Strawberry & Spinach Salad with Pecan Encrusted Chicken

Tags

balsamic, cannellini beans, chicken, dinner, dinner salad, entree salad, gorgonzola, honey balsamic, light fare, lighter fare, lunch, postaday2011, salad, side dishes, spinach, strawberries, vinaigrette, white kidney beans

Extra strawberries? Perfect for one of my favorite salads. When I waited tables in grad school, the restaurant had an entrée salad similar to this recipe. Of course, I always was adding and omitting things to make it my own.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Pecan Encrusted Chicken

Ingredients:
pecan encrusted chicken, baby spinach, strawberries, gorgonzola cheese, cannellini beans, honey balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:
Arrange spinach on place and added sliced strawberries and cannellini beans. Sprinkle with gorgonzola. Slice chicken breast and place on top of salad. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

This time I didn’t have enough time to marinate my chicken breasts overnight. So I rubbed them with maple syrup and allowed them to sit 15 minutes (okay, I was starving, so that is pushing it) and dipped them straight into the flour, skipping the milk…

Vegetarian Version:
Skipped the chicken and opt for  plain or candied pecans… mmm…

Strawberry Spinach Salad

What is your favorite entrée salad?

Cannellini & Spinach Soup

Tags

beans, cannellini, cannellini beans, carrots, food, foodie, postaday2011, recipe, soup, spinach, vegan, vegetarian, white kidney beans

Normally this time of year, my grill gets used daily and soup is an after thought of winter. This year, the sunny warm days of April have been sparse… the beginning of May is looking the same. Tonight is my night to grab a bowl of hot soup and curl up on the couch with a blanket, book and Rory (my kitty).

Cannellini & Spinach Soup

Ingredients:
3 c. cooked cannellini beans, 1 minced shallot, 1 bag of fresh baby spinach, 1 c. of shredded carrots, extra virgin olive oil, homemade vegetable stock, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:
Warm EVOO in bottom of stock pot, brown shallots. Add spinach until wilted, then toss in carrots and beans. Pour enough vegetable stock to cover vegetables and bring to a boil. Salt & pepper to taste.

Hubster’s Variations:
I serve Hubster’s over orzo with very little broth. I add turkey sausage and turkey bacon (crumbled) to Hubster’s. And garnish with freshly grated pecorino romano.

Do you eat soup through the spring? What about summer?