ashleyannphotography.com

I love to eat and I love to cook. Unfortunately with the summer heat I find it hard to want cook anything in the kitchen because it heats up the house. As an alternative to cooking indoors, we really enjoy grilling but sometimes we just don’t have the time and need something quick. That’s where dinner salads come in, they’re quick, the options are endless and you can eat as much as you want because it’s good for you! And this time of year is perfect for salads because you can find some great, fresh produce at your local farmers market. So I’ve decided to share one of my favorite dinner salad recipes as well as one of my favorite side salad recipes.

Quick Summer Salad

Grocery List:

• 4 chicken breasts
• mexican seasoning
• salad dressing, I recommend Asiago cheese dressing
• 1 head green leaf lettuce, leaves halved down the middle then sliced
• 4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
• 1/3 purple onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1/2 cup edamame (soy beans)
• 1 cup corn kernels

First, season the chicken fairly well with a dry rub and let it sit for about 5 minutes. This gives the chicken time to soak in the flavor as well as reach room temp so it will cook evenly throughout. Start the George Forman grill as well the water for the eggs. While the eggs are boiling, rinse and chop all the ingredients and set them aside. After the grill has thoroughly heated, place each breast side-by-side to cook, turning once. Meanwhile, layer all the other ingredients in a large salad bowl. After the chicken is cooked throughout, remove it from the grill and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then slice each breast and place the the strips on top of the salad and toss!

Cleanup is a cinch, the kitchen stayed cool and healthy meal was made in no time giving you time to enjoy summer!

Extra Steps for Extra Flavor:

• grill the chicken on a charcoal grill
• get the veggies at your local Farmer’s Market (not only is it good for your local community, but they taste better, are fresher and have no added chemicals!)
• make each person’s plate by arranging the sliced chicken next to a generous helping of salad
• create your own seasoning rub for the chicken

Side Strawberry-Feta Salad

Here’s a recipe for a quick side salad that’s great with a grilled steak dinner:

Grocery List:

• 1 head green leaf lettuce, leaves halved and sliced
• poppy seed vinaigrette dressing
• 1/2 lb. strawberries, sliced
• 1 bunch green onions, halved lengthwise then sliced
• 1 sm package feta cheese,
• 1 avocado, halved and sliced

Just put the lettuce in a large salad bowl and sprinkle the rest of the ingredients on top. Serve with salad dressing.