Grilled Chicken Salad with Mandarin Oranges, Avocado and Almonds

This weekend, we prepared the perfect, perfect lunch. It started with this fresh, colorful salad and ended with a ginger-poached pear with chocolate ganache (recipe to be posted very soon). This salad was our way of holding on to the lightness of summer dishes a little while longer. The mix of ingredients would indeed make this the perfect picnic salad for a warm August day, but worked wonders for a light lunch on a crisp November day. The ingredients are simple: grilled chicken, mandarin oranges, toasted almonds and avocado but a few simple techniques really bring this salad over the top. Firstly, we marinated the chicken overnight with plenty of garlic, lemon and herbs. This might seem like a lengthy process but it only takes a few minutes to do and ensures that the chicken stays moist and flavorful. When you're ready to make the salad, all you have to do is grill the chicken. Another simple, but essential element is to toast the slivered almonds. When toasted, the almonds release all of their natural oils and they really take on a whole new dimension of flavor. Again, this is a simple step that only take a few minutes, but in a simple salad like this one, these little tricks really make a difference. This is really what Chocolate Shavings is about. It's about those little steps that take a dish from ordinary to over the top.

For all of us busy professionals, this salad can be a bit of a life saver as well. In our house, when we take the time to marinate and grill chicken, we also add a couple extra chicken breasts to have as leftovers. If you have some leftover chicken, almonds and mandarin oranges, you have a second meal ready in minutes the next day. I don't know about you, but Mondays are usually my real busy day of the week. I'm still in leisure weekend mode and tend to have some trouble giving the week a proper jump start. Having an easy meal to put together on Monday is the easiest way I've found to ensure that I can get organized for the rest of the week to come. I always leave more complex recipes for later in the week, when I'm a little less frazzled. Warm up some pita bread in the oven and toss the chicken, oranges and almonds together. Add a good dollop of Greek Yogurt with a good squirt of lemon, and toss everything in the pita bread. Add anything else that might fit nicely from your fridge- like a couple halved cherry tomatoes, some feta cheese or some diced cucumber. I've never been a big fan of real leftovers. The idea of heating up yesterday's meal doesn't usually get me very excited about dinner. However, making yesterday's meal into a new tasty dish - that I like!

Grilled Chicken Salad with Mandarin Oranges, Avocado and Almonds
Serves 4

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
2 small cans of mandarin oranges
1 avocado
1/2 cup of slivered almonds
4 large Romaine leaves, cut into thin slices

In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil and oregano until well combined. Add the crushed garlic. Place the chicken breasts into a ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the chicken in the bag. Tightly close the bag and shake to make sure the marinade is well distributed. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight.

Set a pan on medium heat and add a good drizzle of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken breast to the pan, discarding any leftover marinade. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Leave untouched for about 4 minutes, turn over and season again. Cook for another 4 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through. Remove from the heat and reserve.

In a large pan on medium heat, add the slivered almonds in one layer. Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to do this in batches. Stir frequently and cook the almonds until they are just golden brown. Keep a constant eye on the pan as the almonds will quickly go from golden brown to burnt. Remove from the heat and reserve.

In your serving bowl, add the chopped romaine. Dice the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the salad. Cut the avocado into bite-size cubes and add them in. Drain the mandarin oranges and add them in. Add the vinaigrette a few minutes before serving and top with the almonds.

Vinaigrette:
2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl whisk together the Dijon mustard and lemon juice. Once the mixture is homogeneous, add the olive oil and whisk until smooth. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Panzanella Salad

As the summer is in full swing, we've been enjoying more and more light meals using fresh produce, olive oil and a lot of lemon. This salad is a great Italian classic, featuring a whole lot of veggies and some crusty bread. These crusty cubes of bread are tossed with tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions and then drizzled with a citrusy vinaigrette. The bread soaks up all the flavors of the salad and makes for a hearty dish that can be used as a main meal.

When I made my way to the farmer's market a few days ago, I was looking for those beautiful heirloom tomatoes that are so succulent during the summer months. The more uneven the shape, unstructured the edges and different variations in color make for the best tomatoes, in my book. Supermarkets make us think that fruit and vegetables should be shiny, symmetrical and perfectly round but that is definitely not the way nature intended it. Getting my hands on a batch of yellow, orange, red and crimson tomatoes always makes my heart swing. To tell you the truth, I often just end up having them thinly sliced with extra virgin olive, cracked black pepper and fleur de sel - but this salad really took these to the next level.

