Artichoke Panzanella Salad

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• 6 cups day old Italian bread, torn into bite-size pieces
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 3/4 cup sliced red onion
• 10 basil leaves, shredded
• 1/2 cup pitted and halved green olives
• 1 can of Artichoke Hearts, Drained
• 1 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-size pieces
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1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. In a large bowl, toss bread with 1/3 cup olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Lay bread on a baking sheet, and toast in the preheated oven until golden, about 5 to 10 minutes; allow to cool slightly.
3. While the bread is in the oven, whisk together 1/4 cup of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Gently toss together the bread, tomatoes, onion, basil, olives, artichokes, and mozzarella cheese. Toss with the vinaigrette and let stand for 20 minutes before serving.

Spinach Orzo Salad

• I was playing with the settings on may camera...sorry about this photo.
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• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
• 3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 5 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
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1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add orzo pasta, cook for 5 minutes, or until al dente. Drain.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the lamb and garlic in the skillet. Season lamb with coriander, salt, and pepper. Cook until evenly browned. Remove from heat, and drain.
3. In a large bowl, mix the spinach, tomatoes, lemon juice and zest, mint, parsley, green onions, and remaining olive oil. Toss with the orzo, lamb, and feta cheese to serve.

Jennie's Summer Chicken Salad with Apple Vinaigrette

This is Jennie's picture.

2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
2 1/2 tsp salt
6-8 peppercorns (or a few fresh grinds)
2 TBL fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp agave nectar
2 TBL finely chopped shallot
5 TBL olive oil
3 TBL grated Granny Smith apple
1 large Granny Smith apple, chopped
1 small head Boston or Bibb lettuce*
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped and toasted

Directions:

- To poach the chicken: Bring 2 inches of water (enough to completely cover the chicken breasts) with 2 teaspoons salt and peppercorns to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan.  Once the water is boiling, carefully add the chicken and immediately reduce the heat to simmer. Partially cover the saucepan and poach until the chicken is cooked through, roughly 12 to 14 minutes.  Let the chicken sit for a few minutes before chopping into bite-sized pieces or shredding with a fork.

-  To make the dressing: Whisk together lemon juice, agave nectar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl until the agave and salt have dissolved. Whisk in the finely diced shallot and, slowly while continuing to whisk, pour in the oil.  Finally, whisk in grated apple.

- To assemble the salad: In a large bowl combine the chopped or shredded chicken, walnuts and chopped apples.  Toss with half of the dressing.  Arrange lettuce across one large platter or divide between individual serving plates.  Spoon the chicken/walnut mixture on top of the lettuce.  Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette.

* Note: The whole leaf lettuce can be a bit intimidating.  We found ourselves needing knives to cut it apart.  I would suggest chopping the lettuce and tossing it all together if you are looking for a fork-friendly salad.