Monday, October 7, 2013

Herb Salad w/ Homemade Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

First of all, have you entered my Pottery Barn giveaway yet?  I'm giving away some Fall swag from Pottery Barn to help you get your harvest decor game on par.  You can enter by clicking {here}.

Ok, moving onto the salad.  How have I not shared this recipe with you guys yet?  This is my absolute favorite salad that I make, my version of a cobb salad and it's oh so tasty!  It's like out of this world good!  Soft butter lettuce, 3 different fresh herbs, avocados, feta cheese, pine nuts, grilled chicken, and a tangy vinaigrette.....it doesn't get much better than this!  

This is a little more time consuming to prep all the ingredients, but I promise it will be sooooo worth it! 

I serve mine as a main course {yields about 5 servings}, but you could always just halve the recipe to serve it as a side.

homemade lemon dijon vinaigrette


Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:
1/2 cup + 2tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sherry vinegar 
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp grated lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)
1 tsp. sugar substitute
1 1/2 tsp finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper 

For the salad:
1 tsp dijon mustard
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
2 heads butter lettuce; washed, dried & torn into bite size pieces
3 large avocados
2 cups grape tomatoes; cut in half
1 1/2 cup italian parsley; rough chopped
3/4 cup mint leaves; rough chopped
1/2 cup sliced chives
1 heaping cup feta cheese
2/3 cup toasted pine nuts
salt & fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Put all vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Set aside.  You can store left over vinaigrette in the fridge for about 4 days.

Heat a grill pan on medium high heat.  In a mixing bowl, combine the mustard, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Add the chicken and toss to coat.  Grill until well marked and chicken is cook through.  Let cool and cut into strips.

Meanwhile, combine lettuce, parsley & mint in a large bowl.  Toss w/ about 4 to 5 tbsp of vinaigrette {just enough to lightly coat}.  Season with a little bit of salt + pepper and toss again.  

Peel, pit and cut avocados into medium sized chunks and toss them with 2 tbsp of the vinaigrette in a medium bowl.  Add pine nuts, feta, tomatoes & chicken to the bowl.  Season with a little salt + pepper and another 1 tbsp of the dressing and give a good tossing again.

Arrange a small hole in the center of the salad.  Mound the chicken mixture in the center of the salad.  Sprinkle on the chives and serve.

Use remaining dressing as needed to suit taste preferences or refrigerate to use later. 



I picked up the great wooden salad bowl + serving spoons {as seen in the background of my pics} from Pottery Barn last week.  It has a well worn in rustic look, and I knew that I'd get quite a bit of use out of it with the holidays coming up!  You can find it here and here.



Happy Happy Monday and I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!  I would love to hear feedback :) xx



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