We have moved to Toronto for most of the summer, and found this incredible little bakery in our neighborhood. I got their signature sourdough walnut bread - which worked wonders in this salad. What meals have you been enjoying in this scorching heat?

Panzanella Salad
Serves 2

2 large slices of sourdough bread
1/2 garlic clove
4 heirloom tomatoes, seeded and quartered
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/4 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup of greek olives
1/3 cup of cubed good quality feta
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Drizzle the bread slices with a little olive oil and set in a warm oven until crusty. Peel the garlic clove and cut in half. Rub the garlic on the warm bread. Cut the bread into cubes (the same size as the vegetables) and set aside.

In your serving bowl, add the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives and feta. Toss in the bread cubes. In a small bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice and red wine vinegar. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper and lightly whisk. Drizzle over the salad and serve. Enjoy!

Pickled Daikon, Mango and Thai Basil Salad

This recipe has become one of my favourite salads to serve in warmer months. After tasting pickled daikon in many different restaurants, I decided to try making my own at home. It's really quite easy to make and can be stored in a jar with its pickling liquid to be used when needed. I love using mango in salads, and with the daikon, crunchy peanuts and Thai basil it's really quite delicious.

I love serving this salad with lemongrass grilled chicken (I really should post that recipe too!) - it's fresh, colorful and easy to put together - just my kind of dish!

Pickled Daikon, Mango and Thai Basil Salad
Serves 4

2 mangoes, cut into matchstick pieces
1/4 cup of pickled daikon (see recipe below)
2 tablespoons of coarsely chopped peanuts
5 leaves of Thai basil
2 tbl canola oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sesame oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, sesame oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Reserve.
In a serving bowl add the mango strips and pickled daikon. Add the vinaigrette and toss until all pieces are coated. Add the peanuts and coarsely chopped Thai basil.

Sweet Pickled Daikon
1 daikon
2 tbl of salt
½ cup of sugar
1 cup of white vinegar

Slice the daikon into matchstick pieces. Sprinkle with the salt and allow to rest in a large bowl for at least 30min and up to 2 hours. In a bowl, mix 1 cup of lukewarm water with the sugar. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the vinegar. Add the daikon and allow to sit for 30 minutes before serving.

Apple, Nuts and Gruyere Salad

I've always been a big fan of apples in salads. Add a couple cubes of Gruyere, a few nuts and some good greens and you've got yourself a wonderful filling dish. For this salad, I used this new nut mix from Back to Nature. If you're a regular visitor to this blog, you'll know that I'm a firm believer in making sure your food is as natural as can be (read chemical-free, and where you can pronounce every word on a product's ingredient list). These nut mixes fit the bill for me: they're 100% natural and made this salad easy to make and ready to eat in minutes. I used a mix of almonds, raisins, pumpkin seeds, pecans and dried apricots.

I still have about 15 apples to use up... any ideas on other dishes to make? I still have a few surprises to post for the start of my 2nd apple week, so stay tuned!

Apple, Nuts and Gruyere Salad
Serves 2

1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
1/4 cup of bite-size cubed Gruyere
2 big handful of mixed greens
2 tablespoons of mixed nuts

Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
A slash of apple cider vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Add the olive oil to a small bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad just before serving so the lettuce doesn't wilt. Enjoy!

Tip: Don't cut the apples too long before you're ready to serve the salad or they will start to change color. You can toss all the other ingredients for the salad in your serving bowl and make the vinaigrette in a separate bowl. Just before serving, cut the apples and add them to the salad, then add the dressing.

Grilled Zucchini Salad

Here is my 3rd zucchini recipe for the summer. This is a salad I've been making for ages. It's simple, crisp and puts a smile on my face every time I serve it. You can easily switch it by using a medley of different vegetables - and can hold off on the chili if you don't enjoy the spice. I'm happy to say that my tolerance to spiciness has somewhat improved...somewhat that is! Oliver has tried, tried and tried again to increase my tolerance to spice, with some success, but sadly I can't compete with his.

Out for Vietnamese pho soup, he has the habit of adding hot sauce until his eyes happily water. He definitely enjoys it that way - and I.. well, I just watch. A little dried chili in fresh summery salad though, I can take!

