Lately I created a salad I just can't get enough of, so of course I had to share it here!  We've been harvesting 3 1/2 to 4 lbs every 3 days (although it's starting to wind down now) and I love strawberries in salads with a vinaigrette dressing.  I started thinking of creating a recipe for chipolte chicken to contrast with the sweet of the strawberries, and I'm so glad I did.


I started making my own salad dressing recently after realizing one of the best ways to get Omega 3 oils in your diet is in salad dressing (and pasta sauces) but even the organic dressings use soybean or canola oil.  Say what?  What a loss opportunity I thought, since your not suppose to heat olive oil (it goes rancid easily which is bad for your health) it's one of the few easy ways to add it to your diet.  I also learned in the book Body Ecology that raw organic unfiltered apple cider is great for you so I often make mine with that, but I decided to use raspberry balsamic vinegar for this recipe instead.  I thought the flavors would blend better.

I love making my own dressing!  It's so easy I feel like a chump for ever buying any.  I love that I don't have to wait to finish a bottle to try a new flavor or take up the space in our fridge.  Please make the dressing it's so easy it'd be a sham if you didn't.  Trust me if you don't make your own dressing just try it, you'll be surprised how easy it is and so much better for you!

Balsamic Berry Chipotle Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients 

• any organic salad mix you like (about 8 cups)
• 1-2 cups organic chopped strawberries (or organic raspberries)
• 1 small onion chopped and caramelized
• 1 lb chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon of ground chipolte chilli
• 1 tablespoon of ground garlic
• salt and freshly ground black pepper(to taste)

1. You can prepare the chicken one of two ways.  Way #1: (the slower chill way) put the chicken thighs in a covered dish in the oven at 300-325 degrees (depending on how long you want it to cook), until it reads 165 degrees.  Let sit for 10 min, then chop up the cooked chicken into inch chunks.  Way #2: (the I need lunch or dinner in a hurry way) chop up chicken into about 1 inch pieces. and  cook on the stove top in a saute pan until thoroughly cooked.  I usually do the oven method because I hate touching raw chicken and that way I don't need to watch it so closely on the stove.
2. Place chopped onion and a pinch of salt into a skillet and cook until caramelized
3. In a small bowl mix 1 tablespoon of chipolte chilli, 1 tablespoon of garlic, salt and pepper to taste.  Then mix the spice mix into your chopped chicken pieces and toss
4. Put 8 cups of salad mix (or your favorite green washed, died and chopped, I used our spinach and store bought organic romaine) into a large bowl.  Make the salad dressing below and toss into greens.
5. Top with chipolte chicken, onions, and fresh organic sliced strawberries.  You can also top with walnuts, cheese, or seeds (I like raw sunflower and pumpkin seeds).

Raspberry  Balsamic Vinegar Dressing 
Ingredients

• 1 part raspberry balsamic vinegar to
• 3 parts extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl place 1 part raspberry balsamic vinegar to 3 parts extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  
2. Wisk with a fork quickly and then pour immediately (Or place all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake to combine.) 
3. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

©Minneapolis Homestead www.theurbanhomestaed.blogspot.com All rights reserved. Photos and content cannot be reproduced