WCLD: Another Salad Loving Guest Post

Today I am so thrilled to have the lovely Kim, from Bugaboo, Mini, Mr & Me guest posting as a part of 30 Days of Salad! Kim is one of the kindest bloggers I've ever 'met'...she is also really encouraging when you try to knock off on of her creations. I know, I was inspired to make her "Farewell to Summer" wreath, but it just didn't turn out the same, and she was still really nice about it! Anywho, we're not talking about my Modge-Podge mis-adventures, we're hear to check out Kim's awesome salad.

So here's Kim!

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Hi all! I'm so flattered to be guest posting for this "30 Days of Salad" series! I'm Kimberly, the "me" in bugaboo, mini, mr & me. Over on my blog, I love to craft, sew, bake, cook, have fun with the kids, photograph and just generally be creative. I share it all - the mistakes and failures, the triumphs and fun, and just the general craziness of life!

Two years ago I could barely make a piece of toast without burning it, so I set out to become a grand chef. Well, not really. But I did want to try out new recipes and learn a thing or two about the kitchen in general. This salad recipe was one that I found online and tweaked a little for my family's use. It's not your average chicken salad!

Spanish-Style Chicken Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing

1/2 C EVOO
3 T balsamic vinegar
10 oz jar of roasted red peppers, drained and diced
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 small shallot, minced
3 T minced parsley
1/2 C green olives, chopped
2 cans of white meat chicken, drained
1/2 C sliced almonds, toasted
1 T butter (for toasting)

Toast the almonds: melt the butter in a skillet and add the almonds. Sprinkle with a bit of salt. Stir the almonds and toast them until they are browned - be sure to stir often so they don't burn. Puree the oil, vinegar, 2/3 C of the red pepper, garlic, salt and black pepper in a blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Add the shallot, parsley, olives, and remaining red peppers to the vinaigrette mixture; stir to combine. Add the chicken and toss gently to combine. Let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve over romaine and sprinkle with the toasted almonds.

Now, of course you could use cooked chicken and then shred it and season it, but for ease, we just use the canned version. I've discovered that Spanish cooking uses a lot of olives and vinaigrettes, something we like a lot at our house! Obviously, you can adjust the amounts per your taste.

I really liked this salad a lot. It was a welcome change to the normal chicken salad and much more interesting than lettuce and veggies with ranch! We served this salad with some Spanish Burgers with Manchego Cheese - it was a whole spanish themed feast! - but the salad can definitely be a stand alone dish in itself.