Just one more week until the kiddos are on summer vacation and we are all eagerly awaiting that last day of school. With soccer camp, afternoons in the pool and a week in Mammoth on the horizon, the struggle has been real to keep their focus on year-end tests and final book reports. Just. Seven. More. Days.
With the onslaught of warmer weather, and the increase in organic produce at my local market, I’ve been keeping our meals light, colorful and filled with fiber. This recipe for Moroccan Chicken Salad is a blatant hack on the salad of the same name served at CPK (California Pizza Kitchen). The only real differences between CPK’s salad and mine is that I’ve used fresh, red grapes instead of dried cranberries; and my Champagne dressing is homemade and chemical/preservative free.
This salad is really, really hearty. There’s a lot going on in it, many flavors and tasty bites of different consistencies. I wouldn’t plan on serving anything else with this salad, it’s an entire meal (and a half!) in and of itself. The kiddos really loved all of the flavors and didn’t even complain that dinner was one big salad
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
pinch of ground cayenne pepper
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon coconut oil
2 cups Butternut Squash, chopped
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 sprinkle sea salt
2 heads romaine lettuce
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1 beet, cooked and chopped
1 avocado, chopped
5 Dates, pitted and chopped
1 cup Red Grapes, halved
2 Hard Boiled Eggs, chopped
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 teaspoon Garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
¼ cup orange muscat champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons raw honey
2 dashes of hot sauce
¼ teaspoon sea salt
pinch of white pepper
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup walnut oil
Preheat a grill or grill pan. Combine all of the spices in a bowl. Rise the chicken breast and pat dry. Rub the breasts with the spice mixture until fully coated.
Grill the chicken until cooked all the way through. Allow to cool and then slice.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a small casserole pan with the coconut oil. Toss the chopped butternut squash with the cinnamon and sea salt. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until caramelized and browned.
Combine all of the remaining salad ingredients in a large serving bowl, along with the butternut squash. Top with the chopped chicken.
Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake until fully combined. Drizzle over the salad and enjoy!
Calories: 411
Fat: 16g
Carbohydrates: 31g
Sodium: 899mg
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 37g
Sugar: 21g