Most of the recipes I’ve posted have been comfort food or Italian-ish. So, today I wanted to switch it up with something a little healthier, but still very yummy!
I have for you, one of my go-to salads. Super easy, especially if you use already cooked meat. This is a spinach-pear salad with caramelized onion, honey balsamic grilled chicken, goat cheese, sweetened almonds and a homemade honey balsamic dressing.
This salad takes me a total of 15 minutes to make. I used already cooked frozen grilled chicken strips. Heated it on the stove with some olive oil and then tossed it with some balsamic vinegar and honey. I did the same thing for the dressing. The slightly bitter taste of the balsamic pairs very well with the honey, sweet pear and caramelized onions. I’ve been replacing salad dressings with this combo for a couple of years now because it is healthier and still tastes delicious!
The almonds I used in this salad are kind of unique. They were coconut praline coated almonds. I saw them at my local LIDL grocery store and couldn’t pass them up. If you don’t have access to these you can use honey roasted almonds or even walnuts.
To caramelize the onions I simply slice an onion, place in skillet over low-medium heat, add some honey and let cook for about 15 minutes. You honestly don’t even need to add honey, the onions will sweeten on their own. I just like the extra sweetness! Hope you all enjoy!
Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of grilled chicken strips
- 1 onion
- 1 pear
- 1 bag of spinach (~4 cups)
- 1/2 cup of sweetened almonds or walnuts (honey roasted will do, I used coconut praline coated from LIDL)
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Slice onion, place in a skillet over low heat. Let onions cook slowly so they caramelize. You can add honey or butter to enhance sweetness.
- While onions cook, slice the pear long ways and then cut slices in half.
- Add cooked grilled chicken to a bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of honey. Mix until chicken is covered in dressing.
- Place spinach into salad bowl. Top with pear, almonds, chicken, caramelized onion and goat cheese.
- Whisk remaining balsamic vinegar and honey together and toss with salad. Add more dressing if desired and salt & pepper to taste. Enjoy!
What are some of your favorite salad recipes?
