Recipe Swap: Honey Lime Chicken Spinach Salad

It's recipe swap time and our theme was too hot to cook. I got Honey Lime Chicken Spinach Salad from Kickin it in the Kitchen. It was the easy, yummy dish I wanted on a lazy Sunday. We didn't want to fire up the grill so I made the chicken on the stove. Yummy either way! 

Honey Lime Chicken Spinach Salads

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons hot sauce or 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (I usually slice the breasts in half to make cutlets)
Spinach leaves
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1-2 Tablespoons feta cheese
Balsamic vinegar & olive oil

Directions:
1. Combine the soy sauce, honey, olive oil, lime juice, garlic cloves, hot sauce, red pepper flakes and cilantro in a small bowl.

2. Put the chicken in a large resealable plastic bag or dish and pour the marinade over it. Let it marinate for at least 1 hour. (I cut it into strips before marinating.)

3. Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side or until the juices run clear. Slice into strips. ( I cooked it on the stove.)

4. Prepare the salad - put as many spinach leaves as you want on a plate, then top with sliced strawberries (I omitted), feta cheese, chicken, and a drizzle of both olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Chinese Chicken Salad

I saw a picture of a Chinese chicken salad and wanted to make one. I decided that I would make it my way and this is what I came up with. The chicken mixture is also yummy over rice.

For this recipe I used the stir-fry seasoning packet and dressing below:

Chinese Chicken Salad:

2 large chicken breasts
1 green bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper (can also use red or yellow)
1 small onion
Lettuce
Fried Chinese noodles
Optional: Sesame seeds

Cube chicken and cook in pan till brown. Follow directions on stir fry seasoning packet. Once chicken mix is ready plate lettuce, top with chicken and noodles. Lightly toast sesame seeds and sprinkle on top with dressing.

Recipe Swap: Holiday Salad with Berry Vinaigrette

It's time for another recipe swap via The Nest's What's Cooking? board. I was given Holiday Salad with Cranberry Apple Orange Vinaigrette from the blog Fried Ice and Donut Holes. I'm not usually a big fan of salads with fruit but I liked this one. I could not find frozen cranberries so I decided to use mixed berries, hence the change in the recipe name. I am not in love with the dressing but I will play around with it and tweak it more to my liking. I made a few alterations (noted below) and also added some bleu cheese crumbles to my salad. Yum!!

For the Salad:
1 container Mixed Greens (used baby spinach)
1 Apple, cored and chopped (used 1/2 of a green and 1/2 of a red)
1 Pear, cored and chopped (used 1/2)
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries (used a dried cranberry and honey roasted pecan mix)
1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts, lightly toasted (used pecans)
1/4 cup Pepita Seeds, optional (I did not use)
Dressing (recipe to follow)

For the Dressing:
1 cup Cranberries, fresh or frozen (used frozen mix-strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon Fresh Orange Juice
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste

In a medium pot, heat the berries, syrup, and vinegar over medium heat until the berries burst, about 7-10 minutes. Slightly cool the cranberry mixture and place in a blender along with the rest of the ingredients, except the salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add the salt and pepper, to taste. Blend again, then adjust the other ingredients to taste, if necessary. Place in the fridge to chill. Keep in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 7 days.

Thanksgiving Part One

First, a few images of my beautiful table. I have been collecting my china since I was a little girl. It is Adrienne by Noritake. It is discontinued so it is hard to find, and when you do find it it is expensive. A few good ebay finds have helped me almost complete my quest for a table setting for 12. I found gold rimed wine and beverage glasses from Ross. Each were a set of 12 for $10!

You can't tell but I bought mini leaf cookie cutters, spray painted them gold and used them for napkin rings. The silver was passed down to me from my grandmother. I had never polished silver before and never want to again! Mini pumpkins and gourds finished off my table decor.

I gave each of my guests a favor box with a home made cinnamon scented candle inside. The favors also doubled as a place card. A friend of mine teased me about this saying it was like I was planning a wedding. Well, I am a wedding planner!

A few more shots of my table. It was so long that we had to eat in the living room!

Ok, and now on to the food. As to not make this the longest post ever I will break it up into several posts. I am going to do the appetizer and salad first. Both were amazing.

Hot Artichoke Dip (from Allrecipes):

2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
1 tablespoon chopped pimento peppers

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish. Blend together the cheese, mayonnaise and whipping cream. Stir in the artichokes, green onions and pimentos. Mix well, and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned.

Harvest Salad (from Allrecipes):

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 bunch spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons red raspberry jam (with seeds)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup walnut oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Arrange walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in oven for 5 minutes, or until nuts begin to brown. In a large bowl, toss together the spinach, walnuts, cranberries, blue cheese, tomatoes, avocado, and red onion. In a small bowl, whisk together jam, vinegar, walnut oil, pepper, and salt. Pour over the salad just before serving, and toss to coat.