I have no air conditioning. The house I live inis a tiny place that was made for nuns. (Yes, really). It’s made of bricks and windows (thankfully). So in the summer, “cooking” takes on a whole new meaning for me–it means getting in and out of the kitchen without having to slave over a hot stove!Enter the salad, whose tag-line should be, “Not just for rabbits anymore!”. You’ll see a lot more salads on this site in the next few months, because salads are the soups of summer. Seriously. You can throw just about anything together and call it a salad, no lettuce required. Today’s recipe is a pretty traditional salad recipe that is packed full of protein (and delicious, clearly) from the bacon, roasted chicken, and goat cheese. Bonus prize: it’s fast and oh so easy to make!
Summer Pear Protein Salad With Warm Sesame Dressing–2 slices of bacon, cut in half to make 4 pieces
–1 carrot, peeled and sliced into 1/8″ rounds
–2 pears, cored and sliced
–1/4 cup roast chicken (or rotisserie)
–2 cups red leaf lettuce, washed and hand ripped or cut into bite-sized pieces
–2 TBSP (1 oz) of goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 of a 4oz. log)
–2 cups red leaf lettuce, washed and hand ripped or cut into bite-sized pieces
–2 TBSP (1 oz) of goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 of a 4oz. log)
Dressing (makes about 3 TBSP of dressing)
–1/4 tsp sesame seeds
–1/4 tsp sesame seeds
–2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
–1 tsp vegetable oil
–1/4 tsp sesame oil
–black pepperSalad:
In a small frying pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until desired crispness. Remove the bacon from heat and drain on paper towels. Pour the bacon grease into your handy grease jar but a small trace amount will remain in the frying pan to add a little flavor to the dressing.
In a small frying pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until desired crispness. Remove the bacon from heat and drain on paper towels. Pour the bacon grease into your handy grease jar but a small trace amount will remain in the frying pan to add a little flavor to the dressing.
While the bacon cooks, add the carrots, pears, chicken, and lettuce in a large bowl. When the bacon is done and patted down with paper towels, rip or slice into bite-sized pieces and add to the salad bowl. Mix the salad together and set aside.
Once the dressing is done, portion the salad and add the goat cheese to the top. Drizzle with the dressing.
Dressing:
In the same frying pan you used for the bacon, add the sesame seeds. Toast over medium heat for about a minute, stirring consistently. Add the other dressing ingredients and stir with a fork or whisk to mix. Heat for about 2 minutes before removing from heat.
In the same frying pan you used for the bacon, add the sesame seeds. Toast over medium heat for about a minute, stirring consistently. Add the other dressing ingredients and stir with a fork or whisk to mix. Heat for about 2 minutes before removing from heat.
Dammit Jim, I’m a cook, not a doctor…
Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2
Approximate Calories: 381 per serving (Salad: 223 per serving; Dressing: 158 per serving)
