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Strawberry, Goat Cheese, Avocado, Arugula Salad with Beer Brined Chicken and Limoncello Poppyseed Dressing

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I was given an opportunity to try The Produce Box free and all opinions are my own.  Strawberry, Goat Cheese, Avocado, Arugula Salad with Beer Brined Chicken and Limoncello Poppyseed Dressing 

 

Strawberry, Goat Cheese, Avocado Arugula Salad with Beer Brined Chicken and Limoncello Poppyseed Dressing

 

Did y’all have a wonderful weekend and Mother’s Day?  We certainly did, which is why I’m a little late to the party this week.  Speaking of parties, we are rolling out this week in style with a double boozy strawberry and goat cheese salad.  Now, I know a strawberry and goat cheese salad isn’t the most original idea on the planet and there are many delicious recipes out there.

 

Strawberry, Goat Cheese, Avocado Arugula Salad with Beer Brined Chicken and Limoncello Poppyseed Dressing

 

So I added my own boozy style and twist to an old classic.  I took some of NoDa Brewing Company’s CAVU Blonde Ale and brined a couple of chicken breasts.  I chose CAVU because it’s a delicious summery beer with tropical fruit and citrus notes that makes it the perfect complement to a chicken and strawberry salad with limoncello dressing.  Trust me.

Trivia tip: CAVU is a flight term that means Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited and one of the brewery owners is an experienced pilot.  How cool is that?!?!

 

Strawberry, Goat Cheese, Avocado Arugula Salad with Beer Brined Chicken and Limoncello Poppyseed Dressing

 

Next I grabbed a bottle of limoncello and whipped up a perfect dressing to finish off this salad. Again. Trust me.  I’m not exactly sure what in tarnation made me put limoncello in salad dressing, but the angels started singing.  Ok.  Maybe I hit the bottle and imagined the angels, but either way it’s a game changer.

 

Strawberry, Goat Cheese, Avocado Arugula Salad with Beer Brined Chicken and Limoncello Poppyseed Dressing

 

Of course, I’m always inspired by beer and all things boozy, but this time the salad inspiration came from some beautiful strawberries and everything else fell into place.  As a member of the Charlotte Food Bloggers, I was lucky enough to receive a free trial from the kind people at The Produce Box. The Produce Box is delivers fresh local produce and specialty items, such as meats, cheeses, and breads all over North Carolina.

Remember when I said I was up to my eyeballs in strawberries?!?!?!  I ordered some in my produce box then my garden exploded with strawberries!  I certainly had enough to share, but I was on a mission to keep the birds from making a habit of dining on my berries!  There were many shenanigans happening over here from pounding on the windows, to garden hoses, to running and hand waving.  Needless to say, expect a few more strawberry dishes.  I’ll also be sharing another recipe later this week from The Produce Box contents.

 

Strawberry, Goat Cheese, Avocado Arugula Salad with Beer Brined Chicken and Limoncello Poppyseed Dressing

 

I’ve got to go watch Dancing With the Stars now, so I hope y’all have a fantastic week!

 

Strawberry, Goat Cheese, Avocado Arugula Salad with Beer Brined Chicken and Limoncello Poppyseed Dressing
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Strawberry, Goat Cheese, Avocado, Arugula Salad with Beer Brined Chicken and Limoncello Poppyseed Dressing

Ingredients

  • 2 Chicken Breasts
  • 1 16 ounce can of beer - I used NoDa Brewing Company's CAVU Blonde Ale because it has fruit and citris notes to complement the chicken and the salad
  • 2 cups strawberries hulled and quartered
  • 1 avocado removed from shell, pitted, and sliced
  • 1/2-3/4 cup sliced almonds toasted
  • 4 ounces goat cheese crumbled
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • a few pinches salt
  • a few pinches pepper
  • a few pinches garlic powder
  • 6-8 cups arugula

