Simple Fare, Fairly Simple

With warmer weather on the way, it's always nice to have salad as a main meal. Here in the south, the humidity is so oppressing at times, even with the A/C on, that turning on my oven and heating up my west facing kitchen, is the LAST thing I want to do. So salads to the rescue! I love a fruit/meat combo...sweet and savory, if you will...so this salad is like heaven to me! If you don't like that, then you can leave out the pineapple that this recipe calls for...but then you'd have to rename the salad since the pineapple is what give it it's tropical-ness.

Chicken Tropical Salad



1 bag Romain lettuce
1 4-ounce bag pine nuts - toasted
2 Roma tomatoes
1 cup diced pineapple
1 avocado - chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts  seasoned and grilled, then cut into chunks

You can put everything into one large bowl or put everything into separate bowls and let people pick and choose what they like.

Here's the salad stuff. Grill the chicken....

..toast the pine nuts. Combine it all into a bowl...

..or into separate bowls and chow down!!! (See the little bowl in the bottom left corner? The bowl filled with something green? Watch for a later post as to what THAT is. Yum!)

Chipotle Ranch Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 - 3 Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine everything into a food processor and whirl until combined. Makes about 3 cups of dressing.

Here's what you need for the 

Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Throw everything into a food 

processor until smooth and creamy.