Grilled Zucchini Salad (serves 4)
2 zucchinis
½ lemon, zest and juice
A small pinch of dried chili
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 small handful of fresh mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cut the zucchini in thin strips. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, chili and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Spoon half of this vinaigrette onto the strips of zucchini. Set your BBQ or indoor grill to medium high heat. Grill the strips for 1-2 minutes on each side.
Add the zucchini to the serving bowl and drizzle with the extra vinaigrette. Coarsely chop the mint and add to the salad. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Grilled Fennel and Goat Cheese Salad

I've had a bit of a love affair with fennel in the past couple years. Many have turned it down considering it a second rate vegetable. As recently as last week I was asked "How can you like its anise flavor, it's so overpowering?" I think I slightly blushed. I sometimes have a whole fennel bulb for lunch, sliced in paper-thin slices, and lightly drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Does that make me weird? I think it might, but regardless, I stand by my vegetable. Fennel tastes differently when it's eaten raw, grilled or roasted. If you're not big on the anise flavor, enjoying fennel grilled is a good way to go.. and with goat cheese too, it's really hard not to like.

Recipe, serves 4 (adapted from Donna Hay)
1 small fennel bulb, cut lengthwise
1/2 goat cheese log, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
A handful of mache
1 tomato, sliced

Preheat your oven to 400 F. Slice the fennel lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices taking care to keep it intact. Drizzle with olive and the dried oregano and season with salt and pepper. Lay out on parchment lined baking sheet. Cook for 5 minutes. Take the fennel out and turn on the broiler. Add 2 to 3 slices of goat cheese on each fennel piece and return the baking sheet to the oven. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the fennel is soft and the goat cheese nicely golden brown. Serve atop of the mache and sliced tomatoes. Drizzle with extra olive oil, salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Grapefruit, Avocado and Mint Salad

As I can tell from the recent pictures I published on tastespotting, Christmas spirit in truly taken over the food-blogosphere! I couldn't get enough of all your wonderful cookie pictures, and published a dozen in the past hour alone. Well, I am in the Christmas spirit too, and have a list of cookies and treats I want to make for the celebration. I'm sure you all agree that the holidays can however also be a little over-bearing. Sometimes, as a counterpart to all the craziness, I need a simple salad to get me through. This does it every time. Although, this salad is wonderful on a warm summer day, I also find it deliciously refreshing when you want something light but still satisfying in the winter. So here goes! I also love this salad because the acidity of the grapefruit helps to keep the avocado nice and green (as does the lemon in the dressing) so it's easy to make in advance for entertaining. However, if after a light meal you still want a treat, chocolate truffles, lemon ricotta cookies or panettone and chocolate bread pudding should surely do, right?

Recipe (for 4)
1 large grapefruit, cut into wedges
1 large avocado, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
Salt and black pepper
A handful of mint leaves

Mix the grapefruit and avocado in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the olive oil and lemon. Taste the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Spoon over the salad and garnish with fresh mint. Enjoy!

Lemon Calamari and Cherry Tomato Salad

I stopped by the local market a couple days ago in search of some fresh fish. I was in the mood for bass but couldn't find it at the fishmonger. Montreal is a strange city when it comes to fish and seafood. Growing up in Paris (which isn't exactly a maritime city) I was used to the great abundance of local markets and the easiness to find great varieties of fish at anytime of year. Montreal, for a reason that I have yet to discover, offers very little variety of fish in most places, and what is offered is quite expensive. Frustrated at the sight of the fish available, I settled for calamari.

I found grilling calamari to be quite the experience. Being not incredibly awake while making lunch, I attempted to gently place the calamari on our indoor grill. The tentacles danced to the sizzling oil, and, for a second, I thought it might still be alive. Fortunately for me, it wasn't. I was clearly in no mood for a fight. It's surprising how easy, and quick, it is to cook calamari. It must, actually, be cooked in a couple minutes to prevent it from becoming tough and chewy, so it's really an easy solution for a quick meal.

Recipe (for 2)

4 calamari, tubes and tentacles
8 medium size cherry tomatoes
1/2 lemon, juice and zest
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
2 green onions, sliced
A couple sprigs of fresh thyme, picked
Salt and pepper to taste

Slit the calamari tubes on one side to open them up, and lightly score one side. Place them in a bowl and add half the lemon juice, the zest, the garlic, half of the thyme, salt and pepper and a good drizzle of olive oil. Leave to marinate while you make the tomato salad. Quarter the tomatoes and place them in a bowl. Add the sliced scallions, the rest of the lemon juice and the rest of thyme. Drizzle with olive oil and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Get your grill on medium high heat. Once it's hot, place the calamari on the grill. gently pressing down so they don't curl up too much. After 1 minute turn them around. Make sure to pour the extra thyme and garlic over top. Cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and slice in bite-size pieces. Add to the tomato salad and toss. Adjust seasoning. Enjoy!