Broiled Chicken Salad

This quick and easy chicken salad is a perfect lunch or light dinner, making it easy for you to enjoy a great tasting way to receive the health benefits of chicken and salad greens. Our Quick Broil method of cooking helps seal in the chicken's juices making it more tender and flavorful. Feel free to add your favorite vegetables to for extra nutrition.

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 lb mixed salad greens
• 1/4 cup sliced fresh basil leaves*
• 2 TBS fresh oregano leaves*
• 2 oz gorgonzola cheese
• 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
• salt and cracked black pepper to taste
• Dressing
• 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• salt and cracked black pepper to taste
• *Since the herbs are being used in a salad, there is no conversion for dry herbs. If you don't have these fresh herbs on hand, you can just enjoy the salad without them.

Directions:

1.    Preheat the broiler on high and place an all stainless steel skillet (be sure the handle is also stainless steel) or cast iron pan about 7 inches from the heat for about 10 minutes to get it very hot.

2.    While pan is getting hot, rinse and spin dry salad greens along with basil and oregano leaves. For oregano, simply run your fingers down the stem to remove leaves and place whole in salad.

3.    When pan is hot, season chicken breasts with a little salt and pepper and place on hot pan skin side up. Return to broiler and cook for about 15 minutes, or until done, depending on the thickness of the breasts. The breasts cook fast because they are cooking on both sides at the same time. This is our Quick Broil cooking method. When chicken is just about done, remove skin and top breasts with a little gorgonzola cheese and return to broiler to melt. (If you're not sure if chicken is done, make a little slice with a small sharp knife to check. It should be only slightly pink.)

4.    Toss greens with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Distribute greens onto 4 plates. Place chicken breasts on top of greens. Serve.

Shiitaki Mushroom Seaweed Soup

Try this delicious combination of seaweed and shiitake mushrooms to add an extra boost of minerals, especially iodine, to your Healthiest Way of Eating.  

Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 whole dried medium shiitake mushrooms
• 6 cups warm water
• 4 medium-sized pieces wakame seaweed
• 1 medium onion, quartered and sliced thin
• 3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 TBS minced fresh ginger
• 2 TBS dry vegetable stock powder
• 2 TBS chopped dulse seaweed
• 2 TBS soy sauce
• 1 TBS rice vinegar
• 3 TBS minced scallion greens for garnish
• salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

1.    Rinse mushrooms and wakame and soak in 2 cups of warm water for about 10 minutes, or until soft. Save water.

2.    Heat 1 TBS mushroom-seaweed water in medium-sized soup pot. Add onion and Healthy Sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add garlic and ginger and continue to sauté for another minute.

3.    When mushrooms and wakame are soft, slice the mushrooms thin and chop the seaweed. Cut out stems when slicing mushrooms and discard. Add to soup pot along with soaking water, and 4 more cups of water and dry vegetable stock. Bring to a boil on high heat.

4.    Add dulse.

5.    Once it returns to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Season with soy sauce, rice vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add minced scallion and serve.

Orange & Coconut Treat

Include a healthy bit of sweetness to your Healthiest Way of Eating with this easy-to-prepare recipe, which you can enjoy for breakfast or as a dessert or snack.

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 oranges, peeled and cut into segments
• 2 bananas, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 2 TBS sliced, toasted almonds

Directions:

1.    Prepare fruit and toss with coconut and almonds.

Garlic Shrimp Salad

Enjoy this delicious shrimp salad as part of your Healthiest Way of Eating. It makes a great light meal on its own, or you can serve it as a side salad to a larger meal.

Prep and Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 medium cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 lb medium-sized cooked shrimp, best bought still frozen
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces, discarding bottom fourth
• 3 TBS vegetable broth
• 1 fresh tomato, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 TBS chopped fresh parsley (or 3 tsp dried parsley if fresh not available)
• small head of romaine lettuce, chopped
• *optional 2 oz crumbled goat cheese
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
•  
• Dressing
• 3 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• 1 TBS Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

1.    Press garlic and let sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out its hidden health benefits.

2.    Make sure shrimp is completely thawed and patted dry with a paper towel, or it will dilute the flavor of the salad.

3.    Add broth to medium skillet and after it has heated up, Healthy Sauté asparagus for 5 minutes.

4.    Whisk together lemon, oil, mustard, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss shrimp, asparagus, parsley, and tomato with dressing and herbs. Allow shrimp salad to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

5.    Discard outer leaves of lettuce head, rinse, dry, and chop. Serve shrimp mixture on bed of lettuce and top with crumbled goat cheese, if desired.