Main Dish Worthy Salads

I've learned an interesting lesson during these past weeks. There is no limit to the amount of salads Bryant will eat during a week, but there is a limit when it comes to soup. I'm not quite sure why, but it is a good thing to know. This first recipe I found on the Eating Well website which is a great resource for healthy and delicious recipes. I tweaked it a bit so here's my version:

Coconut-Lime Chicken & Snow Pea Salad
serves 2 as a main dish
1 c lite coconut milk
1/4 c lime juice
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz chicken, cooked or uncooked
4 c chopped salad greens of your choice
1 c chopped cabbage
1 c snow peas, trimmed
3 T minced fresh cilantro
2 T minced red onion

Dressing: Whisk coconut milk, lime juice, sugar, and salt together. If your chicken is already cooked, heat 1/2 c dressing in a saucepan with red onion, add chicken, and simmer until onion is tender. If your chicken is raw preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken in a 8x8-inch glass baking dish and cover with 3/4 c dressing and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Salad: Toss lettuce, cabbage, snow peas, onion, and cilantro in a large bowl with remaining dressing. Divide between two plates. Slice chicken and place on top of salads. Drizzle cooking liquid over each salad. THIS IS SO GOOD.

Fan's Christmas present is the gift that just keeps on giving. This recipe was originally to be served with rice, but I served it as a salad instead and it was very good.

Pork Medallions with Chili-Maple sauce
serves 4 as a main dish

16 oz pork tenderloin
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 T canola oil
3/4 c chicken broth
3 T pure maple syrup
1 T chili-garlic paste (found in the Thai section at the supermarket)
1 green onion, chopped
4 c salad greens chopped

Cut tenderloin crosswise into 8 slices. Place between plastic wrap and bound to 1/2-inch thickness with a meat mallet (or the bottom of a saucepan which is what I sued) and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and five-spice powder.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter. Add next 3 ingredients to skillet and boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Place salad greens on plates, top with pork, dress with sauce, and sprinkle with green onion. You just may want to lick the pan clean.