July Food Pick & Healthy Recipe

Did you know that green, sweet bell peppers have twice as much vitamin C as oranges? Red and yellow bell peppers have four times as much. Get your fill of these summer staples now!

Incorporate this summer garden workhorse vegetable in this tasty and light grilled chicken salad.

Summertime Grilled Chicken Salad

To make marinade and dressing: Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.

To prepare salad: Place chicken in a shallow glass dish or in a sealable plastic food bag. Add 2 tbs of the soy sauce mixture (reserve the remaining mixture for the salad dressing) to coat the chicken. Cover the dish or seal the bag; marinate the chicken in the fridge about 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a small, dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until light golden brown and fragrant (about 2 minutes). Cool in a small bowl.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard any unused marinade! Spray the chicken breasts with the cooking spray. Grill until browned and cooked through, at least 5–6 minutes per side. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the breasts should register 170 degrees Fahrenheit.) Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board.

Place the salad greens, red pepper, carrots and scallions in a large bowl. Add one-quarter cup of the reserved dressing, and toss to coat the salad and veggies. Divide the salad onto four plates. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the chicken breasts, and sprinkle on the almonds. Serve imediately. Makes four servings.

Per Serving: 280 calories; 12 grams (g) fat; 28 g protein; 15 g carbs; 5 g fiber; 65 milligrams (mg) cholesterol; 500 mg sodium.

Ingredients for Marinade
and Dressing:

3 tablespoons (tbs) reduced-sodium soy sauce

3 tbs orange juice

4 teaspoons (tsp) sesame oil

4 tsp rice vinegar

1 tbs brown sugar

¹/2 tsp chili-garlic sauce (or ¹/8 tsp
crushed red pepper flakes)

1 tbs fresh ginger, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

Ingredients for Salad:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
halves, trimmed

¹/4 cup slivered almonds

cooking spray

8 cups salad greens, washed and dried

³/4 cup diced red bell pepper
(¹/2 medium pepper)

³/4 cup grated carrot (2 medium carrots)

¹/4 cup chopped scallions

PHOTOGRAPHY: Au Kirk