Tag Archives: Paleo Friendly

Strawberry Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad

Strawberry Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad on Blue Tray

This chicken salad is my current Summer obsession! It has all the bright flavors of Summertime with it’s bright lemon and strawberry flavors with the bite of black pepper! Perfection!

Strawberry Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad 1

I do hope you give it a go, because I think you will really love it!

One of the keys to a really good chicken salad with white breast meat is roasting the chicken breasts to absolute perfection. It is handy to have a instant read thermometer for this. Another tip when roasting boneless, skinless breasts is to rub them with olive oil. It locks in the juices!

Ming loves Strawberry season! We got freshly picked ones from the Farmer’s Market!

Ming Smelling the Strawberries.jpg

I use a loose mayonnaise based dressing in this chicken salad that has plenty of fresh lemon juice for a lovely zing!

Also incorporated into this salad is crunchy toasted pecans, two kinds of onions (scallions and yellow) and fresh diced strawberries!

Strawberry Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad

Ingredients for the Chicken:

3 pounds of good quality boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 to 5)

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

Zest of one Large Lemon

1/2 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

Preheat your oven to 400° degrees F. Lay out the chicken breasts on a rimmed baking sheet. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Brush all over both sides of the breasts evenly. Roast in your preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Keep a close eye on them and do not take the breasts over 165° to ensure your chicken is juicy and tender. Check it at 20 minutes, remove any smaller breasts that may cook faster, then keep roasting if necessary in three minute increments until the chicken is done at 165° F. I can’t stand a dry breast!

When the chicken is done, remove it from the baking sheet onto a plate, then cover it with another plate to cool.

Assembling the Salad:

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Fresh Ripe Strawberries, diced

1/2 Cup of Finely Diced Yellow Onion

1/2 Cup of Green Scallions, sliced

1/2 Cup of Toasted Pecans (Toast at 350° degrees F. for 8 minutes) cooled and chopped

1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/4 Cup of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (from the lemon you zested for the chicken)

1/2 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons of Good Mayo (I use this kind)

1 Tablespoon of Really Good Honey (Local is Lovely)

Directions to finish the Chicken Salad:

Cube your cooled chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes. Place in a large bowl. Add the diced yellow onion, scallions, and toasted chopped pecans. In a blender, blend together the chicken salad dressing ingredients until creamy and smooth: (the mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey, sea salt, black pepper). Pour the dressing over the chicken salad (saving the strawberries for last as they are tender) Toss the chicken salad until the ingredients are evenly disbursed and coated with the dressing. Now, fold in the diced strawberries. Chill and serve.

I hope you enjoy this delicious warm weather chicken salad full of the bright flavors of Summertime!

Strawberry Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad for Summer..jpg

*This post has affiliate links in it. I receive a very small commission if you purchase through my links. The small commission helps cover the cost of maintaining this blog. Thanks! 🙂

Farm Market Local Strawberries

Chocolate Nut Butter Cups

These rich little powerhouses of goodness are a great treat to have on hand! Just one of these is enough to satisfy a sweet tooth. You can offer these decadent cups to those who are gluten free, dairy free, health conscious or vegan.

Chocolate Nut Butter Cups - Raw Chocolate, Dairy and Gluten Free

As a chocolate lover, as most girls are, these are chocolate fudge creamy goodness! With raw cacao, cashew butter, pecans and coconut oil at the top of the list, there is a lot of healthy ingredients you can feel good about, and no refined sugar!

Chocolate Nut Butter Cups Healthier Snacking

Keep these in the freezer or refrigerator. I like the firmness the freezer gives them, you choose.

Nut Butter Cups No Refined Sugar Raw Cacao

Prep Time

30 minutes

Prep Notes

These are a lower sugar treat that has healthy fats and Superfood Raw Cacao Powder in them. They are a good choice when you want something sweet.

Cooking Time

60 minutes

Yields

Makes 24

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Portion:

1 Cup of Raw Cacao Powder

6 Tablespoons of Coconut Milk

5 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil

1/4 Cup of Almond or Cashew Butter

2 Tablespoons of Maple Syrup or Raw Honey

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

3/4 Teaspoon of fine Sea Salt

For the Filling:

1 Cup of Raw Pecans

3 Tablespoons of Maple Syrup or Raw Honey

1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

a pinch of Sea Salt

Directions

Place Mini Muffin Cup liners in a 24 count Mini Muffin pan
In a Medium bowl with an electric mixer, mix together all the chocolate ingredients, and set aside.
In a food processor, grind the raw pecans until they are a fine crumb consistency. Add in the honey, vanilla and salt, and pulse until it holds together when you squeeze it.
Place 1 teaspoon of chocolate mixture in the bottom of each muffin cup, and press flat and evenly with your fingers.
Scoop a scant teaspoon of pecan filling onto each muffin cup and press flat and evenly to cover the chocolate bottom.
Finely, add the remaining chocolate mixture to the tops of each chocolate butter cup and press evenly. It will be a scant teaspoon for each. It’s okay if they are not perfectly covered. They are pretty that way.
Freeze for 30 minutes.

Notes

Store in the Freezer or Refrigerator in a sealed container.

Chocolate Nut Butter Cups! These are creamy and delicious with ingredients you can feel good about. Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegan

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt (Made with Sheep’s Milk Yogurt)

I feel like I just won a prize! I recently found plain Sheep’s Milk yogurt at my local food co-op. Sheep’s Milk Yogurt is easily digestible, similar to goat’s milk, and many who don’t tolerate dairy in the form of cow’s milk or goat’s milk, can tolerate sheep’s milk, as it is very close to human breast milk. Sheep’s milk has a very high fat content naturally, so it is super creamy and requires no thickner’s or stabilizers. Another bonus if you are not a goat’s dairy fan because of the stronger flavor, sheep’s milk is very mild tasting. There are a lot of nutritional benefits to sheep’s milk and it has been consumed by humans for thousands of years. Read more about it here!

blueberry-frozen-yogurt-paleo-friendly

I am so thrilled about finding this yogurt that I actually tolerate very well, and tastes amazing! I want to eat it every day. I like to have it with a touch of honey and fruit, and even plain. Plus, it works great in savory dips and sauces.

black-sheep-yogurt

But today, I am using it to make a frozen yogurt with only 4 ingredients, and it is super delicious! Before I forget, here is the brand I found that is made in New York State. It is called Black Sheep Yogurt by Old Chatham Sheep Herding Creamery. If you can’t find a good Sheep’s Milk Yogurt where you are, you can buy this brand online and have it shipped directly to you.

blueberry-frozen-yogurt-recipe-honey-sweetened-sheeps-milk-yogurt

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. container of Plain Yogurt (I used Sheep’s Milk)

1/2 Cup of Frozen Blueberries

1/4 Cup of Honey

2 Teaspoons of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

Directions:

Place everything but the yogurt in a small saucepan, and warm together stirring constantly over medium heat to just warm. The honey should be dissolved and the blueberries warmed.

Put the yogurt into a medium bowl. Pour the berries over the top and whisk together.