuggets our whole family actually really likes). If you haven’t tried them, you need to!

To make this easy buffalo chicken salad, cook the chicken nuggets in the oven according to package directions. While the chicken is cooking, slice tomatoes, avocado, and chop the red onion. On a plate, layer the mixed greens, red onion, tomato, avocado, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, crumbled gorgonzola cheese, and crushed blue corn tortilla chips. When the chicken is done cooking, add it to a bowl and pour buffalo sauce over the top. Stir to coat the chicken, then place on top of the salad. Drizzle your favorite ranch dressing over the top and that’s it! Couldn’t be any easier and comes together in 15 minutes! The best part is that when your salad is done, so is the food for the kids!

Easy Buffalo Chicken Salads

Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

Purdue Simply Smart Organic Chicken Nuggets

Frank’s Buffalo Sauce

Mixed Greens

Sliced grape tomatoes

Red onion, chopped

Avocado, sliced

Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Blue corn chips, crushed

Ranch dressing

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Instructions

*Use the amount of ingredients that you need for the number of salads you plan to make.

Bake the chicken nuggets according to package directions. When the chicken nuggets are done cooking, place in a bowl and top with a drizzle of Frank’s buffalo sauce. Stir to coat the chicken.

On a plate, layer the mixed greens, tomato, avocado, red onion, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, gorgonzola, and crushed corn chips. Top with the buffalo chicken and ranch.

Curry Chicken Salad

January 7, 2020~ Main, Salads, The Platefull Blog

This is one of my favorite lunches. I can make a batch on the weekend and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days. I eat it alone with a fork, on a croissant or bread, or in a lettuce wrap. Its Whole 30 compliant, so if I’m doing Whole 30, I go the lettuce wrap route. Any way you eat it, it’s super delicious!

Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

Scale

1 rotisserie chicken, chopped into chunks

1 cup avocado mayo (I like Primal Kitchen)

2 celery stalks, chopped

3 Tbsp yellow curry powder

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

3/4 cup dry roasted sliced almonds

1/2 cup sliced grapes

Sliced green onion, for serving

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Instructions

In a large bowl, mix the mayo, apple cider vinegar, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Add in the chicken, celery, grapes, and almonds and fold together to cover with the curry mayo mixture. For serving, top with sliced green onion.

Apple Kale Salad

January 3, 2020~ Salads, The Platefull Blog

This salad is one of my favorites. It’s beyond easy and just goes well with everything. The little blueberries I use in this recipe are like candy and I can’t get enough of them! I need to work on other recipes that I could use them in….

All this salad needs is chopped kale, chopped Granny Smith apple, dried blueberries, and shaved Parmesan cheese. Top it with your favorite Caesar dressing (I know it sounds like a weird combination, but trust me – my favorite Caesar is Sprout’s Organic Caesar) and you’re set! Easy!

Apple Kale Salad

Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

Scale

4 cups kale, chopped

1 granny smith apple, chopped

1/4 cup dried blueberries

1/3 cup shaved Parmesan

Caesar Dressing

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Instructions

Put the kale in a salad bowl. Top with the apple, blueberries, Parmesan, and Caesar dressing. Serve immediately.

Notes

My favorite Caesar is the Sprout’s brand organic Caesar dressing.

Kale Caesar Salad

November 7, 2019~ Salads, The Platefull Blog

So, admittedly, I’m not sure this can really even qualify as a recipe on a food blog, but its one of my favorite salads, and this is my blog, so I can make the rules! Ha. It’s all store bought ingredients, but that makes it perfect for a quick weeknight side dish. The secret is one simple added step that takes this salad up a notch. Before I add dressing, cheese, or croutons, I squeeze half a lemon over the kale, add a little olive oil and cracked black pepper, and massage the kale for about 30 seconds. Then I add the dressing, croutons, and parmesan cheese. My favorite is shaved parmesan off a block, but this picture shows grated Kraft parmesan because that’s what I had on hand.

Kale Caesar Salad

Author: Sarah
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Ingredients

Scale

1 small bunch of kale, ribs removed and rough chopped

1/2 lemon

1 tsp olive oil

2-3 cracks of black pepper

Caesar croutons

Shaved parmesan cheese

Caesar dressing

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Instructions

Place the kale in a salad bowl. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the kale. Add 1 tsp olive oil and a few cracks of black pepper. Use your hands to massage the kale mixture for about 30 seconds. This will tenderize the kale leaves. Add croutons, shaved parmesan cheese, and Caesar dressing to your liking. Serve immediately.

Notes

My favorite Caesar dressing is Sprout’s brand.

Mixed Greens with Bacon, Apple and Dried Cherries

October 26, 2019~ Salads, The Platefull Blog

This is one of those salads that you help yourself to seconds, then thirds, and then before you know it, the whole salad bowl is scraped clean. It’s salty and sweet and really, just a perfect salad! Can you tell how much I love it?! I make this dressing ahead and keep it in the fridge all week. Side note – the dressing is also amazing warmed and drizzled over pork tenderloin, but that’s another recipe for another day. For today, enjoy this amazing salad!

Mixed Greens with Bacon, Apple and Dried Cherries

Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

Scale

1 bag spring mix salad

3 strips applewood smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup dried cherries

1 granny smith apple, chopped

1/2 cup candied pecans

5 oz crumbled Gorgonzola

1/2 cup extra light olive oil

1/3 cup honey

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/8 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 tsp ground pepper

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Instructions

In a small bowl, combine extra light olive oil, honey, balsamic, dry mustard and pepper. Whisk to combine well. (You may need to whisk again before serving, as it does tend to separate).

In a salad serving bowl, toss spring mix, dried cherries, chopped apple, pecans, gorgonzola cheese, and crumbled bacon. Top with the dressing and serve immediately.

Pear Cranberry Chopped Salad

October 20, 2019~ Salads, Side Dishes, The Platefull Blog

This salad is hands down one of my favorites. I’ve been making it for years and I love it so much that I never change a thing. It’s a great side dish, or to make it a meal, simply add grilled chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken. If you’re not a fan of gorgonzola cheese (like my hubby), swap it out for goat cheese or feta. My favorite balsamic dressings are Marzetti’s Simply Dressed Balsamic and Tessamae’s. If I’m doing Whole 30, I use cranberries sweetened with apple juice, leave the cheese off, and use toasted pecans.

Pear Cranberry Chopped Salad

Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

Scale

1 pear, chopped

1 avocado, diced

2-3 cups spinach

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup candied pecans

Gorgonzola, to taste

Balsamic dressing

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Instructions

To a medium sized bowl, add the spinach, pear, cranberries, and pecans. Top with the avocado and gorgonzola. Drizzle your favorite balsamic dressing over the top and serve immediately.