Salads Don’t Have To Be Boring- 1 Pesto, 3 Salads!

Summer is on its way and with it comes fresh fruit and vegetables. We all want to eat healthy, but often salad can mean boring “diet” food. Not anymore! It’s time to take an old school salad recipe and turn it up a notch. This one pesto recipe is going to change the way you look at salads, and simplify many more fun salad recipes you will actually look forward to eating. Chicken salad, melon and prosciutto, and caprese are well known salad combinations that we all have made and eaten numerous times. This Lemony Basil Pesto, and a few new techniques, will take these classic flavors to an entirely new, and exciting level.

This Lemony Basil Pesto is filled with a bright, lemon flavor accompanied by herbaceous basil and rich pine nuts. The garlic adds a nice tang to the mix, and the freshly grated parmesan cheese makes this pesto both nutty and salty.

Ingredients:
• 3 heaping cups fresh basil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
• Place the pine nuts in a shallow skillet over medium heat; tossing/stirring frequently
• Toast until the nuts are fragrant and slightly brown; careful, this can happen quickly
• Allow the pine nuts to cool
• Freshly grate the parmesan cheese using a food processor or hand grater
• Place the basil, grated cheese, cooled pine nuts, lemon zest, lemon juice, and garlic cloves into a food processor
• Process all of the ingredients together for about 15 seconds
• With the mixer running, slowly pour in the olive oil
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Process again to mix
• If the pesto is too thick you can add more olive oil
• Serve!
• Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container
• You can also place the pesto in an ice cube tray; fill each cube with pesto; freeze; once frozen place them into a freezer safe plastic bag

Light and Fresh Grilled Chicken Salad: This is not the sloppy mayonnaise salad you have come to know. It has a bit of tang from the sour cream, richness from the lemony basil pesto, bright acidity from the fresh lemon, a pop of sweetness from the fresh corn, and a crunch from the roasted sunflower seeds. Instead of poached chicken, this one is made with grilled chicken for a touch more smoke and flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup Lemony Basil Pesto
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; optional
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes; about 1 heaping cup
• 1 heaping cup fresh or frozen corn (not canned)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Grill the chicken breast on an indoor or outdoor grill and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting; if you don’t have a grill you can simply cook the chicken any way you like it!
• Place the corn in a skillet over medium heat; stirring frequently until the corn has slightly softened
• Allow to cool at room temperature
• Chop the chicken into about 1/2 inch cubes and place in a large bowl along with the cooked corn
• In a small bowl stir together the pesto and sour cream until smooth
• Pour the pesto/sour cream mixture over the chicken and corn
• Cut the tomatoes in half; about 1/2 inch pieces
• Toss the tomatoes into the chicken mixture
• Drizzle in a tablespoon of olive oil
• Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice if you choose
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• If the mixture is too thick add a little more olive oil
• Add more or less of any ingredient you like!

Melon and Crispy Prosciutto Salad: This traditional flavor combination has the volume turned up. Roasting the prosciutto makes it perfectly crispy on top of the sweet melon. Fresh peas are added for a pop of sweetness, the basil pesto adds a bright herbaceous flavor, and it is finished off with a rich, crumbly goat cheese. This is served on top of fresh, peppery arugula.

Ingredients:

• 1 small cantaloupe melon
• 1 cup peas; fresh or frozen (not canned)
• 4 oz prosciutto
• approximately 2-3 cups arugula
• 3 oz goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon Lemony Basil Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• fresh lemon juice; optional

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• Place the prosciutto onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy
• Allow to cool at room temperature
• Cut the melon into small cubes; about 1 inch
• The easiest way to cut a melon is to first cut the top and bottom off so that it can sit flat; then cut the outside of the melon off while it stands flat; cut in half and scoop out the seeds in the center; cut the halves into halves, and depending on the size of your melon you may need to cut them down more; then cut the strips into cubes; they don’t have to be perfect!
• Combine the pesto and olive oil together
• In a large bowl toss together the melon, peas, and half of the pesto/olive oil mixture
• Place the melon on a platter or in a large serving bowl
• Top with the cooled crispy prosciutto by crumbling it with your hands
• Crumble the goat cheese over the melon and prosciutto mixture
• Then top it all off with fresh arugula; use as much or as little as you like
• Drizzle the rest of the pesto/olive oil mixture over the salad
• Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice if you like
• Serve!
• If you want to make this ahead of time, you can prep the ingredients separately and then toss them together before serving.

Burrata and Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad: This has the traditional flavors of a caprese salad, but with much more flavor. Instead of mozzarella cheese, burrata is the star of this dish. It’s a form of mozzarella, but much more silky and creamy! The tomatoes are roasted instead of raw, which makes them slightly sweet and smoky. The basil pesto takes the place of the basil leaves, and also serves as the dressing. It is served over fresh, peppery arugula and finished off with a little olive oil and sea salt.

Ingredients:
• 1 large round of fresh burrata
• approximately 2 cups arugula
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes; about a heaping cup
• 1 tablespoon lemony basil pesto
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• sea salt to taste; optional

Directions:
• Preheat the oven to 400 degree
• Cut the tomatoes in half and place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil
• Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt
• Roast for about 15 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened and have become fragrant
• Cool at room temperature
• Place the fresh arugula onto a plate or in a shallow bowl
• Top with the round of fresh burrata
• Top the burrata with the roasted tomatoes
• Mix the tablespoon of lemony basil pesto with tablespoon of olive oil
• Drizzle the mixture over the burrata, tomatoes, and arugula
• Sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt; optional
• This can be served with bread, crackers, or simply a fork and knife!