Monday, March 7, 2016

TEX-MEX CHICKEN SALAD with Massaged kale, strawberry, black beans & pepitas

TEX-MEX CHICKEN SALAD

Massaged kale, strawberry, black beans & pepitas

INGREDIENTS

2 (6-ounce) organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
5 large leaves organic green kale, destemmed 
1 cup 0rganic strawberries 
1 (15-ounce) can 0rganic black beans 
Organic black bean seasoning 
1 ½ ounces organic feta cheese, crumbled (D)
1 ½ tablespoons organic pepitas 
2- 3 large organic radishes, trimmed 
Organic jalapeño agave dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Massage kale

    1
    MASSAGE KALE

    Preheat grill pan over medium-high heat. Preheat oven to 375 (see Step 5). Thinly slice kale and place in a large bowl. Add dressing and massage into kale. Allow to sit at room temperature. Wash strawberries and remove green tops. Thinly slice. Halve radishes. Thinly slice, flat-side down. Add radishes and strawberries to salad.
  • Season black beans

    2
    SEASON BLACK BEANS

    Open, drain, and rinse black beans. Place in a small bowl. Add black bean seasoning and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat; set aside.
    • Toast pepitas

      3
      TOAST PEPITAS

      Place pepitas in a large, dry sauté pan. Toast over medium heat, shaking pan continuously, 2 minutes or until pepitas become fragrant. Remove from heat; add pepitas to kale.
    • Season chicken

      4
      SEASON CHICKEN

      Salt and pepper both sides of chicken. Rub with about ½ teaspoon olive oil. Place on preheated grill pan. If you do not have a grill pan, heat about 1 tablespoon oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
      • Cook chicken

        5
        COOK CHICKEN

        Grill chicken on first side 3 minutes, then use tongs to flip. If sautéeing, cook 3 minutes, then flip and place in preheated oven. Cook in oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of breast. Skip to Step 7.
      • Flip & rotate

        6
        FLIP & ROTATE

        Grill on second side 3 minutes. Flip back over to first side while rotating breast 90 degrees to create grill marks. Cook 3 more minutes. Flip and rotate once more, cooking 3 more minutes.
        • Finish chicken

          7
          FINISH CHICKEN

          Chicken is done when no longer pink in the thickest part, internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, and juices run clear. Allow to rest for a few minutes, then slice each breast into 4-5 pieces.
        • Plate your dish

          8
          PLATE YOUR DISH

          Add strawberries, radishes, seasoned black beans, and feta cheese to kale; toss to coat. Taste for seasoning; add salt and pepper, if desired. Divide kale salad between plates and top each salad with a sliced chicken breast. Enjoy!

QUINOA & SPINACH FRITTERS with Chickpea, tomato & olive salad, herb-yogurt sauce

QUINOA & SPINACH FRITTERS

Chickpea, tomato & olive salad, herb-yogurt sauce


INGREDIENTS

Organic seasoned quinoa 
organic egg (E)
3 ½ loosely packed cups organic baby spinach 
Organic garlic & red onion 
organic lemon 
1 ½ ounces 0rganic feta cheese (D)
¼ cup organic bread crumbs (W)
Organic herb-yogurt sauce 
Organic chickpeas & black olives 
whole wheat pita 
1 cup organic grape tomatoes

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Cook quinoa

    1
    COOK QUINOA

    Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bring 1 cup lightly salted water to a boil in a small pot. Peel three long strips of zest from lemon, avoiding bitter white pith. Add seasoned quinoa and zest to boiling water. Return to a boil; stir. Cover. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 16 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender.
  • Prep spinach

    2
    PREP SPINACH

    Meanwhile, roughly chop baby spinach. Mince garlic. Heat about 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add baby spinach to hot pan; stir. Cook 1 minute. Add garlic and stir. Cook 1 minute, or until spinach wilts. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl.
    • Season yogurt sauce

      3
      SEASON YOGURT SAUCE

      Halve lemon; squeeze juice of half lemon into herb-yogurt sauce, avoiding seeds. Stir to combine.
    • Start fritter mix

      4
      START FRITTER MIX

      Crack egg into bowl with spinach. Whisk with a fork to combine. Add bread crumbs. Mix thoroughly. Set aside.
      Pro Tip: The bread crumbs will absorb moisture from the egg and spinach; this allows it to mix with the quinoa.
      • Make salad

        5
        MAKE SALAD

        Halve grape tomatoes. Remove black olives from chickpeas; roughly chop. Place chickpeas in a medium bowl. Cut root end off red onion; remove peel. Small dice into about ¼-inch pieces. Add tomatoes, olives, and onion to bowl. Squeeze juice of half lemon over salad to taste. Add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat.
      • Make fritters

        6
        MAKE FRITTERS

        Remove lemon zest from quinoa; discard. Add quinoa to bowl with spinach and bread crumbs. Crumble in feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until fully incorporated. Form mix into four fritters, about ¾-inch thick. Transfer fritters to a foil-lined baking sheet. Place in refrigerator. Chill 5 minutes.
        • Cook fritters

          7
          COOK FRITTERS

          Meanwhile, place whole wheat pita directly on oven rack. Bake 5-6 minutes, or until toasted. Wipe out pan used for spinach and return to stovetop over medium-high heat. Add about 2 tablespoons cooking oil. Place fritters in hot pan. Cook 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crispy.
        • Plate your dish

          8
          PLATE YOUR DISH

          Cut pita into eight pieces. Pile chickpea salad on each plate. Shingle four pita slices on side of salad. Place two quinoa-spinach fritters on top of salad. Spoon herb-yogurt sauce over fritters. Enjoy!