Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad

My friend Teri shared this recipe on Facebook and it looked so yummy I had to try it! She has a blog as well, filled with tons of good recipes and ideas!! http://mamarecharged.com/


Link to the recipe here:
https://cafedelites.com/2016/07/05/grilled-lemon-herb-mediterranean-chicken-salad-recipe/

The recipe is below as well, but of course I made it a little different... to accommodate my vegetarian!  I was going to BBQ the chicken but ended up being way too cold and windy, we never would have been able to keep the BBQ lit!  I used veggie chicken for Brent, and marinated it a little bit as well, but don't think the flavors totally got through - if he'd had some plain tofu in the fridge, I think that would have been good since it soaks up marinade so nicely! 

I made each of us a smaller salad instead of one big one as the recipe calls for, and of course just gave Devlan the ingredients he would eat :)  Brent and I both aren't huge olive lovers, so eliminated them but did add some feta to it which was good!   I used mini cucumbers and grape tomatoes as well - this was a great recipe since I already had everything in the house except for a lemon and a good avocado! 

Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Marinade/Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• cracked pepper, to taste
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets (or chicken breasts)

Salad:

• 4 cups Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried
• 1 large cucumber, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 avocado, sliced
• ⅓ cup pitted Kalamata olives (or black olives), sliced (optional)
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Instructions

1. Whisk together all of the marinade/dressing ingredients in a large jug. Pour out half of the marinade into a large, shallow dish. Refrigerate the remaining marinade to use as the dressing later.
2. Add the chicken to the marinade in the bowl; marinade chicken for 15-30 minutes (or up to two hours in the refrigerator if time allows). While waiting for the chicken, prepare all of the salad ingredients and mix in a large salad bowl.
3. Once chicken is ready, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a grill pan or a grill plate over medium-high heat. Grill chicken on both sides until browned and completely cooked through.
4. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes; slice and arrange over salad. Drizzle salad with the remaining UNTOUCHED dressing. Serve with lemon wedges.

SO good!

Meanwhile on my 3 year old's plate.... not quite as beautiful and exciting as ours haha

Ixtapa, Mexico!

Well, this isn’t my usual kind of post, but I have just returned from a travel agent FAM trip to Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Mexico and I just HAVE to share all the gorgeous and delicious food we were able to have during the week!  We toured 14 hotels top to bottom, enjoyed a few excursions to see the area, and we were treated to lots of fabulous meals.  I don’t have a lot of details about what is actually in some of these dishes, but they’re all just so beautifully plated I had to take photos and share!

 

Lunch at the Sunscape Resort - we were treated to live music and a 3 course meal!  Salmon mousse with mint and ginger, fresh Mahi Mahi filet with Thai sauce, and chocolate cake for dessert!!

 

Dinner at the Azul Ixtapa.  Caesar salad dressing was made right in front of our eyes! Three staff members brought out a big tray of ingredients, and started whipping up the dressing from scratch, then served us all! Next came the main course served under a metal cloche – the waiters all unveiled the meal to us at the same time – a lovely stuffed chicken with potatoes, eggplant and other vegetables.  And beautiful mousse for dessert!

 

After one of our excursions, we travelled to a local beach area and enjoyed “Spanish Mackerel” with fresh guacamole, and a mini black bean “pie”

 

That evening we enjoyed dinner at the Oyster Bar at the Azul Ixtapa Grand – we started with a tempura salad (apparently I was too excited to eat to take a photo!), then a soup that we’re not too sure what was in it…peas…celery… hmm something green we couldn’t quite place but it was yummy and had nice little bits of tofu in as well (my vegetarian husband would be proud!). Then a fabulous piece of beef with potatoes, vegetables and a nice shrimp on top!

 

Local specialty Tiritas de Pescado (ceviche) for an appetizer at the Holiday Inn

 

Dinner at the famous Bogart’s Restaurant. Lobster Bisque to start, steamed fish with a spicy lime chile sauce, and “Sunwing” sorbet for dessert!

 

A few others I didn’t take photos of included tortilla soup, a nice piece of beef served on a bed of cactus (kind of a sweet taste that mixed well with the sauce it was served with!), a fresh fire-grilled piece of chicken on Ixtapa Island, a New York Steak cooked to perfection right on the grill on the beach in front of me, and a some extensive buffets to suit everyone’s taste!

 

YUM!  Now back to my diet…