For the Dressing

  • 1/2 small shallot diced
  • 4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon poppyseeds
  • 3 tablespoons Limoncello
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Combine chicken and beer in a zipper bag or container with a lid, refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour
  2. Meanwhile make the dressing by combining all ingredients to a mason jar, cover with the lid and shake vigorously, set aside
  3. Remove chicken from the beer brine and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet
  4. Discard beer brine - sadly, you can't drink it now
  5. Sprinkle chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper
  6. Broil chicken for 6-8 minutes each side, or until the internal temperature is 160 in the thickest part
  7. While chicken is cooking, prepare the salad
  8. In one very large bowl or two big salad bowls, add arugula and top with strawberries, avocado, and goat cheese
  9. Top with chicken and almonds
  10. Serve with dressing


Full Disclosure:  NoDa Brewing Company did not sponsor this post.  I just really love them and their beer!

 

 

Strawberry, Goat Cheese, Avocado Arugula Salad with Beer Brined Chicken and Limoncello Poppyseed Dressing

Summer Cold Corn Soup

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So we’ve had these little talks about my food blogger weight gain, button blowing, and (hopfully) losing weight by making better food choices during the week.  Basically, I’ve been trying to exhibit some self control and eat only plant based foods during the week while allowing some flexibility on the weekend.

Here is a random piece of advice: do not eat vegan during the week and then on Saturday have a hot dog, brisket, mac n’ cheese and potato chips.  Trust me.  Cheat if you will, but not all at once. Draw your own conclusions.  That’s all I’m going to say about that.

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We wouldn’t be talking about this if Jennifer hadn’t bullied me into confessing.  Don’t get me wrong – I think a vegan lifestyle is great.  I just don’t have the kind of will power to sustain it. Seiously. I have zero self-control. None.  CHEEEEEEEZE!

 

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I actually was a pretty hard-core vegan for about three years before I went to law school.  A stressed out law student doing a weekly 3 hour commute each way from Charlotte to Buies Creek, NC with a kid and one Food Lion did not make for vegan friendly eats.  We talked about the slippery slope into mac ‘n cheese.  I don’t feel the need to confess to that again.  Please still be my friend.

 

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Soooo, I have all these vegan and raw cookbooks that I absolutely love to read because the pictures are stunning and they make me want to eat better. I’ve been going through them recently and making some of the recipes that look fun, delicious, and/or interesting.  This is a raw cold corn soup that I adapted from one of the raw food cookbooks on my shelf.

 

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It’s the perfect summer don’t want to be fat anymore cold sweet refreshing soup.  If you have a dehydrator and approximately 2.6785 hours of your life to dehydrate corn, go for it.  Seriously, be all you can be.  Me?  Nope.  I sent Chris up to the 200000000 degree attic to fetch my food dehydrator and when I saw the amount of cleaning necessary – full disclosure – I said a big oh hell no!  So we went with raw corn, heart of palm, and avocado garnishes up in here.

It was delicious.

Adapted from Raw by Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein

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Summer Cold Corn Soup

Ingredients

  • 3 cups fresh corn with a handful of reserved for garnish - I used 4 cobs and sliced off the corn
  • 2 cups filtered water
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 avocado diced
  • 3-4 pieces of heart of palm diced

Instructions

  1. Combine corn and water in a food processor (or high speed blender) and puree until smooth (ish)
  2. Season with salt and pepper to taste
  3. Transfer to a fine mesh sieve and strain into a serving bowl
  4. Garnish with heart of palm and avocado
  5. Serve chilled or at room temperature

Note:  I do not possess a fancy pants high speed blender, so I used my food processor.  If you have such a fancy machine, you may not need to run your soup through a sieve.

Grilled Swordfish with Summer Fruit Salsa

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What’s up butter cup?  How is your week going?

 

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You know that we’re trying to lighten things up over here.  It’s a necessity.  Trust me.  This is a dish I made a couple of weeks ago before I took the plunge into the weekday vegan I’m so fat plan and hope to lose weight commitment.

