Salad Solution

I am sooooo tired of convenience and kid food. I love to cook but it is so hard when Iam the only one who will really eat it and there ends up being so much waste. So I figured I will try and come up with some salads that are yummy and filling (and probably not so healthy-but at least I get my veggies). Here is the first one I came up with, It is a Balsamic Chicken Salad with Gorgonzola, Pecans, and Apples. It is super good.

You need:

• 1 small chicken breast
• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 small onion finely diced
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• salt and pepper
• Spring mix lettuce
• balsamic salad spritzer
• Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
• 1/2 granny smith apple, shaved (I used a harp peeler, you can just chop it up)

First mix together 1 part balsamic vinegar to 2 parts olive oil (I used about 2 Tb. balsamic vinegar & 4 Tb. olive oil- eyeball it). Whisk together until it emulsifies (becomes one liquid), stir in garlic, onion, thyme, salt and pepper. Add chicken turn to coat, cover and refrigerate about 1/2 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Remove chicken from refrigerator, heat a oven proof pan with about 1 Tb. olive oil, add chicken and quickly brown on each side. Remove from heat, brush top of chicken with marinade and place in the oven, roast until cooked through (timing really depends on the size of your chicken breast, maybe around 10-15 minutes). Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, place lettuce in a bowl, add apples and spritz with salad dressing, toss. Slice chicken on bias and place on top of salad. Top with toasted pecans and Gorgonzola cheese to taste. Enjoy! Serves 1.