Easy Weeknight Dinner: Loaded Salmon Salad

Whenever I ask my readers what kind of recipes they want to see more of, there is always an overwhelming request for easy weeknight dinner recipes. I get it. Dinner can be a struggle to get on the table at the end of the day, and not to mention the dishes that follow. As much as I love spending time in the kitchen, I am always challenging myself to come up with healthy meal ideas that can be made ahead of time, and that require very few dishes. Now, before you roll your eyes at a salad recipe, hear me out on this one. This salad is so versatile, pretty much any type of veggies and protein work. And the best part is that you can make the dressing, assemble the salad and even cook the protein ahead of time. This recipe definitely checks all the boxes which makes for the perfect weeknight (or any night) dinner solution!

I used fresh salmon in this recipe, but chicken, steak or any other kind of protein would be great. You could even pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store to make things even easier!

To make this salad ahead of time, I made the dressing (recipe below) and put it in a jar in the fridge. I then washed and cut up the lettuce and veggies, and assembled them on a platter. You could either cook the protein ahead of time or wait until right before you are going to serve it. I put plastic wrap on it and stuck it in the fridge and when I got home from a long day, dinner was done and ready to eat! 

I hope you give this recipe a try on a weeknight when you're in need of an easy dinner! Also let me know what your go-to weeknight dinner recipes are :)

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Salmon Salad Recipe 

Ingredients:

• 2, 6 ounce center cut salmon filets 
• 1 head red leaf lettuce, washed and cut 
• 1 ear white corn, kernels removed
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
• 1/2 cup green olives (natural green olives, not "martini" olives)
• 1/2 cup hearts of palm, cut on the diagonal
• 2 medium carrots, cut on the diagonal
• 1 ripe avocado, diced
• Optional: 1/2 cup feta cheese and pecans

Vinaigrette Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 tsp. honey
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper on salmon filets. On a prepared baking sheet, place the salmon into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until flakey. 
2. Arrange the greens on a large serving platter. Arrange the other veggies around the platter. 
3. Mix all of the dressing ingredients until well combined.
4. Place the salmon on top of the salad. Drizzle the salad with vinaigrette dressing, and enjoy!

*The vinaigrette recipe was adapted from this source.

Lemon Chicken

As I sit here sipping warm lemon tea on a rainy afternoon, I am reminded of why this recipe came so easily to me. This season, in particular, I have been obsessed with citrus as well as getting healthy meals on the table. Through those series of events, I combined the two ideas and this incredibly easy, delicious and healthy lemon chicken recipe was born! It is packed with all of my favorite flavors and pairs well with just about any sides you serve it with. 

I know you might be thinking to yourself, "another chicken recipe, how good can it be?" I think when you choose a few high quality ingredients, "another chicken recipe" can be transformed. I absolutely love Meyer lemons, so I used them in this recipe and it gives this dish amazing flavor! 

I seasoned and seared both sides of the chicken breasts before I added the lemon and herb sauce to it. I then finished it in the oven. This allows the chicken to get a good sear while not drying it out.

To lock in all of the amazing flavors this dish has to offer, I spooned the mixture over the dish throughout the cooking time. This also helped keep the chicken juicy and tender.

My husband and I have been making more of an effort to eat dinner at the dinner table instead of piecing a meal together in front of the TV. For some this may sound easy, while others it might be a struggle. With a very simple table setting, this was the perfect meal for my husband and I to enjoy together. Recipes like this allow you to get dinner on the table quickly so you can focus on what's really important. 

I made this recipe to serve for two since it was just my husband and I, but you could easily double or triple the recipe depending on how many mouths you need to feed! It also makes for amazing leftovers if you make a batch at the beginning of the week to enjoy throughout the week. I would love to hear how you enjoy this recipe, so be sure to let me know! :)

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Lemon Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 Tbs. butter 
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 3 Tbs. fresh Meyer lemon juice
• 1 tsp. dried herbs 
• 1/2 tsp. salt, additional for seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. pepper, additional for seasoning
• Dash of seasoning salt 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Melt butter in a medium cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook chicken 2-3 minutes per side, until browned but not cooked all the way through.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, herbs, salt and pepper and seasoning salt.  Pour the sauce directly over the chicken in the pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through. Spoon the sauce from the pan over the chicken every 5-10 minutes. 
4. Garnish with fresh rosemary and lemon slices and enjoy!