It’s finally Summer… time to gear up for some Outdoor Grilling and Barbeque Parties! The weather is way too hot this year in St. Louis with occasional heat waves and so I’m just holding off from my outdoor grill dreams for a few more days, hoping the climate gets better soon. Till then, let’s chill…

Ok, so let’s talk about this Salad now! The “Simplest All-Season Salad” would be the right caption to describe this recipe. Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion and pan seared chicken in a creamy avocado sauce… makes it a delicious bowl in no time. The preparation is even quicker if you are using cooked chicken. Pan searing it actually allows you to cook the chicken directly and skip any pre-prep marination process, thereby saving time too.

And did I mention about the sauce? It’s the Best Flavorful Creamy Sauce ever! I am a big fan of avocado and here it makes a wonderful combination with Greek yogurt, perhaps an advanced version of guacamole I can say. And if you don’t prefer to loosen/thin it out as per the recipe, then it makes a great dip too; you can top it on burrito bowls, toasts n tacos, grilled chicken/veggies… literally, on everything.

This creamy avo sauce with crunchy fresh veggies and juicy moist chicken make it a perfect weeknight filling meal…!

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!

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Pan Seared Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

Pan Seared Chicken with Garden Fresh Veggies tossed in a Creamy Avocado Dressing… Healthy & Hearty...!

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken salad, salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp onion and garlic powder
• Olive oil (as required)
• Veggies: lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion
• Salt (as required)

For the Avocado Dressing

• 1 avocado
• 1 garlic
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• cilantro leaves (a handful)
• 3-4 tbsp water (to loosen)
• Salt and pepper (as required)

Instructions

For the Avocado Dressing

• Blend together avocado, lemon juice, garlic, Greek yogurt, olive oil, cilantro, salt and pepper until smooth. Add water as needed while blending to loosen/thin the dressing to the preferred consistency.

For the Salad

• Pound the chicken breast into an even thickness using a mallet.
• Season the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika, onion and garlic powder on both sides.
• Heat a pan with olive oil on medium heat. Place the chicken breast smooth side down and cook for 6-8 minutes until it is golden brown.
• Bring down the heat to a low, flip the chicken and cook on the other side with a closed lid for 10 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and allow it to rest in the pan for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Slice the chicken and veggies, toss in avocado dressing. Serve immediately.

Notes

1. The avocado dressing can be refrigerated in an air tight container for 2-3 days.
2. To ensure that your chicken is cooked properly, the internal temperature of the chicken at its center should reach at least 165 degrees F.

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Quinoa was never on my favourite list until recently when a friend of mine prepared this recipe, and that changed my outlook to explore this wonder food. Trust me; it was a complete satisfying meal! And what threw me off was the simplicity of the dish; raw vegetables with no fancy sauces, just a simple lemon juice based dressing and it was Yumm!!

Before I indulge into the recipe, for those of you who do not know about this superfood Quinoa… it is considered as one of the healthiest food in this planet. The nutritional benefits of quinoa are endless; it’s gluten-free, high in protein (a great option for vegetarians), anti-oxidants, iron and magnesium. Quinoa cooks pretty fast than any other grains and is very easy to incorporate into your daily diet. You can add it to your salads, stir fries, and is also a healthy substitute to rice.

I have used all my favorite veggies in this salad bowl recipe. And YES, there is raw beetroot in this dish. Do you like raw beetroot? I prefer it mostly for my smoothies; check out my Beetroot Power Smoothie (its my fav!).  Beetroot is high in fiber, low in fat and high with anti-oxidants, whether it’s cooked or not.  Having raw beetroot in salad is intimidating at times, as many do not like its earthy smell. But pickling beetroot in lemon juice and salt helps to reduce its muddy taste and smell. In this salad you can use beetroot in many different ways, be it finely chopped/grated, cooked, roasted or even pickled.

Be creative, you can customize this recipe with your choice of fruits or vegetables. Adding nuts to your salad bowl provides hearty fats to your body; Almonds, Pistachios, Cashews are low calorie nuts which you can substitute for walnuts. Just keep in mind to use raw ones.

So enjoy this delicious colorful bowl of goodness!!!!

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare. Rate below if you love it…!

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Quinoa Salad Bowl

A Veggie Quinoa Bowl, loaded with Vegetables in a Zesty Cilantro Lemon Dressing… Simple, Healthy and Satisfying…!! 

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword quinoa, quinoa salad, salad

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 1 small beetroot
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 lemon
• 2 tbsp cilantro leaves (chopped)
• Walnuts (topping)
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Peel the skin of the vegetables, thoroughly wash and rinse to clean. Chop them into small bite sized pieces.
• Squeeze the lemons and add salt to it to prepare a pickle juice, soak the beetroot and carrots separately (to prevent mixing of color) in it for 4-5 hours.
• Cook quinoa according to package directions. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool for 15 mins. Fluff it with a fork.
• Prepare the dressing by mixing lemon juice, cilantro leaves, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk until smooth.
• Mix cooked quinoa with vegetables, pour the dressing, and toss to mix together. Let it stand for 30 mins.
• Top with walnuts and serve in a bowl.

Notes

1. Make sure you buy fresh beetroots and wash them thoroughly under cold water.
2. You can use beetroot in many different ways for this recipe; finely chopped, grated, cooked, roasted, or even pickled.
3. Substitute walnuts with low calorie nuts such as almonds, cashews or pistachios.

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