Don’t get me wrong – I was hoping to lose some pounds then.   But seriously, I had to resort to more drastic measures when I ran out of clothes that fit.

 

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Phew.  Thanks for letting me get that out.  The weekday vegan plan is going well and I’m happy to report that I lost almost 4 LUBS last week.  Woot!  My pants still don’t fit, but we are well on our way and I’m so dang relieved to have lost a few!  I think all the fruit and veggies are generally making me feel better too!

 

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Swordfish was on sale at the Teeter, so we picked up a couple of filets.  I hadn’t planned beyond making Chris cook his own dinner politely asking Chris to throw them on the grill. Then I remembered all the fruit I had on hand and decided we needed to use it up before it turned to slime and my fridge went into the land of disgusting.  So I threw it all together and made this summery tropical fruity salsa business.

 

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I’m still having a bit of trouble with my pants, but things are improving and I’m glad we had this little talk.

 

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Grilled Swordfish with Summer Fruit Salsa

Ingredients

  • 2 swordfish filets
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 peaches peeled, pitted, and roughly cut into chunks
  • 1 avocado pitted and roughly cut into chunks
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 serrano or jalapeno pepper sliced, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat grill or oven to 350
  2. Salt and pepper swordfish according to taste
  3. Put swordfish filets on a wood grill board that has been soaked in water for 2 hours or into a baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray
  4. Cook on grill or bake in oven for about 10 minutes
  5. Add peaches, avocado, blueberries, lime juice, and pepper if using, to a bowl and toss to combine
  6. Transfer cooked swordfish to plates and top with salsa

Grilled Radicchio and Romaine Salad with Grilled Shrimp and Mango Dressing

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Grab your tongs and get your grill on!

 

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I’ve been grilling and putting beer in everything I can get my hands on lately.  There is no beer in this post, but stay tuned – there are some beer dishes and brewing posts coming very soon.  For now, how ’bout we just grill up a salad.

 

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I’ve been totally obsessed with mangoes lately too.  Which is weird – I have never been a big fan of the mango.  I didn’t grill them, but I did add one to the salad and tossed another one in the blender to make not one, but two salad dressings.

 

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Yeah – a hers and his because that’s the way we roll around here – some of us like it spicy and some of us are weenies.

 

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I’ll leave it to you to figure out who is who.

 

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Happy weekend, Y’all!

 

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Grilled Radicchio and Romaine Salad with Grilled Shrimp and Mango Dressing

Ingredients

For the Shrimp and Marinade

  • 1 lemon both juice and zest
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic minced, grated, or pressed
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon DIjon mustard
  • 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp

For the Dressing

  • 1 mango peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced, grated, or pressed
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 red chili pepper
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Salad

  • 1 head radicchio cut into quarters or eighths - depending how big
  • 8-10 asparagus stalks
  • 1 head romaine halved or a package of romaine pre-washed and separated
  • 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 mango peeled, pitted, and cubed
  • 1 avocado peeled, pitted, and sliced

Instructions

For the Shrimp and Marinade

  1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a zip top bag
  2. Add shrimp, seal, and refrigerate for 1 hour

For the Dressing

  1. Combine all ingredients except the water in a blender and blend until smooth
  2. Use water to thin 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency
  3. I removed about half the dressing into a Mason jar then threw the chili pepper into the blender with the remaining dressing and blended until somewhat smooth

