Chopped salad with raspberry vinaigrette

I was sad when Elijah stopped taking naps. We were very lucky, however, to get FIVE YEARS of consistent naps out of him. When he stopped napping, that meant that I had to stop napping, too. So today, while Sammy is napping (lucky), Elijah and I are doing our usual afternoon Quiet Time. QT typically involves Elijah playing games on his computer, while I attempt to get work done. Have I mentioned that this boy loves to talk? And that it is really difficult to get work done when he is talk-talk-talking? And so I ask for your patience with this post, as I am not sure it will make much sense. I am typing while simultaneously trying to explain the difference between "mussels" and "muscles." 

I made this salad for a family meal a few weeks ago, and everyone particularly loved the dressing. It is incredible! I love it almost as much as I love napping. 

This recipe makes a very large batch, so cut back on ingredients if you want a smaller one.

SALAD

In a large bowl, toss together:

12 cups assorted salad greens, rinsed and broken into small pieces

1 cup of pecans, candied and chopped

1/2 cup dried cherries

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

2 avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped

1/4 of a red onion, sliced

1 cup feta cheese crumbles

DRESSING

In a small bowl, whisk together:

1/4 cup raspberry jam

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste.

Cover and refrigerate both bowls until ready to serve. Just before serving, pour the dressing into the salad bowl and toss until coated.

Printable recipe: Chopped salad with raspberry vinaigrette

Chopped salad with grapes and mint

This is Week #17 of my 2011 cooking challenge! Click on the above graphic to view all P&TC recipes. All recipes created for this challenge come from the Food and Wine Annual Cookbook 2010: An Entire Year of Recipes.

I made this chopped salad on Sunday and I have had it for lunch every day since. Well, except for yesterday when I met my husband for sushi only to return to work to find that roasted chicken, glazed carrots and mashed potatoes had been brought in by the company. My intention was to take just a teeny sampling of the food because, goodness, I had just eaten lunch. But my "sampling" turned into an entire heaping plate of food, which I had no problem stuffing into my face. Then someone said to me, "You have to try the carrot cake!" I do? Ok. So I tried the carrot cake. And then my belly hurt until dinner, which I wasn't at all hungry for.

So aside from that ridiculous double-lunching day, I have been enjoying this salad for my lunches all week. It's the absolute perfect lunch, packed with flavor and nutrients and it didn't leave me feeling either hungry or full. I'm pretty sure I emptied the salad bowl this morning, so tomorrow I'll be back to Ramen noodles. Wooo.

In a large bowl, combine:

1 heart of romaine, coarsely chopped

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 cup corn kernels

1 cup diced cooked chicken (I used meat from a Rotisserie chicken)

1/2 cup green grapes, halved

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Toss all ingredients together and serve!

By the way, I combined the ingredients for the dressing separately since I knew I would be eating the salad over the course of a few days.

I loved it! Totally delicious!

Click here for a printable recipe!