Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Delicious Salad

Hello there.  We are still roasting here in Southern California!!  Yesterday we hit 109 and today 108.  Ugh!!!    Way too hot to think about cooking!  But my daughter Gennifer told me about this salad that someone made at her work.  She made it for her family yesterday and when she was telling me about it, I  was drooling, it sounded so good.   I knew I had everything to make it except a rotisserie chicken.  So today I ran in to Sam's Club and got one so I could make this yummy salad for dinner.  I used all of the ingredients she used, only I added romaine lettuce, bowtie pasta, and red pepper, and parmesan cheese and roasted sunflower seeds.
I didn't think to take pictures until I had gotten everything chopped up.  But here is what Gennifer said she used.
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
diced celery ( I used three ribs)
diced apple ( I used one large Gala )
red seedless grapes ( 1 1/2 cups or so, cut in half )
I also added one diced red pepper
The way her friends made it, they tossed all of these ingredients, then added the chicken, and tossed in Tapatio.   That did not sound good to me.  But then, I am not a fan of hot things.  But she said it was very  good.   Here I have added the cooked and cooled pasta to the chopped veggies and fruits. 
I removed all of the white meat from a rotisserie chicken, gave it a rough chop and threw it in the bowl.
I chopped up a head of Romaine lettuce, and threw in a handful of shredded parmesan cheese.  A handful of roasted sunflower seeds.  Fresh ground salt and  pepper. 

Toss it all together and dress in salad dressing of choice.  Or Tapatio...if you like.  I tossed the salad in a creamy caesar, and a bit of creamy cilantro dressing. 

OH MY GOODNESS!!  This is delicious!  The crunch of the celery, the freshness of the cucumber.  The sweet of the red grapes, and the surprise of the apple....all of these flavors together were just divine!   I liked the addition of the pasta too.  You can see I didn't use a whole lot of lettuce in this either.  This was light and refreshing.  The perfect meal for our relentless heat that we are having.  I served it with garlic and herb focaccia.  Yummy!!!  Gennifer, thank you for sharing this with me!  So good!!!
Bon Appetit!
XO  Kris

27 comments:

Pam said...

Kris this salad sounds delicious! Wow your heat is worse than ours - 101 today for us and expected tomorrow too. I am sick of the triple digits by this time of year.
Great salad for our hot weather!
Enjoy the rest of the week!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

This looks so delicious, Kris!

My husband is in LA this week on business and he said it was over 100 degrees there, too! I wanted to go along with him, but stayed home in case our RE had buyer swho wanted to look at our house. This waiting game is nerve wracking.

Gracie Saylor said...

That does look like a wonderful combination and definitely a great meal for a hot day. Really, have you ever tried to fry an egg on your sidewalk, Kris? Mercy! It is a wonder your hens are not laying hard boiled eggs!!! xxx from Gracie

Teresa Kasner said...

I'm so sorry that your temps have been so unrelenting. We've had no rain for 3 months which is unheard of in Oregon. But at least the day temps are only in the 70's and gets down to the mid 40's at night. That salad does look delish!!!! We leave day after tomorrow! Hugs, Teresa

my4lilgirls said...

Yum looks delicious.
Hope it cools downs soon for you guys, I am enjoying the autumn, actually feels like a season cause summer was def not summer :)
Have a great week
Karen x

pembrokeshire lass said...

It's cold and wet here in Wales at the moment. How I envy you! The salad looks wonderful. Looks like one I will have to try. Joan

Debbiedoos said...

WOW Kris, I can't believe the temps here. It is perfect here right now, aside from the past few days of rain. You salad looks awesome!

Petunia Pill said...

You know, a week ago I would have been very cocky and would have told you how I love being away from Cali this time of year because we have seasons here and September heralds the start of autumn. That was until the hot, humid air mass decided to sit on top of us for a few days. Low here last night were 75...the windows are literally dripping in condensation (can't even see out of them) and the tree frogs are all back in business with their night song, the crickets are in song...and mid-July conditions have returned with a vengeance. The temps, however, are NOT as high as yours. Ugh...108 and 109...poor baby! I think your salad is a wonderful way to beat the heat. This family loves ANYTHING with pasta and chicken in it! I'll have to try this some time! My daughter and I are both doing the Paleo diet right now...and pasta isn't an option. But I'm tucking this idea in the back of my head. It looks yummy! I love apples and grapes in salads...such a fun textural surprise! Hang in there, Kris. This, too, shall pass. Hugs, Annette

Heather - The Good Life said...

