Grilled Chicken Salad with Parmesan Breadcrumbs

There was an interesting article in the most recent Food Network magazine that took favorite dishes and turned them into salads. This salad was created to taste like Parmesan Chicken. The recipe states that it serves 4, but I doubled it and had enough for four adults with a little left over (I guess my family eats a lot). Salads are usually a healthier option and can be doubled or tripled easily to feed a small crowd, as long as you have a large salad bowl!

Ingredients
• 1 plum tomato, halved
• 4 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, plus 2 tablespoons oil from the jar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bunch fresh basil, torn
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 8 cups Italian-blend salad greens or baby arugula
• 8 ounces bocconcini (small mozzarella balls), quartered

Directions
Preheat a grill to high. Puree the plum tomato, sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, oregano, a few basil leaves and 2 tablespoons parmesan in a blender, drizzling in the sun-dried tomato oil until smooth. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons water, if needed; season with salt and pepper. This pureed tomato mixture will act as the salad dressing so if you add extra salad greens, it is important to double this mixture as well.



Halve the chicken breasts horizontally to make four 1/4-inch-thick cutlets. Brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken until marked on the bottom, about 4 minutes, then turn and grill until cooked through, about 3 more minutes. Transfer to a cutting board.


Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon parmesan and the parsley and cook until toasted, about 1 more minute.


Toss the salad greens and remaining basil in a large bowl.


Cut the chicken into pieces and add to the greens along with the mozzarella. Toss with the dressing, and then sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.



This salad is perfect for a nice summer evening. It is a great take on Parmesan Chicken, so if you are a big fan, I suggest you try this salad.

Salad Pizza

This pizza was very good. It was a lighter, refreshing pizza. Not heavy like others, if you can believe that! When I found this recipe in the Food Network Magazine I was intrigued because normally one doesn't think to put leafy greens on a pizza, so I had to try it. It was a success and I will experiment more with leafy greens in the future.

For this pizza, you will need:
• Pizza Dough, about 1 Pound
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Thyme
• Oregano
• ¾ - 1 Cup Feta
• 6-8 Ounces Ricotta
• 4-6 Ounces Bocconcini
• 1-2 Cups Arugula
• 2 Tomatoes
• Pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly coat the pizza pan with cornmeal to prevent the dough from cooking to the pan. Press the dough into the pan until about 10-12 inches in diameter.

Top pizza dough with the olive oil, salt, thyme, oregano and the feta.


Bake until crisp and remove from the oven, about 7-9 minutes.


Spread with ricotta and top with slices of bocconcini, olive oil and salt. Bake until the cheese melts, about another 5-8 minutes. You’ll have to watch it.


Bocconcini is a fresh mozzarella that is packaged like this:


Meanwhile, toss arugula and sprinkle tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper.


Pile on top of pizza after baking. I stuck it into the oven again for another 2-3 minutes to warm the tomatoes, but that is simply what I prefer- it’s not necessary.


If you are looking for an alternative to the usual pepperoni or sausage pizzas, I encourage you to try this one. It is very easy to make and I am sure you will love it!

Note: The measurements and cooking times will vary depending on how big you decide to make your pizza.

Pizza Dough

I’m doing a theology project that requires me to be a vegetarian and not eat any sugar for three weeks. This creates a big hurdle because sugar is in everything and I love meat. I’ve been making lots of trips to Whole Foods and buying organic products with no sugar. I was craving pizza so I decided to find a pizza dough recipe with no sugar. The recipe is courtesy of Paula Deen and this dough is really easy to make and really good!

1 ¾ cup Warm Water
1 (¼ ounce) package Active Dry Yeast
2 teaspoons Salt
5 cups Bread Flour
3 tablespoons Olive Oil, plus more for bowl
Cornmeal, for pan
Desired Toppings

Measure the warm water and sprinkle the yeast on top of the water allowing it to activate, about 10 minutes. Put the salt and 2 cups of the flour into a food processor. Pulse 5 times to blend. Pour in the yeast and water and pulse 5 times. Add the olive oil. Add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time, pulsing and scraping the sides of the bowl until well blended. As soon as the mixture is combined, dump it out onto a well-floured board and knead for 15 turns, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease the side of a bowl with some olive oil and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size, and then punch it down. Divide it in half; each half will make 1 (12-inch) pizza.


Place on a cornmeal-dusted pizza, pizza pan, or cookie sheet. Roll up edge slightly to create a ridge around the pizza. Brush the dough lightly with olive oil to prevent the sauce from making the pizza soggy.

Note: If only using half of the dough, freeze the other half. Place the dough in a resealable freezer bag. To thaw, remove the bag from the freezer and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Roll the dough out while cold then allow it to come to room temperature before adding toppings.




Top your pizza as desired and bake 16-18 minutes, or until crust is light brown. I topped my pizza with fresh mozzarella, a little cheddar, sliced garlic, shallots, and green onions. I froze the other half of the dough so when I can eat meat, I will make a delicious meaty pizza!