Chicken and Pears over Arugula

Okay, so the Macaroni and Cheese was delicious but very rich. I am ready for some lighter fare, how about you?

This salad fits the bill: it is delicious, healthy, and a cinch to make!

Recipe adapted from one I found in All You magazine.

printable recipe

Chicken and Pears over Arugula

serves 4

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb), trimmed, patted dry and pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
• salt and pepper
• 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 large bunch arugula (about 7 oz)
• 2 ripe pears, halved, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Warm 1 Tbsp olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter is foaming. Add chicken. 

Cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.

While chicken is cooking, whisk remaining 3 Tbsp oil, vinegar, mustard, 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper, in a small bowl. When the chicken is done cooking, whisk the leftover butter and juices from chicken into the dressing mix as well.

Place the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and put in oven at 350F for about 8 minutes, until toasted.

Slice chicken thinly across the grain.

Place arugula, chicken and pear slices in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing mix and top with walnuts and dried cranberries.

Seared Steak and Arugula Salad

This is one of the first meals that my husband made for me after we were married several years ago and it is still one of my favorites. The bitterness of the arugula makes the dressing taste almost sweet and the warm meat and peppers on top of the cold, crisp greens provide a great contrast in texture.

Plus it just looks fancy, don't you think?

This recipe is adapted from one by Giada on foodnetwork.com.

Seared Steak and Arugula Salad

printable recipe 

serves 4

• 1 lb steak (we recommend 2 petite sirloins, although I believe the original recipe called for rib-eye steak, so that would work too)
• salt and pepper (or Montreal Steak Seasoning)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 10 oz package salad greens, arugula is the best, but any bitter salad mix would work
• 1 red pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

*Please note that we halved this recipe since we were just making salads for two people, so we used half of a pepper and only 1 petite sirloin in the pictures.

Cut red pepper in half and roast the halves, either on the grill on high or in the oven at 400F, about 10 minutes either way or until the pepper starts to blacken.

Cut the red pepper into chunks and set aside.

Season the steak generously with salt and pepper. We have alternately used Montreal Steak Seasoning, which tastes great too.

In a skillet, heat up a couple Tbsp of olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Place steak in skillet and sear for several minutes on each side to desired temp. 

For medium rare, we cooked it for about 3 minutes per side on medium-high heat. If you prefer a more well-done steak, decrease the heat and cook longer on each side.

Place the steak on a plate, cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes.

Pour the grease from the skillet into a bowl along with 1/4 cup each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and whisk together.

Slice steak against the grain in thin slices.

Wash and dry the arugula or greens.

Place a generous portion of the greens on each plate.

Arrange steak slices and red pepper on top of greens and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Pour the oil and vinegar mix on top. Enjoy!

This recipe is featured in Menu Plan 6.

Cafe Río-style Sweet Pork Salad

For all you Cafe Río fans out there, here is a copycat recipe for their ever-popular Sweet Pork Barbacoa Salad. We thought this meal was excellent, so flavorful and satisfying. It can be adjusted to suit your tastes, but below is the basic recipe.

Some elements of this meal have been adapted from a recipe found on Favorite Family Recipes and the pork recipe I got from my sister-in-law Katie.

I was just asked how many servings this makes and I would say 4-6. There is enough pork and salad dressing for 6 generous salads, but if you like a lot of rice and beans, you may want to double the rice recipe and use two cans of black beans. Just go by how your family usually eats. Have fun!

Cafe Río-style Sweet Pork Salad

printable recipe 

The first step is to make the pork, start it about 5-6 hours before you would like to serve dinner.

Crockpot Sweet Pork

 3-4 lbs pork (I use 4 bone-in pork chops)

garlic salt

1 can Coke or Dr. Pepper (not diet) 

16 oz. salsa

4 oz can green chilies

1 Tbsp taco seasoning

1 Tbsp cumin

1 cup brown sugar

Sprinkle pork with garlic salt (if using a pork roast, cut into fist sized chunks, pork chops can be left whole) and place in crock pot.

Pour in 1 cup of water and can of soda. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours or until it can be shredded easily.

Remove bones and shred pork.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook for another hour.

Cilantro-Lime Rice

1 cup uncooked rice

1 tsp butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken stock

1 Tbsp lime juice

2 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix into rice.

As the rice cooks, prepare dressing:

Cilantro Ranch

1 packet Traditional Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not buttermilk)

1 cup mayo

1 cup buttermilk

2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced

1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro

1 clove garlic

juice of 1 lime

1 jalapeño, seeded

Mix all ingredients together in the blender.

Heat tortillas (1 tortilla per salad) with monterey jack and cheddar sprinkled on them in oven at 350F for about 5 minutes, until cheese melts.

Top with warmed black beans then Cilantro-Lime Rice.

Add pork (use a slotted spoon to remove from crock pot).

Add lettuce, salsa or pico de gallo, sour cream and/or guacamole, dressing and (optional) garnish: crushed tortilla chips, a shake of Parmesan cheese, and cilantro. We had to add our new favorite condiment: Chipotle Tabasco sauce. This stuff is seriously addicting! 

Enjoy your salad, Cafe Río in the comfort of your own home!

This recipe is featured in Meal Plan: December 6-12.