For the Salad

  1. Heat grill or grill pan on high, lightly coat with cooking spray
  2. Toss radicchio, asparagus, and romaine in olive oil and salt to taste
  3. Add radicchio and asparagus to hot grill or grill pan and grill for 3-4 minutes, depending on size, turning radicchio 1-2 times and asparagus every minute or so
  4. Remove from grill to a platter and tent with foil
  5. Remove shrimp from marinade into a bowl, discard marinade
  6. Add shrimp to grill or grill pan, cook in 2 -3 batches if you don't have enough room to do all at once (I did 2 batches) about 2 minutes on one side and flip, cook another minute or so, depending on size - remove slightly before they are done and put on plate and lightly cover with foil tent, repeat with the rest of the shrimp
  7. Grill romaine - a couple of minutes if using a whole head split in half, about 1 minute for single leaves
  8. Add romaine and asparagus to the platter with the radicchio, arrange avocado and mango on same platter and toss shrimp and any juices from the plate over the top
  9. Serve with dressing

Notes:

  • Here is the deal on the divided dressing – I do not like spicy food, but for Chris – the hotter the better!.   I usually end up dividing things up and adding a bunch of spice to one and leaving the other without.  That’s what I did here.  I split up the dressing and added a chili pepper for Chris.  I seeded it and he said he would have like more heat, so use your own judgment.
  • You can also add more dried cayenne pepper to the shrimp marinade.  I could taste it and Chris could not, so it really depends on your tolerance.  For a scale – I have none and Chris is off the charts spicy man.

Update:  For some reason I must have lost my mind and in the recipe had only 2 tablespoons of olive oil. It now reads 1/4 cup and depending on your taste could be 1/3.  Also, salt and pepper to your preferences.

Lobster Salad

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Is there a food or meal that just transports you back in time or to a place in the distant or not so distant past?  For me it’s lobster.  If I see lobster I’m immediately time-traveling to summer circa 1982 (ish) and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  My dad took us there for summer vacation when I was about 11 or 12, Molly 2 years younger, and Katie was just a chubby toddler running around in diapers.

 

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My dad and another family went in together on what seemed to me at the time an enormous Cape Cod style beach house, windows and all.  It had a ton of rooms, a huge living room, sandy yards, and a massive front porch.

 

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One afternoon the dads showed up with a cooler full of fresh lobsters and mussels.  I thought the lobsters looked a bit creepy and wasn’t sure who would ever want to eat “muscles,” but it turned out to be one of the most delicious and memorable meals of my life.  Maybe it was the fact that it was all as fresh as it could be and we were on a beach vacation.  Maybe it’s just nostalgia and the way I remember it and the other memories from that vacation.

 

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I remember being crammed into the back seat of a small car with my two sisters and riding for what seemed like days to get there.  I remember that during the long long time ago car ride I heard Don McClean’s classic American Pie for the first time and how we all sang along.  Well, all of us except Katie, since she hadn’t really learned to talk yet – she has since made up for that.  If you’re familiar with this song, you will understand how a couple of kids would be able to sing along to it while experiencing it for the first time.  If you’re not familiar with American Pie (the song not the movie that refers so much to band camp), please stop making me feel old, invest almost 10 minutes of your life, and go check it out.

 

That song remains my all time favorite to this day.

 

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I remember floating in Cape Cod Bay on a raft and getting bit by a crab or some other creature I didn’t want to know about.  This is probably the reason I turned into a weenie and am now afraid to swim in natural water.

 

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And then there was Katie who ripped off her diaper and planted her bare self in the beer cooler full of icy water. She swam around in there and giggled her little head off.  Katie now is the mother of 5 year old TRIPLETS.  Oh my.

 

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When the thought came to me for a lobster salad, it immediately became 1982 (ish).  I was on the big rental house porch in Cape Cod watching my youngest sister skinny dipping in the beer cooler as sounds of American Pie sang in my head.  I was transported back in time to when I was just a kid with no worries.  Life was simpler and summer vacations were full of new discoveries.

 

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I invite you to make your favorite time-travel dish, pour a glass of wine, and meet me on the front porch.  I want to hear all about what makes it so memorable and what special place it takes you to.

