Cilantro and Lime Salad with Chicken

This salad is from the Nordstrom Cafe Cookbook. The salad is served in the Nordstrom Cafe and is one of my mom and I's favorite salads and we always make excuses to go out to Norfolk to get it! It is so fresh and delicious but very filling and satisfying. We've had the cookbook for a while but kept put off making it had home because it looked a little daunting because of the long ingredient list. We had an over abundance of cilantro so we knew that we had to make it- and it turned out to be pretty simple! We ended up making the vinaigrette a few days ahead and just kept it in the refrigerator and then assembled the rest of the salad the night we wanted to eat it. 

Chipotle-Lime Vinaigrette

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons pureed chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup canola oil

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 ears corn, shucked and grilled or boiled

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper, cooked and julienned

1 1/2 cups diced plum or cherry tomatoes

1 pound mixed baby greens

2 cups grated jack cheese

1/2 cup chopped roasted red bell pepper

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup toasted salted pumpkin seeds

fresh cilantro for garnish

lime wedges for serving

Chipotle-Lime Vinaigrette

In a blender or a food processor combine the vinegar, lime juice, garlic, chipotle chile, honey, and salt and process until thoroughly combined.  Gradually add the canola oil in a steady steam. Add the cilantro and pulse or process to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Lime and Cilantro Salad with Chicken

To assemble the salad, cut off the corn kernals from the cob (you can also you frozen corn if its off seasons! ). Add the chicken, tomatoes, greens, cheese, and bell pepper*.

Top with pumpkin seeds and fresh cilantro and serve immediately with vinaigrette.      

*To roast red pepper, roast over a grill or a gas burner, about 2-3 minutes on each side, turning once black marks appear. After roasted, let rest until cool, and then slice, deseed, and chop. 

No Knead Bread

This is the first time I've made this type of bread and it turned out great! It was super easy and surprisingly few steps! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has been wanting to make bread but has been reluctant to do so because of the amount of time it takes. The no knead aspect of this bread allows for most of the work to be done over night and eliminated the second proofing, making it less difficult- but it is still a very tasty, crusty bread. 

I found the recipe for this on a blog called Simply So Good, she has great directions and tips. 

No Knead Bread

3 cups all purpose flour (good quality works best- like King Arthur) 

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon Instant of Rapid-rise yeast

1 1/2 cups water

In a large bowl whisk together flour, salt, and yeast. Add water and mix until it comes together, it will not be neat/smooth, but don't worry. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12-18 hours. Overnight works great because you can just go to bed and resume work in the morning.

This is what the dough will look like after resting for 12 hours 

Heat oven to 450 degrees. When the oven is preheated, place a cast iron pot with a lid (or any pot that will sustain 450 degree heat) in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes. While the pot is in the oven, turn the dough onto a well floured surface and shape into a ball. Make sure there is plenty of flour as the dough will be rather wet and sticky (and this is okay!). Cover the ball with plastic wrap and let rest while the pot heats. After the 30 minutes, remove the pot from the oven and drop the dough in, being careful, as the pot will be extremely hot. Also, be sure to keep the oven door closed as you are doing your dough transfer as to keep the oven at 450 degrees. Put the lid on and place in the over for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and place on a cooling rack. 

I wanted to try the bread plain for the first go round, but this bread lends itself to add ins such as nuts, fruits, herbs, and cheese. I think tomorrow I am going to try a Cheddar-Chive variation and a Dried Cranberry-Orange variation. I will post about how they turn out!  

There is nothing better than a slice of fresh bread with a bit of butter and some good jam! Now I can't wait for spring to roll around so that we can start making our own jams again!