Grilled Chicken Salad with Asparagus, Pears, and Blue Cheese

Tim and I wanted to make a healthy lunch last weekend after making peppermint cheesecake (recipe up soon!).  We did our best to recreate one of his favorite salads from Mixt Greens, with a few changes.  I cooked up a chicken breast on my grill pan, which really gave the chicken great flavor - I'm really impressed at how much "grilled" flavor you can get from it without there actually being smoke or charcoal.  The chicken was combined with steamed asparagus, fresh pears, baby greens, and a little blue cheese for the perfect salad.  I added tomatoes to mine, but Tim didn't since he is anti-tomato.  :)  (I actually forgot and tossed them with the salad...oops.  That's okay, more for me!)  Overall, this was a tasty, healthy lunch that definitely satisfied - and deserved cheesecake for dessert!

One tip - if your pear is a little underripe, saute it in a bit of oil for a few minutes while the chicken is cooking and it will soften right up.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Asparagus, Pears, and Blue Cheese
Serves 2

1 large chicken breast
Salt and pepper
6-8 spears asparagus, ends trimmed
1 medium pear, cubed
1 medium tomato, cored and sliced (optional)
A few large handfuls of baby greens
Mustard Vinaigrette, recipe below
1-2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

1. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper, and then grill on a grill pan (or cook in a saute pan) until cooked through.
2. Meanwhile, steam the asparagus until tender and then cut into inch-long pieces.
3. If the pear is underripe, saute for a few minutes in a little oil (or use oil spray on a nonstick pan).
4. Toss together the asparagus, pear, tomato, and baby greens, and then add about half the vinaigrette.  Toss to combine, and add more dressing if needed.  Divide the salad among two places.
5. Top with crumbled blue cheese.  Slice the chicken, and place on top of the salad.


Mustard Vinaigrette

3 T olive oil
1 T white wine vinegar
1/2 T of your favorite mustard (Dijon is always a good choice, but I used a honey garlic mustard with excellent results)
Salt and pepper

Combine everything in a jar with a tightly fitting lid and shake until well combined.  Dip a piece of lettuce into the dressing to taste, and adjust to get the flavor you like.