Oh my, your temperatures are soaring! Your salad sounds good. I make a salad similar to the one you mention it is from one of the Pantry Chef cookbooks, but it doesn't have the fruit or nuts and you make a vinaigrette type dressing. But it has the pasta and romaine - Yum! Hope you have a great day Kris. Heather

priscilla said...

The salad sounds great ! I have never heard of Tapatio...what is that ?
Hope your weather gives you some fall temperatures !

Nicolle said...

I saw this on Genn's IG feed, and want to make it. It looks delicious! I was also thinking of adding sunflower seeds to mine. I love the twists you added to yours. YUM.

xo

Debbie said...

Oh my this looks WONDERFUL...thanks for sharing the recipe. I think the heat is breaking soon....it has been so awful....but I looked ahead to next week and it looks like we are finally dropping into the 70's...whew...Enjoy your day!

Mereknits said...

This salad looks amazing, i just might have to give it a try. Our weather stinks, plain and simple. It is at least raining today so I can pretend it is Fall.
Sending you a big hug,
Meredith

Tammy said...

Omgoodness! That looks so yummy!!

Unknown said...

That sounds so divine! A wonderful cold salad for that heat...I can't believe that...it was 33 here this morning. Sound get up to 70 during the day.

Sweet Cottage Dreams said...

Kris, this looks totally wondeful - and with our fall heat, just the icing on the cake.

Tis to cool down this weekend up north..how about you?

xxo

Unknown said...

No wonder you are turning into a skinny mini. It's a keeper. Will be making when we get back from the Door. Out of here 4am tomorrow. Need to beat Milwaukee rush hour heading north. Stay cool, sending a breeze your way.

Anonymous said...

This salad looks and sounds delicious! Just so you know, it's nice and comfy-cooler here in central Illinois so jump on a plane and come out here for a few days! I've had cabin fever for days, company would give me an excuse to get out and do lots of things!!! ;)

Between Me and You said...

Scrumdiddlydocious!...as my bloggy friend, Jen would say!Too cold for salads here now. Out come all the stodgy,heat-retaining ingredients to get us through the winter. Though this extra layer (or two) of fat I've accumulated during our so-called Summer, should see me through until next March!
Fab recipe - I'm squirrelling it away until next Summer. x

NanaNor's said...

Kris, Glad I just ate lunch cause girl, as always, you're making me hungry. That salad looks so good-I'll have to try it. I love those chickens at the grocery store-they are so good for soups etc.
Stay cool; tomorrow we drop about 20 degrees and more on Friday. Yuck!
Hugs, Noreen

~Sara said...

That sounds so yummy!!! We are still soooo hot here in Northern Cali as well!! I am so ready for some cooler weather. This salad sounds great until we can get to the cooler weather. Blessings
for a great day.
~Sara

Jill said...

My mouth is watering just reading this and seeing the pictures! Looks delicious...I'm going to try this one!

Blessings,
jill

Tania said...

Sounds good to me Kris. I will be saving this one for sure...I find it so hard in summer to keep coming up with meals that people will eat :)

Hope it cools down for you soon. We were 97F today, time to get the air conditioning serviced me thinks...

xx

Pammy Sue said...

I need a chopper girl in my kitchen too! That would make things so much easier. I'm being so lazy. This salad looks wonderful. It's a must-try.

Pam said...

It was 68, windy, and sunny yesterday - perfect for me! I hope it cools down for you soon. This salad is filled with great flavors and textures - yum!

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

Sounds and looks yummy. Keeping this for a "will try" for sure! 108 and 109 is way too hot to cook.
Hugs,
Jann

Carrie from Sam's Club said...

Kris, that salad looks so refreshing! What a great way to incorporate veggies into a healthy late-summer dish. Thanks for shopping at Sam’s Club. – Ramona from Sam’s Club