The Cheap Gourmet

Super Simple Summer Salad with Grilled Chicken and Bread with Melted Brie Cheese

Today, I'd like to share a super simple summer salad with grilled chicken and a side of bread with melted brie cheese. This recipe takes less than 15 minutes to prepare and is packed with protein, calcium, fiber and flavor!

You can make this super simple summer salad using a prepackaged salad mix. However, I prefer to use fresh ingredients. It is actually cheaper to buy the vegetables and chop them your self. The salad will be much fresher and crisp and tends to last longer than the bagged salad mixes.

Perdue Chicken offers prepackaged chicken breasts, which are perfect for adding to salads. They are the perfect portion size and come in a variety of flavors. The Italian marinated chicken works great with this particular recipe. You can also use packaged chicken strips or plain chicken breasts. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!

Super Simple Summer Salad with Grilled Chicken and Bread with Melted Brie Cheese
Serves: Two
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes

Salad Ingredients:

2 6-ounce skinless, boneless Chicken Breasts
1/2 bunch Romaine lettuce, stems removed and chopped
1/4 head Iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 Carrot, diced
1 stalk Celery, diced
2 Green Onions, chopped
1 medium Tomato, chopped
Salad Dressing
Salt and Pepper, if desired

Bread Ingredients:
1/4 loaf Artisan Bread (found in the bakery of most supermarkets)
1/4 round Alouette Baby Brie, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. If using regular chicken breasts, add salt and pepper or other seasonings of choice. I like Mrs. Dash because it adds a nice flavor. You could also use McCormick's Roasted Garlic seasoning or marinate the chicken in 1/4 cup of Dale's Seasoning for 10 minutes.
2. Cook chicken in the broiler or on a gas or charcoal grill. Cook for 6-7 minutes per side or until center is no longer pink.
3. While chicken is cooking, prepare salad mix.
4. Wash and dry vegetables. If using packaged salad mix, empty bag into colander and rinse with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.
5. Loosely chop romaine and head lettuce. Cut spine out of romaine leaves.
6. Dice celery and carrots.
7. Remove the root from green onions and slice thin rounds.
8. Quarter tomato, remove seeds (if desired) and cut into chunks.
9. Toss ingredients together and place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
10. Slice four 1/2-inch thick bread slices from Artisan Bread.
11. Cut four 1/4-inch slices of Baby Brie and place on top of bread.
12. Remove chicken from broiler or grill and place on plate. Allow to set for 5 minutes.
13. Place bread on baking sheet and place in 350-degree oven. Heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven.
14. Slice chicken into strips or cut into 1/2-inch chunks.
15. Transfer salad to serving plates.
16. Top with grilled chicken and add salad dressing, if desired.
17. Serve with two slices of baked bread with melted brie cheese.

Announcing: The Healthy Holiday Recipe Collection

It's official. The holidays are rapidly approaching and it's time to start thinking about what we'll be serving for holiday meals, social gatherings and office parties. Since many of us are attempting to eat healthier foods, I wanted to share my collection of healthy holiday recipes. Best of all, it's free! ;-)

The Healthy Holiday Recipe Collection is a 25-page report that includes a Holiday Menu Planner that is super easy to use. Simply select one recipe from each category, along with two side dishes and you'll be well on your way to creating a delectable, tasty holiday meal everyone will be talking about!

Categories include:

• Appetizers
• Soups
• Salads
• Entrees
• Side Dishes
• Beverages
• Desserts

Recipes Include:

• Artichoke and White Bean Dip
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
• The Great Pumpkin Soup
• Quinoa Soup with Greens and Potatoes
• Quinoa Apple Salad
• Persimmon Mesculin Salad
• Roasted Turkey
• Baked Honey Ham
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Quinoa Stuffing
• Asparagus with Lemon Butter
• Pumpkin Dumplings
• Pumpkin Pie Smoothie with Homemade Whipped Cream
• Orange Coconut Frost
• Creamy Pumpkin Pudding
• Rice Pudding with Cranberries

Healthy Holiday Recipe Collection is a PDF file and requires Adobe Reader to view. If you do not have Adobe Reader installed on your computer, you can download it for free at www.Adobe.com.

