Toss it together!
It’s June, and officially grilling season. I’m eagerly cooking outside, now that it is warm and light enough in the evenings. This is leaving us with assorted leftovers; a few grilled chicken thighs, part of a grilled pork loin, and even condiments of lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes, and onions.
This week, I used our grilling leftovers, twice, to make delicious salads for lunch and dinner. For a dinner salad, I sliced leftover flank steak into bite-sized pieces and tossed it with red onion, tomatoes, and balsamic dressing on spinach. For lunch, I shredded two grilled chicken thighs and tossed them with blueberries and a creamy feta on mixed greens with a lemon vinaigrette.
You can make a fast and satisfying, one-dish meal, with the leftovers in your fridge. Here’s the easy salad equation:
Pick a protein:
- Cold beans (garbanzo, white, black, soy)
- Meat, poultry
- Fish (tuna, salmon, shrimp, crab, anchovies)
- Hard-boiled eggs (sliced, chopped, quartered)
Add fruit and vegetables:
- Berries
- Stone fruits (plums, peaches, avocado, dates, apricots)
- Roasted or grilled vegetables (mushrooms, potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini)
- Onions (red, white, sweet)
- Raw vegetables (grated carrot, cucumber, tomatoes, jicama, bell pepper)
Assemble on a bed of greens (mixed, spinach, arugula, whatever you have…)
Dress with complimentary vinaigrette:
- Balsamic
- Apple cider
- Red wine
- Blue cheese
Sprinkle with favored toppings:
- Pinenuts
- Chopped walnuts, pecans, or sliced almonds
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- Freshly grated parmesan
- Crumbled feta
- Goat cheese
- Fresh herbs (dill, mint, cilantro)
- Freshly ground black pepper and coarse salt
Feeding Your Family hint: Serving all of the salad components in separate bowls on a buffet, or in the middle of the table, allows each person to build a personalized salad to taste, and is engaging and empowering for children to build just the salad they want to eat.
Enjoy!
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