You have a nice dinner date planned with your special someone at your home and you want to make a good impression by executing a classy romantic plan. You have your décor set, your music ready and your outfit crisp. But what about the food? Well, I am here to help.
Tassyam brings you a four-part series of date night recipes as a guide for the four courses: Salad, Soup, Main Course and Dessert. Every course designed to ensure that your date will leave impressed.
First, we have today’s salad: Grilled Chicken Salad with Orange.
Salads are added to a meal as a course in the beginning. Its purpose is simple: to get our stomach ready and hungry for the coming meal. A fitness freak’s favourite today’s salad features grilled chicken with a breeze of freshness by oranges. The vinaigrette/dressing is simple and easy. As for our vegan readers out there you can easily replace the chicken with grilled tofu!
Preparation time: 30 mins
Portions: 2
Ingredients:
- Chicken Breast/Tofu: 1(in case of chicken breast) / 150 grams
- Romaine lettuce: 3 leaves
- Oranges: 1
- Mint leaves: 5
- Dried Cranberries : 1 tbsp
- Parmesan Cheese(optional): 3-4 shavings
- Apple Cider Vinegar: 4 tbsp
- Olive oil: 4 tbsp
- English Mustard: ½ tbsp
- Salt and pepper: To taste
- Spice mix of your choice for marinating the chicken/tofu
Process:
- In a bowl rub the chicken/Tofu with your favourite spice mix and salt. I would personally recommend the following:
- In a hot pan, drizzle a small amount of oil and place your chicken breast skin side down. Do not move or try to lift the piece at this point. Each side should take about 8 minutes to brown and cook through. Once both sides are cooked let it rest.
- In the meantime, while you wait to flip the sides and then let it rest, you have to prepare your vegetables. Tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and removed the peels of each orange pod exposing the juice-filled jewels. Chop your mint leaves as well.
- In a separate bowl whisk the oil, vinegar, salt and mustard into an emulsion. This is your vinaigrette/dressing.
- Slice the chicken into bite-sized portions and put it in the dressing. Add the vegetables and cranberries and toss them in the dressing till everything is evenly coated.
- Garnish with parmesan cheese.
- You can even keep the dressing separately and toss it right before serving at the table for showmanship.
Make sure your salad is “dressed” to impress.
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