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Posts tagged ‘feta’

Jul 10

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Blackberry Spinach Salad with Lemon Thyme Chicken & Blackberry Vinaigrette

For three weeks now, I’ve been crazy over local blackberries! They are so tasty on their own, I rarely have enough left to make something fun! So, this week I bought two pints instead of one.  Oh the possibilities!  Fruit crisp, muffins, pie… oh my!

I love summer berries as dessert, but I actually prefer to keep it simple.  Think smoothies, berries + yogurt + drizzle of honey = YUM!  I want the star of the show to be fresh fruit.  I also picked up some first of the season peaches at the market this week, so I certainly see smoothies in my near future! This weekend though, these HUGE blackberries went into a main entrée summer salad.

Step One: Lemon Thyme Chicken
If you are in a hurry and already have leftover chicken on hand, use it! But I really love my lemon thyme herb pot; I think it has a nice light summer flavor.

Season chicken breasts to taste with the following:

Salt and Freshly ground pepper
Paprika (for color!)
Fresh Lemon Thyme
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used 1/2 a lemon for 3 breasts)

Bake at 325* F until juices run clear.  I would have loved to grill these, but, we haven’t invested in a grill yet.  If you try it be sure to let me know how it is!  I actually over cooked our chicken a little because I forgot about it.  Set a timer if you need to.

Step Two: Blackberry Vinaigrette

Okay, so this step is a bit messy, and not for those of you in a hurry.  But – it sure was worth it!

Ingredients: (these are estimates, I didn’t actually measure anything, so go by taste!)

1 Pint Blackberries
1/4 cup red onion
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp. honey
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar ( I also used Pear infused Vinegar)
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

  1. Using a food processor, puree pint of blackberries.
  2. Here’s where it gets messy, using a mesh sieve (or piece of nylon) strain the blackberry juice from the pulp and seeds.  Take your time and wear an apron.  Set juice aside.
  3. Rinse out food processor.  Pulse red onions garlic, honey and vinegar.  Add blackberry juice and olive oil, process.
  4. Transfer to serving container.  A jelly jar works fine.
Step Three: Assemble
Here is where it all comes together.  The flavor combination is salty, fresh, sweet, and bright.  The texture is crunchy from walnuts, creamy from feta, and juicy from blackberries.
Ingredients:
Organic Baby Spinach
Sliced Lemon Thyme Chicken
Toasted Walnuts
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Fresh Blackberries
Blackberry Vinaigrette
QUESTION: How do you include fresh berries into your summer meals?

May 29

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Memorial Day Weekend Pasta Salad

I’ve been a bit neglectful lately.  This blog, Facebook, and twitter have been my victims.  First it was a period of writers block and lack of creativity/inspiration in the kitchen.  Then it seem’s life just got busy.  I drove to Roanoke for 2 days of dietary leadership training (which was fantastic by the way!).  Then last weekend I went home for a family wedding (congrats Kelly and Andy!).  While visiting, I made some yummy rhubarb apple bread for the family.   No matter how enjoyable the trip, traveling ALWAYS wears me out.  I’ve also been working occasionally on the weekends, which is my designated blog writing, cooking, Michelle time, time.  But enough is enough! It’s Memorial Day weekend and I owe you a recipe!

The other day at the grocery store I bought I magazine.  I never magazines, at least not anymore.  It always seems like there are more ads than content, and with the internet available, they have become obsolete.  Still, this one grabbed my attention.  As we waited in line I flipped through the pages to find recipe after recipe, step by step instructions, and beautiful photography.  I had to buy it and I’m glad I did.

But of course the recipe I made from the magazine, Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad with Mint, Cucumber and Feta, is available for your viewing pleasure online.  We are having BBQ chicken tonight and I know this salad will make a great side dish.  Need a last-minute dish to pass for your Memorial Day get together?  Try this!

In my inpatient way, I couldn’t wait until dinner to try this salad, so here are my thoughts.  The recipe calls for 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil.  In my opinion, this is WAY too much, I’d suggest scaling back to 2 TBS to start.  Also, while the mint was good, I actually think this would be even better with fresh dill for a greek salad of sorts (maybe some scallions or onions too?).  If you’re not a huge fan of feta cheese, dial it back to 1/2 or 2/3 cup.  Add a nice size pinch of black pepper, dice the cucumber small, and finally, don’t over-cook the pasta!

Well there you have it!  Have you been having fun this weekend?  What are you eating? Do you have day off tomorrow or do you have to work like me?  I have to tell you, while I love living in Williamsburg, It gets pretty crazy around here with tourists during the holiday weekend!  I did my grocery shopping early this morning, and I’ll be staying in for the rest of the day!  Happy Holiday!

Last Year: Memorial Day Morning Glory Muffins