Click the underlined link below to download your free copy of
Download Healthy Holiday Recipe Collection

Caribbean Caesar Chicken Salad

Caribbean Caesar Chicken Salad is one of my all-time favorite summer salad recipes. It's super easy to throw together and low in calories. You can have it for lunch or dinner and can serve the chicken hot or cold. Whenever I bake chicken breasts for dinner, I like to bake a few extra so I can add them to salads. Preparing the chicken ahead of time greatly reduces the prep time!

Caribbean Caesar Chicken Salad
Serves 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 head Romaine lettuce
2 cups fresh Pineapple, cut into chunks
1 cup Mango, peeled and cut into chunks
2 4-ounce boneless, skinless Chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons Salad Dressing (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Rinse chicken in cool water and pat dry. Place chicken in glass baking dish and bake in oven for 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center.
3. Wash and dry romaine lettuce. Cut off bottom, trim leaves, and cut into bite-size pieces.
4. Place lettuce in medium bowl and add pineapple and mango chunks. Toss well.
5. Remove chicken from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
6. Slice chicken breast and place on salad.
7. Add 2 tablespoons of your choice of salad dressing, if desired

This recipe and many more are available in my cookbook, "The Diva Diet". This spiral-bound cookbook provides more than 100 healthy, yet delicious recipes and can be purchased for just $19.95 at Lulu.com.

Food Wishes Video Recipes

I recently found an amazing cooking blog. It's called Food Wishes Video Recipes and it's owned by Chef John. This blog features step-by-step cooking videos for American Classics, Asian and French Cuisine, Desserts, Dressings, Pasta, Poultry and much more. It truly is a feast for the eyes!

At Food Wishes Video Recipes you will find an ever-growing collection of mouth-watering gourmet recipes including. A few of the delectable creations include:

Chicken Breasts with Herbs de Provence and Mushrooms
Braised Chicken and Artichoke Hearts with Lemon, Cherry Peppers and Thyme
Mascarpone Brulee with Fresh Berries

If you love to cook, you're going to love this Food Wishes Video Recipes. Be sure to thank Chef John for sharing his cooking secrets!

Click here to visit Food Wishes Video Recipes blog.

Red, White and Blue Recipes for the 4th of July!

It's not too late to plan a bodacious red, white and blue menu for your 4th of July celebration. The Recipe Zaar offers an abundance of deliciously delightful concoctions that are certain to please your family and guests. You'll find everything from 4th of July Margaritas to Red, White and Blue Burgers and plenty of tastebud exploding desserts!

If you've never been to Recipe Zaar, you are missing out! Not only will you find thousands of mouth-watering recipes, you'll also be able to interact with other home cooks and chefs in the Recipe Zaar community, share your own recipes, and save recipes in a personal cookbook. Go check them out at www.RecipeZaar.com and sign-up for your free account today!

Photo by RecipeLink.com

Sesame Ginger Turkey Salad Recipe

This Sesame Ginger Turkey Salad is so filling it can be served as an entree. You can easily take this to work and have a healthy lunch that costs less than $5.00 to prepare. Simply prepare the turkey the night before and store in the refrigerator. Reheat the turkey in a microwave and add to the salad mix.

Sesame Ginger Turkey Salad Recipe
Serves 2
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

8 ounces Turkey Breast, sliced in thin 1/2-inch slices
1/2 cup Lawry's Sesame Ginger marinade
1 bag Salad Mix
2 medium Carrots, sliced, diced, or julliene
2 medium stalks Celery, sliced or diced
4-5 Green Onions, whites only, sliced
1/2 small Cucumber, sliced or diced
1 Tomato, chopped, seeds removed
4 Tablespoons T. Marzetti's Honey Balsamic Dressing
1/4 cup Sargento's 6 Cheese Italian Blend, optional

Directions:

1. Add turkey slices to small skillet. Add Sesame Ginger marinade and mix well.
2. Cook over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes; stirring occasionally.
3. Rinse and dry salad mix and vegetables.
4. Prepare vegetables; then place salad mix and vegetables in a large plastic bag.
5. Seal bag and shake well to incorporate ingredients.
6. Arrange salad mix onto plates.
7. Top each salad with 4 ounces of turkey slices.
8. Add two tablespoons of salad dressing to each salad.
9. Top with cheese if desired.
10. Serve immediately