Grilled Chicken Salad

Prep and cook time: 30 minutes

1	10.5 ounce jar marinated feta cheese cubes in oil with herbs and spices
2	tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
2	tablespoons red wine vinegar
6	boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1	red onion , peeled, and cut into1/2-inch wedges
6	ounces fresh spinach
4	tomatoes , in assorted colors, cut into wedges
2	cups grape tomatoes
1/2	cup kalamata olives, pitted, halved

Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

[1] Drain oil from feta into a small bowl. Whisk in oregano and vinegar.

[2] Brush chicken and onion wedges with a little olive oil;. Grill chicken until cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes per side, and onion until tender, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board; let rest 5 minutes.

[3] Meanwhile, arrange spinach on large platter. Combine tomatoes, olives, and feta in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat generously. Arrange on platter with spinach.

[4] Thinly slice chicken; arrange chicken and onion wedges on platter. Drizzle chicken and spinach with more dressing and serve.

I ended up pan-frying the chicken breasts until they were cooked through because none of the boys were available for grilling last night. :) They were super moist and juicy - I just sprayed both sides and the pan with some olive oil cooking spray and cooked them about 8 minutes on each side, flipping occasionally. I cooked the onions while the chicken was resting.. they tasted great in the chicken drippings that were left in the pan.
Now, I didn't bother with getting different colored tomatoes - I just used the grape tomatoes (which I cut in half) and some vine-ripened tomatoes cut into wedges.
If you don't know what kalamata olives taste like then you will probably be surprised by what a strong flavor they have. Personally, I love they way they taste, but Mark and Cristin thought they were too overwhelming, so next time I may just throw regular olives in. (And pretty much forget about a kid eating them.)
I didn't "arrange on a platter", as you can tell from the pictures. I just put the spinach in one bowl, the tomato-feta-olive mixture in another bowl and the chicken and onions on a plate and let everyone build their own salad. Overall this was a very fresh, flavorful dish!



per serving: 396 calories; 61 grams protein; 11 grams total fat; 3 grams fiber; 5 grams saturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 162 mgs cholesterol; 647 mgs sodium
8 weight watcher points

Salad with Maple Dressing

Prep time: 5 minutes
Serves 4

1/4	cup mayonnaise
1/4	cup maple syrup
3	tablespoons white wine vinegar
2	teaspoons sugar
2	tablespoons canola oil
	coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
5	ounces mixed greens
1	Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4	cup dried cherries

[1] Whisk mayonnaise, maple syrup, vinegar, and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil until mixture thickens slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

[2] Toss greens, apple and cherries in a large bowl to combine. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Divide salad equally among plates and serve.

This was actually really tasty. I was skeptical about the maple syrup, but everyone enjoyed it. A couple things: I DID NOT buy dried cherries. They are like 10$ for a tiny bag. Instead I got a bag of cherry-flavored Craisins, which were yummy and sufficient. I also did not take the time to peel the apple, but I made sure to cut it into small bite-sized pieces. Lastly, we didn't have white wine vinegar, so I just used distilled white vinegar. Didn't seem to make a difference. I could make this salad once a week all summer!

per serving: 166 calories; 1 gram protein; 13 grams total fat; 1 gram fiber; 1 gram saturated fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 4 mgs cholesterol; 50 mgs sodium
4 weight watchers points

Apricot-Spinach Salad

Prep time: 5 minutes
Serves 4

1/4	cup rice vinegar
1	tablespoon olive oil
2	tablespoons lemon juice
1/2	cup dried apricots
4	cups fresh spinach

[1] In a salad bowl, mix vinegar, oil, lemon juice and a little zest. Add apricots and spinach leaves, and mix to coat fruit and greens with dressing.

This salad was simple and quick to prepare. I love dried apricots! I didn't put all the prepared dressing on the spinach - I just kept adding spoonfuls until the spinach appeared to be coated and then served the remaining dressing on the side for those who wanted more on theirs. This salad is very summery - the lemon flavor on the spinach and apricots was quite good.

per serving: 51 calories; 1 gram protein; 4 grams total fat; 1 gram fiber; 0 grams saturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 mgs cholesterol; 30 mgs sodium
1 Weight Watchers point