BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing

Here is another great tasting salad I found on the web, this time from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Be sure to go there and check out her site because she has some really good stuff on there.

NOTE from Mel: this recipe calls for already cooked chicken so plan ahead! I like to cook my chicken in the crockpot, using frozen chicken breasts and about 1 cup of chicken broth for every 2 chicken breasts. I cook on low for about 4-5 hours and then shred and refrigerate (or freeze) for later.

NOTE from me: I HATE cold chicken so I suggest if you feel the same way just make your chicken a little beforehand and have it ready. I also suggest the use of FRESH corn, fresh vegetables in general are better tasting.

Have you ever see anyone on Top Chef use canned veggie's? No you have not, pre-made puff pastry, yes and we all know how that went.

Anyway, I also roasted the corn and heated the back beans as well. Again, not a step you have to take but life is all about options. Last thing, the cheese, I'm not sure you need it on there, I initially forgot to add it and then went back and did so but I can't say that it added anything special. However, I did add tortilla strips for a little color and added crunch.

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
Chicken and Salad:
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups BBQ sauce, storebought or homemade
½ head iceberg lettuce, cored and chopped
2 romaine hearts, chopped
1/2 red onion diced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cubed small or shredded
4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, cubed small or shredded

(optional) Tortilla strips

Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise, light or regular
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

DIRECTIONS:
For the salad, combine the cooked chicken and BBQ sauce in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

OR Grill chicken and let cool until you are able to shred it then toss in BBQ sauce. Heat black beans and allow to simmer until you are ready to use them. Strain and add to salad. At the same time you can roast the corn and again add to salad when ready.

In a large bowl, toss together the iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, red onion, cilantro, corn, black beans and cheese. Toss the mixed salad with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the dressing, if desired. Otherwise, you can serve the dressing on the side. Place salad on plates and top with the prepared BBQ chicken and additional dressing.

For the dressing, combine all the ingredients together and whisk (or shake, if using a jar) vigorously to combine. You could also run this through a blender to make it even more smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Wilted Spinach & Mushroom Salad

Here is an easy recipe for a delicious wilted spinach and mushroom salad that I borrowed from Sam the Cooking guy. His printed recipe doesn't include the use of 2 different bell peppers, the crustini like bottom or the egg topping but I've found that these elements really add that extra something to the salad.

I don't have a picture to go with this one just yet but I'll be sure to add one the next time I make this.... enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 bag pre-washed spinach leaves
1 red or yellow bell pepper, (or both) thinly sliced
8 slices ready crisp bacon
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup bottled balsamic vinegar dressing
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1-2 hard boiled eggs
Slices of French bread (toasted)
Olive oil

How to make the magic happen:
Start by boiling the eggs, everything else happens pretty quickly so give yourself enough time to allow the eggs to fully boil and cool down

In a large salad bowl, place spinach, bell pepper and green onions

Heat oil in large pan and saute mushrooms until softened, about 5 minutes

Add bacon and cook for another couple of minutes
I like to pre-cut it for a shorter cooking time and it's ready to go once it's done

Turn up heat and add dressing - allow to heat through

After slicing it diagonally, toast your French bread on both sides

Remove from heat and pour over spinach and peppers

Mix well and season to taste with salt & pepper

Serve salad on top of the French bread and top with the boiled egg which you have either sliced or grated