Sweet and Savory: Salad with Strawberries, Goat Cheese and Toasted Almond

This salad is sweet and savory and hits the spot every time. Served it at a family get together tonight and it was gobbled up.

Ingredients:

1. 6 cups of mixed greens (or arugula)
2. 1/4 red onion thinly sliced
3. 1 cup avocado cubed
4. 1-2 cups of strawberries washed, dried and quartered
5. 4-6 ounces of goat cheese crumbled
6. 1/3 cup slivered almonds pan toasted

Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons of berry preserves (I used Sarabeth's mixed berry)
Mixed in a bowl and well mixed

In a small hot skillet, toast your almonds on small flame till golden. Set aside.

Wash and dry greens. Add onion, avocado and strawberries. Add dressing, mix well. Top with goat cheese and almonds.

Enjoy!

Arugula Salad w Strawberries, Blueberries, Toasted Almonds, Goat Cheese and Seared Chicken Breast

INGREDIENTS:

FOR CHICKEN
2 Chicken Breasts
1 Tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Grape Oil

FOR SALAD
3 cups arugula (washed and spun dried)
1 cup of strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 container soft goat cheese (my favorite brand for salad is Chavrie)
2 tbsp aged balsamic
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup wheat berries (optional)

To prepare the chicken breast, I use LeCreuset's Grill Pan. This is the one that I have : http://www.amazon.com/Le-Creuset-Square-Skillet-Grill/dp/B00004SBI4  Wash and dry chicken. Heat pan, add oil. Cook chicken till cooked through. About 5-7 minutes per side depending on thickness. Add a splash of soy sauce towards the end.  Cool and slice. 

For wheat berries (if using) 
Note that wheat berries are not berries but a legume which means they do need to be soaked overnight. Totally optional in the salad but do give it a nice texture.

1 cup wheat berries
2 to 2 1/2 cups of water
Note that this will make more wheatberries that you need for the salad but these are good to have on hand for other salads or make a nice hearty breakfast.

Rinse the wheat berries well with cold water. 
Place in bowl filled with cold water and let soak overnight.
Rinse and drain the water.
Place in pan with water, bring to boil.
Cover and let simmer for an 1 hr to 1 1/2 hrs till tender and chewy.


For salad:

Wash and spin dry arugula. Wash, dry and slice strawberries. Wash blueberries.
Thinly slice red onions. Combine the above ingredients in a large bowl.

For dressing, combine balsamic, lemon juice, olive oil. Mix well, add honey and dijon. Mix again. 

In a small, preheated skillet, toast almonds till light brown. About a minute per side.

Dress salad. Top with chicken, scoops of goat cheese and toasted almonds. Serve and enjoy.