Team Capricorn! Olympic Power Salad with Goat’s Cheese, Fruit and Nuts

Olympic Power Salad with Goat’s Cheese, Fruit and Nuts

 Team Capricorn!

Olympic Power Salad with Goat’s Cheese, Fruit and Nuts

Olympic Power Salad with Goat’s Cheese, Fruit and Nuts

#CapricornChallenge

Not more Goat’s cheese I can hear you saying, or maybe not if you love it as much as I do! But, the thing is this, the hamper that I was sent from Ethel the Goat at Capricorn Goat’s Cheese was stuffed with such amazing ingredients, that my mind has been whizzing, whirring and working overtime developing new recipes ever since it arrived, and, I was delighted with this new salad recipe, as it was bursting with fruit, nuts, seeds and was all brought together in a tasty marriage of goat’s cheese and cooked chicken whilst being dressed in a balsamic and olive oil dressing. A power salad of Olympic proportions, this was enjoyed by both of us today with some granary bread rolls, and although it was filling, it was not heavy and made a tasty, light tea. Thus far, I have managed to make three recipes – a tart, a breakfast dish and this salad……and I still have ideas for a couple more recipes!

Olympic Power Salad with Goat’s Cheese, Fruit and Nuts

I know the weather has not been particularly”salad-ish” lately, but I am a person who eats salads all year around, and this a fabulous one plate meal when accompanied by some crusty bread, or in our case, some granary bread rolls. The combination of the blueberries with the toasted walnuts and pumpkin seeds, elevates this salad to dizzy gourmet heights…..Capricorn  goat’s cheese is mild, creamy and very easy to digest, and it added a lovely texture to the crisp salad leaves and tender chicken pieces. I could have used the couple of vine tomatoes that were left from my hamper, but I chose to use some baby plum tomatoes, which were so sweet and full of flavour. So, my #CapricornChallenge hamper ingredients were: Goat’s Cheese, Pumpkin Seeds, Walnuts, Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil.

Olympic Power Salad with Goat’s Cheese, Fruit and Nuts

One little tip, although I LOVE walnuts au natural, I also like them toasted when using them in salads, especially if they are a few months old and not at their freshest…..toasting or oven baking them makes them “nuttier” and less bitter, and the flavours appear more “rounded”. I was tempted to toast the pumpkin seeds too, but they were so fresh, they tasted amazing with the other salad ingredients. So, here is recipe number three for the Somerset Goat’s Challenge…….I DO have more recipes to share, such as FISH and my Random Recipe and other blogging challenges, but I JUST had to share this with you, in order that you can get training for the “Olympic Salad Eating Contest”! If you want to adapt this to a Vegetarian recipe, just leave out the chicken, and you will still have an amazing combination of flavours on one plate. Oh yes, this was on my Meal Planning Menu as posted Monday……along with my Cornish pasties recipe too, so if you are stuck for ideas, maybe there are a few ideas there to tempt you! See you later, Karen.

Olympic Power Salad with Goat’s Cheese, Fruit and Nuts

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Serves	4
Prep time	5 minutes
Cook time	5 minutes
Total time	10 minutes
Allergy	Tree Nuts
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Salad, Side Dish, Snack, Starter
Misc	Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold
Occasion	Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Thanksgiving, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A delicious salad made with chicken, goat's cheese, nuts, seeds and fruit. Packed with antioxidants and protein, the perfect salad for a power lunch!

Ingredients

salad

• Assorted salad leaves (about 120g)
• 2 cooked chicken breasts (about 120g to 150g each, skinned and boned, cut into small pieces)
• 100g Capricorn goat's cheese (cut into small pieces)
• 24 cherry vine tomatoes (cut in half)
• 100g fresh blueberries
• 100g walnut halves (toasted in an hot oven for 5 minutes)
• 50g pumpkin seeds

Dressing

• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 50ml balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper, to season

Note

A delicious salad made with chicken, goat's cheese, nuts, seeds and fruit. Packed with antioxidants and protein, the perfect salad for a power lunch!

Directions

Step 1	If you need to toast the walnuts, pre-heat an oven to 200C/400F and place them on a baking tray; place them in the oven and toast for 2 to 5 minutes, watching them carefully after 3 minutes. Allow them to cool. Large batches can be done this way and then stored in an airtight jar. Toasted walnuts are less bitter and more mellow than raw walnuts, and are especially good if your walnuts are old.
Step 2	Arrange the salad leaved on a large platter, or individual plates. Place the chicken pieces over the salad leaves and then add the tomatoes, walnuts and blueberries.
Step 3	Tuck the pieces of goat's cheese in and around the salad leaves, tomatoes and chicken pieces and then scatter the pumpkin seeds over the salad.
Step 4	Put the oil and vinegar into a jar or jug, and shake well with a lid on, or whisk if there is no lid available. Season to taste with salt and pepper and drizzle some dressing over the salad. Serve with crusty bread or crisp-breads.

Olympic Power Salad with Goat’s Cheese, Fruit and Nuts

Do you salads all year around?

What are your favourite salad ingredients?