Although the ever changing Ohio weather is starting to go downhill today, we’ve had some really nice Summer like days lately and it’s getting me in the mood for great Summer food dishes! I’ve made salads with fruit in the past, but this is my first time making this particular salad and it’s going straight to the top of my favorites list! Before digging in, it just looks great on the plate and we all know how much presentation plays into the desire of food! Even better, the taste matches the appealing look and the fruit and vegetable combination is wonderful! Fruit seems to help with using less dressing too, which can be a healthy choice! As with nearly all salads, you can certainly customize this and make different versions based on the fruit in season or simply your mood that day 🙂

 

If the photo looks delicious to you, follow the recipe below and I’m positive you will enjoy! Quick confession though, I didn’t really follow the recipe exactly, because as long as you know the ingredients for a salad you can really add as much or as little of each one to meet your liking! Depending on the portion, you could make this for an easy lunch or dinner. Maybe a cup of soup would go well on the side or a light sandwich! Ideas? 🙂

Grilled Chicken and Berry Salad

Ingredients:

• Four boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/3 feta cheese
• 1/2 pecans
• 6 cups mixed salad greens
• 1/4 cup red onion, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups balsamic vinaigrette dressing (check out my homemade recipe)

Instructions:

1. Slice chicken into strips and place in large zip lock bag or baking dish and cover with one cup of the balsamic vinaigrette. Marinate for one to three hours.
2. Once marinating time is up, heat oven to 325. Arrange pecans on a baking sheet and bake for six to seven minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
3. Grill the chicken over medium heat until internal temperature reaches 165, about 10 minutes with flipping halfway through.
4. In a large bowl, add salad greens, strawberries, blueberries, toasted pecans and red onion. Toss with remaining half cup of salad dressing.
5. Add salad mixture to plate, top with chicken slices and sprinkle with feta cheese. Enjoy!

 

As always, thanks for reading!!