Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken

I'm loving all these cool crisp salads from Simply in Season. I'm also loving the abundant fresh greens this summer. This salad has some frisee from Whole Foods, arugula from the same place, & (best of all) greens from my Mother-in-law's garden. We also have some red lettuce from the farmer's market to have as a side salad tonight.

The Grilled Chicken salad is made by the wonderful oregano & garlic flavors, as well as the tender chicken.

For the dressing mix: 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, one tsp dried oregano, salt, pepper, & two minced cloves of garlic. Reserve two tbsp.

Toss eight cups mixed greens, tomato, & two slices red onion separated into rings into the rest of the dressing.

Brush one pound chicken breasts with the reserved dressing. Grill for about five minutes on each side, or until chicken is cooked through. Then cut into slices to put onto the salad.

Garnish with feta cheese & olives.

We had ours with a bit of farmer's market baguette! Thanks to Le Quartier Baking Company.

It was our first farmer's market of the year, & it was quite a festive affair. There was a man there playing the accordion & singing in French, accompanied by a man on the guitar. It was quite good music. My husband said he was not from France & probably had a Cajun accent. Apparently he was right, as I have discovered today they are a group called the Prairie Gators.

So today's music is from them. Though, I couldn't find a video of him actually singing.

This is still worth a view.

Nicoise Salad

This salad was made by it's interesting combination of toppings & the fresh mixed greens.

A satisfying mix of crisp red lettuce, bitter-nutty frisee, & peppery arugula, though of course any mixed greens are called for. The egg, tomato, tuna, & nicoise olives played out well together.

The dressing was a pleasant balance of sweet mustardy acidity.

Whisk or shake well together: 1.5 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, & 1/2 tbsp lemon juice. Then toss 4 cups of greens with the dressing.

Top with: 5 ounces canned tuna (drained), 3 boiled & quartered small potatoes, 2 hard-cooked eggs in wedges, one medium tomato in wedges, & at least ten Nicoise olives.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Charles Bradley- The World is Going up in Flames

Greek Tomato Salad

Refreshing cool salad. As a bonus we trimmed our basil plant which is now over a foot tall to use some fresh basil for this recipe. Nothing better than fresh basil.

Combine in a dish: 8 medium tomatoes (peeled & sliced), one medium thinly sliced onion, & one chopped cucumber.

Mix & pour over the vegetables: 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil, one tbsp olive oil, one tbsp balsamic vinegar, & one clove chopped garlic.

Toss lightly. Salt & pepper to taste. Garnish with one half cup of crumbled feta cheese & Kalamata olives.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

The Phoenix Foundation- Buffalo