Jewish Deli-Kitchen Sink Salad

chicken originally uploaded by Kim De.

For those nights you need something fast, a main dish salad is always a winner in our house. It is light, healthy, and can utilize many bits and pieces left from other meals - essentially you can add "everything but the kitchen sink"!

For this particular salad, I pressed caraway seeds into chicken breast prior to grilling it. Homemade rye bread made the perfect base for croutons. I cubed the slightly stale bread and after tossing it with salt and olive oil, it roasted at 450 until crispy, about 20 minutes.

Diced yellow pepper and red apples were added to romaine lettuce, followed by the sliced, grilled chicken and still warm croutons. To pull it all together, a dressing of mayonnaise and chopped horseradish was drizzled on top.

This concoction had the definite undertones of a sandwich from a Jewish Deli, while using up leftovers from my fridge.

There isnt a true "recipe", but what follows is a template to follow. Think of this idea when you need inspiration for a quick weeknight meal!

Jewish Deli-Kitchen Sink Salad

2 slices day-old rye bread
2 chicken breasts
caraway seeds
olive oil
salt and pepper
romaine or other dark green
chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers or any veggie
1 apple,pear etc diced - or other fruit - ie grapes, dried cranberries etc.
2T mayonnaise and 1T horseradish (or the equivalent based on the amount of dressing you like)

Cube the bread. Toss is a tiny bit of oil, sat and pepper. Roast at 450 until crisp, approximately 20 minutes.

Press caraway seeds into the chicken and grill, bake or pan saute until completely cooked.

Divide the lettuce among the plates. Chop the veggies and fruit and place on the greens. Slice the chicken and add to salad along with the croutons.

Mix the mayonnaise with the horseradish, salt and pepper. Make what you need for your individual taste (we like a lightly dressed salad).

Serve with a light, fruity, dry white wine.