Santa Fe Chicken Salad

My friend Carly and I came up with a crazy idea to take a TRX exercise class every Monday night. For those of you who don’t know what TRX workouts entail, here are a couple buzzwords I like to use to describe the exercises: absolute hell, pain, and regret. I’m only half kidding. The workouts consist of using your own body strength and weight to suspend yourself in a number of different exercises. It’s tough, but apparently gets better/easier the more you go. Carly and I only did 30 minutes of the workout yesterday and we both can barely function. I literally cannot walk up or DOWN the stairs. Next week is a full hour of training. No pain, no gain, right? Pray for us.

I didn’t want all the energy and effort of working out to go to waste. Therefore, I am trying to eat (and now feature) some healthier and delicious recipes. This salad recipe has been on my radar for a long time. I absolutely love the Santa Fe Chicken Salad recipe at Earls Restaurant and I adore this copycat recipe. It’s one of my “go to” orders every time I dine there. The spicy/smoky flavour of the chicken, richness of the black beans and dates, combined with the sweet and sour flavours of the lime and peanut vinaigrette makes this a delicious, guilt free dish.

You will need:

For the cajun chicken:
2 whole chicken breasts, cut in half
1-2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
1-2 tbsp olive oil
For the peanut lime vinaigrette:
1/4 cup fresh peanuts
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp lime zest
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp cumin
For the salad:
1/2 bag salad toppings tortilla strips or 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 cup dates, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces and soaked in hot water for 5 minutes
8 cups mixed greens and chopped romaine lettuce
3/4 cup corn kernels
14 oz can (398 ml) black beans, well rinsed and well drained
1 avocado, thinly sliced
3/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped, roasted peanuts

Let’s make some peanut lime vinaigrette!

Place all your ingredients in a small food processor. Pulse until almost smooth.

Should look like so.

There should be tiny chunks of peanut still remaining in the dressing.

Set aside.

Next, soak your dates in hot water for 5 minutes.

Drain and place on paper towel to absorb any extra water.

Chop into 1/4 inch pieces and set aside.

Now, rub chicken breasts all over with olive oil.

Sprinkle cajun spice on both sides (use as much or little spice as you like).

Grill over medium-high heat until done.

Slice diagonally into 1/4″ wide slices.

Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine your mixed greens and chopped romaine along with enough peanut lime vinaigrette to lightly coat.

Toss well.

Add corn, dates and black beans and half the feta cheese and tortilla pieces into lettuce.

Gently toss.

Place in salad bowls.

Top each salad with crumbled feta cheese, tortilla pieces, chicken pieces, thinly-sliced avocado and chopped peanuts, if desired.

 This recipe should make 4 large bowls.

Perfect for a healthy dinner.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from: Jennifer Ajram on Tastebook