Jam-Packed Chopped Summertime (Or Anytime) Salad

This summer my husband and I often put the kids to bed and enjoyed a light refreshing salad for dinner (paired with wine, of course). This may sound totally boring and unsatisfying to some of you (ONLY salad for dinner?!), but trust me, the salads that we make are jam-packed full of fresh ingredients like seasonal veggies and fruits, herbs, nuts, meat or fish, and yummy cheeses. They are meal-worthy salads, which are very satisfying and tasty. "Meal" salads are a great way to cut back on refined/processed carbohydrates and enjoy more veggies, which over time, will inevitably lead to healthy weight loss. We try to have a "meal salad" once a week or so. 

Here is one of our delicious salads (it's also a great salad to make for guests to go along with a meal):

Serves 4-6

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of baby kale, romaine or mixed greens (your choice- I use baby kale)
• 1 basket cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 English cucumber (or 2-3 mini cucumbers) chopped
• 1 large avocado, diced
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 bell pepper (color up to you), seeded and diced
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 cup grilled chicken breast, sauteed prawns or chickpeas (up to you)
• 1 cup green or purple grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 slivered almonds, toasted

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp mango chutney
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp Dijon
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• pepper to taste
• 1/4-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

• Layer lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, avocado, corn, red onion, protein, grapes, feta and almonds
• Whisk together chutney, celery seeds, mint, maple syrup, vinegar, Dijon, salt and pepper in a small bowl
• Add olive oil in a steady stream until incorporated
• Drizzle over salad, toss and enjoy!

*inspired by Chopped Salad With Chicken, Feta and Grapes from "The Whitewater Cooks with Friends" cookbook