Roasted Vegetables and Chicken Salad – Healthy Lunch Recipe

This roasted vegetable and chicken salad is hearty and full of flavor. It’s my version of one of my favorite meals from a local café.

Ah…Lilly’s Pizza. It’s my daughter’s and my favorite restaurants in Raleigh.  Lilly’s is located in Historic Five Points in Raleigh and has a menu consisting of fantastic pizzas and salads and other dishes made with organic, fresh ingredients.

All summer long, Jess and I had a Monday date for lunch and it was always to Lilly’s that we went for our date.

Roasted vegetables and chicken Salad ( with vegan and vegetarian adaptations.)

This recipe is a version of my favorite dish on their menu:  roasted vegetable salad.  Jess is a vegan so she gets their recipe as it is, but substitutes vegan Daiya cheese.  I add chicken to mine.  Either way, it is delicious. 

I adapt the vegetables as my mood hits, but today’s version uses red peppers, carrots and beets.

Lilly’s recipe uses organic veggies that have been freshly roasted – zucchini, mushrooms, yellow onions, rosemary,  roasted red potatoes, baby spinach & broccoli on a bed of organic mixed greens with Parmesan, our homemade spices & their famous croutons. 

I am not so fond of zucchini, so I deleted that ingredient and did not have broccoli today, so I added carrots and beets.  (any roasted vegetables will do just fine.)  I used Mexican cheese today as well.

Start with a bunch of freshly roasted vegetables.  (I make  a huge pan of these early in the week so that I have them on hand when I want to make this salad.)

Grill half a chicken breast then cut it into small pieces.

Place the chicken in the bottom of a serving bowl and keep warm.

Cook the mushrooms in a non stick frying pan, sprayed with Pam.  Add the spinach and cook to let it wilt slightly.

Add the mushrooms and spinach over the salad.

Warm up the roast veggies in the skillet if they are not warm.  Add the mixed greens and layer on the roasted vegetables. 

The heat of the chicken below and vegetables above will help to make the spinach wilt more.

Add the dried cranberries, and top with a sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese.  Enjoy!

NOTE:  To serve as a vegan or vegetarian dish, omit the chicken and change the cheese to Daiya cheese.

Yield: 1 large salad

Roasted Vegetables and Chicken Salad

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A bed of roasted vegetables over seasoned chicken and topped with cheese - what a hearty and delicious meal!

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of roasted carrots, beets and potatoes
• 1 cup of baby spinach
• 1 cup of mixed greens
• 3 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast -cooked and chopped (optional - omit for vegan and vegetarian)
• 1 cup of sliced mushrooms
• 2 tbsp of dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup of shredded Mexican cheese (Vegans use Daiya cheese)
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• dash of cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a non stick frying pan, place the sliced mushrooms and spray with Pam cooking spray.
2. Sauté until lightly cooked, add the spinach and let it wilt a bit and then set aside.
3. Place the chopped, cooked chicken in the bottom of a large bowl.
4. Add the baby spinach and mushrooms on top.
5. Heat the roasted veggies in the skillet if they are not hot and then layer the roasted vegetables on top of the spinach and mushrooms. The heat of the cooked chicken and roasted veggies will help to wilt the spinach a bit more.
6. Top with the dried cranberries and cheese and season with Kosher salt and cracked black pepper.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 753Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 1500mgCarbohydrates: 101gFiber: 21gSugar: 40gProtein: 48g

Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.

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