 

 

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Lobster Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 Entree or 4 Sides

Ingredients

For the Salad

  • One head of romaine cleaned and chopped or torn into bite size pieces
  • 4 sweet campari tomatoes quartered (halved cherry or grape would be fine too - use as many as you like)
  • 1/2 avocado cut into small to medium chunks (you will use half in the salad and half in the dressing)
  • 8 oz cooked peeled, frozen, and thawed lobster tails (1-2 fresh tails would be better; shrimp, crab claws, or scallops would be a good substitute)

For the Dressing

  • 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves pressed
  • 2.5 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 medium avocado cut into medium to large chunks
  • 1 lemon zested and juice from half
  • salt to taste and pepper if you prefer
  • 2-4 tablespoons water to thin

Instructions

  1. Arrange romaine in a large bowl and top with tomatoes
  2. Add vinegar, olive oil, pressed garlic, honey, 1/2 avocado, lemon zest and juice to a blender and puree until smooth.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste and use water to thin if necessary or desired, blend until consistency you like
  4. Toss avocado to top of salad and add lobster or whatever shellfish you are using
  5. Drizzle with dressing
  6. Serve immediately

Note: This was enough to make an entree easily for 2 people or 4 sides, but I ate the whole thing myself.

Roasted Beet and Avocado Bruschetta Salad with Candied Grape Tomatoes and Gorgonzola Vinaigrette

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Home renovations.

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Need I say more?  We have been doing one thing or another around here since last summer. And that’s just on the inside.  Don’t get me started on the new fence coming.

 

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I’m about over it.  We have 4 big dogs, no grass, and tile floors are a necessity.  When we pulled out all the carpet many years ago we kept carpet in the bedrooms.

Big mistake.  Big. Huge.  I have to go shopping now.

 

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Name that movie.

 

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We are having the rest of the rooms tiled this week and they’re supposed to start Monday.  The rooms that should have been done a long long time ago.

 

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Name that song.

 

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That means that we had to spend the weekend moving furniture.  I totally had to throw a hissy fit put my foot down and say two rooms at a time.  Guest room and office first.  Then we can put the furniture back in the guestroom and relocate there while the master and dog rooms are done.

 

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Which means that the majority of our furniture is now in our living and dining rooms and I may have broken my hip, got a hernia, and dislocated my elbow.  Awesome.

 

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So as usual.  Does this crazy rant information have anything remotely to do with Roasted Beet Bruschetta, Avocado and Candied Tomatoes Salad with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette?

 

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Of course not.

 

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But I think you know me enough by now to have figured that out.

 

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Roasted Beet and Avocado Bruschetta Salad with Candied Grape Tomatoes and Gorgonzola Vinaigrette

Ingredients

For the Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup tarragon infused white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup basil infused olive oil
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the Salad

  • 3 large beets
  • 12-15 grape tomatoes halved
  • 2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 or 2 avocados diced
  • 4-6 slices bread French, Italian, baguette, etc.
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2-3 cups Arugula

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400
  2. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a Mason Jar, cover tightly with lid, and shake
  3. Add beets to a foil lined baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until fork tender, cool slightly to handle
  4. Add tomatoes to a separate baking sheet covered with parchment paper, generously sprinkle sugar over each one, stick in the oven with the beets and bake 10-12 minutes, set aside
  5. When the beets are cool enough to handle, rub the skin off with a towel or peel with a paring knife, cut into a large dice
  6. Turn on oven broiler
  7. Drizzle toast with olive oil, add to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and broil until toasted, 5-7 minutes
  8. Toss a few handfuls of Arugula on a platter, sprinkle the candied tomatoes around the outside, and arrange the toast pieces in the center.
  9. Top the toast pieces with beets and avocado, drizzle with the dressing
  10. To serve just transfer the toast pieces to plates and top with the salad.
  11. Note: This recipe is super easy and can be adapted for size and taste. I only used 1 avocado when I made this but wished I had another.
  12. Note: If you don't have infused vinegar and/or olive oil just use the plain stuff and add some dried seasonings.