The one I forgot about.

Well, I figure since I'm already on a "sharing all of my guest posts" kick, I may as well do it again!  Have you ever had one of those "oh my..." forgetful moments that makes you feel heinous?  I totally forgot to tell you about this guest post which took place just about eons ago.  I guested on Try To Keep Up.  I'm such a jerk.  But not purposely.  Just forgetfully.  So, consider this my official invite for all of you to go over there and check out Leslie's blog!  She did a "30 Days of Salad" series where she was looking for new and different ways to eat yummy salads.  I shared a recipe I made early in the summer, that has never before been posted for a Yummy Monday - although I did mention the salad here, in this post.  


So, here's my post:


Two years ago I could barely make a piece of toast without burning it, so I set out to become a grand chef.  Well, not really.  But I did want to try out new recipes and learn a thing or two about the kitchen in general.  This salad recipe was one that I found online and tweaked a little for my family's use.  It's not your average chicken salad!

Spanish-Style Chicken Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing
1/2 C EVOO
3 T balsamic vinegar
10 oz jar of roasted red peppers, drained and diced
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 small shallot, minced
3 T minced parsley
1/2 C green olives, chopped
2 cans of white meat chicken, drained
1/2 C sliced almonds, toasted
1 T butter (for toasting)


Toast the almonds: melt the butter in a skillet and add the almonds.  Sprinkle with a bit of salt.  Stir the almonds and toast them until they are browned - be sure to stir often so they don't burn.  Puree the oil, vinegar, 2/3 C of the red pepper, garlic, salt and black pepper in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Transfer to a bowl.  Add the shallot, parsley, olives, and remaining red peppers to the vinaigrette mixture; stir to combine.  Add the chicken and toss gently to combine.  Let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes.  Adjust the seasoning if needed.  Serve over romaine and sprinkle with the toasted almonds.


Now, of course you could use cooked chicken and then shred it and season it, but for ease, we just use the canned version.  I've discovered that Spanish cooking uses a lot of olives and vinaigrettes, something we like at our house!  Obviously, you can adjust the amounts per your taste.


I really liked this salad a lot.  It was a welcome change to the normal chicken salad and much  more interesting than lettuce and veggies with ranch!  We served this salad with some Spanish Burgers with Manchego Cheese - it was a whole spanish themed feast! - but the salad can definitely be a stand alone dish in itself.  

Hope you enjoy! 

*Be sure to check just below for all the fun parties I link to!