Cilantro and Lime Dressed Salad with Polenta Croutons

Cilantro and Lime Dressed Salad
with Polenta Croutons

If you are like me, there are nights when you want a wonderfully delicious dinner, but don't want to slave away in the kitchen for hours.  This simple meal takes care of that by using store cooked chicken and bagged salad as the base for a healthy homemade meal you can serve up as your own.  Rotisserie chickens are a quick, convenient and inexpensive way to add quality protein to your diet without a lot of extra work.  I pulled apart the chicken earlier in the day and while the polenta was broiling in the oven, quickly reheated the chicken on the stove with some lemon juice, so that every bite tasted as if the chicken had been marinating for hours.  Obviously a simply dressed salad with fresh organic vegetables is a fantastic base for any nutritious meal, but sometimes you need a little more than vegetables and protein.  That is where the organic polenta comes in. A perfect, gluten free source of carbs, the polenta roasts up into crunchy and chewy croutons unlike any you have ever tasted before.  My son and my husband couldn't get enough of them and I cannot wait to try them again with all sorts of other dishes. So get cooking!



Cilantro and Lime Dressed Salad with Polenta Croutons

18 oz. organic polenta (seasoned or plain)
2 T. organic canola oil
2 tsp. chili powder

fresh ingredients

one rotisserie chicken, pulled apart (organic if you can find it)
juice of two lemons

1/3 C. extra virgin olive oil
1/3 C. cilantro, chopped
2 limes, zested and juiced
salt and pepper, to taste

6 C. chopped salad mix
3 organic mini cucumbers, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, sliced

Cut the polenta up into 1/2 inch cubes and coat with canola oil and chili powder. Broil for 20 - 25 minutes, about 4 inches from the broiler, with the oven door open.  In the meantime, over low heat, warm the rotisserie chicken in a covered frying pan with the juice of two lemons.  Whisk together the olive oil, cilantro, lime zest and juice, salt and pepper and pour over the salad mixture.  Serve with the warmed chicken and polenta croutons.

ready to cook

hot and crispy from the oven

dinner is served