Greens, Greens, Greens!

Well my salad fixation is continuing, in part because of the previous week and in part because we finally got the AC turned on but until we get a fan blowing into the kitchen it is pretty much a hellhole. So I am not feeling much like cooking.

But I am feeling inspired by greens. Back when I was living in PA I had my first taste ever of local greens—and I was blown away. The difference in taste was amazing. I swore I was going to grow some as soon as I could. In the meantime, it turns out my local market here is heavily into greens—all sorts of heirloom greens that I had never even heard of.

So I bought some seeds and started my own (and promptly forgot their names—sorry for not sharing!). While we were out of town, they totally took off—but I did not realize this and I told John to buy lettuce for me at the market. So this salad was made with local greens, but as soon as I use them up, the greens will be arriving at my table straight from my back porch. YUM. If you think you don’t like lettuce much, try some greens grown locally and fresh-picked. It does not matter what kind–just that they be freshly picked. You won’t be sorry. In the hopes that people do, I am submitting this entry to Kalyn’s Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Maninas.

Tonight’s salad is inspired by all of those salads served at chain bar-and-grills, the grilled chicken served on a bed of greens with pineapple and tortilla strips and some sort of honey and lime dressing. Although I have listed amounts, feel free to increase or decrease to taste. As a matter of fact, after we eat the “leftovers” (really after we assemble for a second time since I kept everything separate) tomorrow night, I would not be surprised if I end up freezing the extra chicken. But shredded roasted chicken is always a handy thing to have around.

Caribbean Chicken Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

2 to 4 chicken breasts, bone-in and skin on, roasted and then shredded, skin discarded
salt and pepper to taste (rubbed on the chicken before roasting)
local, fresh greens of choice, about 2 bags-worth
Pineapple, chopped
Vidalia onions, sliced into wedges
1 sweet bell pepper
Mandarin oranges – 11 oz. can, rinsed and well-drained
grape tomatoes
1 small avocado, chopped
tortilla chips for garnish

Dressing:
¼ t ground ginger
¼ cup Dijon mustard
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup honey
¼ cup lime juice or 4 fresh limes squeezed
1 T sesame oil
Pinch of salt

Rub chicken breasts with salt and pepper; drizzle with olive oil and roast in 375 F oven until cooked through. Let cool and then shred the meal, discarding the skins. Turn the oven up to 450 F and roast the onions until charred at the edges.

Prepare all of the salad ingredients (cleaning and in some cases chopping and slicing). Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together.Assemble the salad by piling a bed of greens on a bowl or large plate and then sprinkling all of the other fixings on top.Drizzle with the dressing and serve.