I’ve said before and I will continue to keep saying it –  I refuse to let go of summer. It was 90 degrees in our upstairs bedroom today! And we don’t have AC… Painful at night but oh so nice for evening walks and weekends at the beach. 

Nick and I have been all over the place the last few weeks with visitors here in Venice then my amazing trip (and first solo getaway post baby!) to Santa Fe last weekend before coming home to my in-laws, so our dinners on the back patio have fallen off quite a bit. These days, it feels like we are scarfing down dinners after getting the kiddo to bed and house cleaned at 8pm or taking turns eating while the other feeds him. It’s all over the place. And nailing a perfectly hot meal that needs to be eaten right away (say fish or pasta), is almost unheard of on a weekday. 

You know what doesn’t need to be perfectly timed? Salads. Big ole salads. Yes you don’t want to dress it and let it get soggy but my trick is to prep and toss the whole thing minus the dressing, then simply add a dash to your bowl when ready to eat rather than tossing it altogether. That way, you can eat it at multiple times whenever you can and still enjoy the same delicious meal. It also makes it that much easier when you inevitably have too much and want to save some for the next day. No one likes soggy salad! 

This one was requested by Nick, a fulling but not too indulgent salad that has protein, carbs, and my favorite, fried cheese! It’s easy to make because 3 ingredients, you toss in all the same ingredients and bake. The rest you simply chop. The only outlier is the lightly fried halloumi but I tell ya, the saltiness of that cheese in this salad is worth every extra minute and one more pan to clean. Don’t sleep on it! I honestly slightly alter all the ingredients in this dish except the cheese when Nick asks. Sometimes I add salami. Other times I add pepperoncinni or artichokes.The dressing and cheese remain the same. 

Anyway, it’s getting late here and I still have 10+ hours of casting to watch for an upcoming show I am working on for my day job so going to keep this one short. But if you like this one, check out kalememaybe on Instagram, she was the inspo for this one and is the queen of amazing, unique salad and bowl combos that I could only aspire to making on the regular. Enjoy! 

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. chicken breast

1 russet potato

1 yellow bell pepper

8 oz. halloumi cheese

1 cup cherry tomatoes

2 heads of romaine (approx. 4 cups)

1 can chickpeas

italian seasoning

paprika

salt & pepper

olive oil

Dressing:

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

2 tbsp. dijon mustard

1 tsp. Honey

1 shallot

italian seasoning

salt & pepper

Serving Size: 4-6

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 425F.
• Clean and cut the chicken into cubes. Set aside.
• Drain chickpeas and rinse with water. Use a paper towel to dry. Set aside. 
• Dice the potato. Set aside. 
• Toss the chicken, chickpeas, and potato with a dash of olive oil, italian seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper until fully coated. 
• Place all three ingredients on a parchment paper lined baking sheet (or two if needed). 
• Bake for 25-30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, finely chop shallot and whisk together all the dressing ingredients. 
• Also chop the bell pepper, tomatoes, and romaine. 
• Lastly, in a large skillet, heat olive oil in a thin layer. Slice the halloumi and pan fry for 2-3 minutes each side. Can do in batches if needed. Once all the halloumi is fried, chop it into smaller pieces.
• When the baked goodies are finished, let cool for 5-10 minutes then toss all ingredients together with the dressing. 
• Enjoy!