Incredibly exciting and delicious and it’s so good to prevent and reduce inflammation, too! Why is reducing inflammation important? Obesity and unhealthy eating increases inflammation in the body, but even otherwise healthy people who experience chronic inflammation because of an autoimmune disorder—such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, or celiac disease—appear to have a higher risk of heart disease, regardless of their weight or eating habits.
This is helped by the Turmeric! And, although I love the flavors of Indian food (from India, not native American Indians), I’m usually overwhelmed by the amount of spice and heat. My natural and whole food conditioned taste buds are inclined to greatly reduce these to a manageable amount.
But, if you love heat, by all means use the whole mild yellow chili pepper. It’s less heat than a jalapeno, but not as mild as a yellow bell pepper. Please feel free to substitute either one, according to your preferences if you’d like. Otherwise, I think you’ll find a delightful contrast of flavors that’s so incredibly exciting and delicious according to the recipe!
Yes, a California version that includes Italian Balsamic vinegar. It works so perfectly for this salad! Remember, this recipe is great for preparing in advance; making the dressing and marinating and cooking the chicken, then before serving, slicing the vegetables and chicken and your dinner goes together in a snap! Don’t forget to chill the serving plates if the weather’s still hot outside!
And, according to Dr. Axe, of www.draxe.com,
inflammation is at the root of most diseases.
“By addressing the inflammation with anti-inflammatory foods, not only can the symptoms of these diseases be alleviated, but we could even see them cured”.
- 4 Thinly-cut Chicken breast cutlets, about 4oz. each (1lb. total)
- Salad dressing/marinade ingredients:
- ½ C Olive oil + 1-2 T more to cook chicken
- ¼ C Lemon juice
- ¼ C Balsamic vinegar
- ½ t Garlic, finely minced
- ½ t Ground Turmeric
- ¼ t Ground Cumin
- ¼ t Kosher sea Salt, or to taste
- ⅛ t Freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- Salad ingredients:
- 1 5oz. bag Mixed medley of green & purple baby lettuces
- 1 Cucumber, peeled, sliced
- 1 C Mini Kumato tomatoes, sliced in half (or other Sweet brown grape tomato, or cherry tomato)
- 1 C Black seedless grapes, stemmed, sliced in half
- 2 oz Sunmaid Sour Lemon Raisins, no sugar added (or golden raisins)
- 1 ½ T Mild yellow chili pepper, seeded, finely chopped + more to garnish
- Combine dressing ingredients into a small jar with a tight fitting lid.
- Shake very well.
- Pour half of dressing into an 8” x 8” baking dish.
- Add chicken breast slices into dish, turning to cover both sides.
- Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
- Tightly close small jar of dressing and refrigerate.
- After chicken has marinated 30 minutes to 2 hours, discard marinade, and place on large heated skillet over medium-high heat, with olive oil warmed.
- Cook both sides about 4 minutes, or until lightly browned, and no traces of pink remain, adding olive oil as needed to keep from sticking. (By now it will be a beautiful yellow color from the turmeric!)
- Remove from skillet and cool to room temperature on a plate, loosely cover with aluminum foil, then tightly wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
- This can be made ahead until needed; this will allow flavors to intensify the longer they sit.
- To prepare salad:
- Cut chicken into small slices, or as desired.
- Add lettuce to a serving bowl or platter, then top with the cucumber, tomatoes, grapes, raisins and chili pepper.
- When ready to serve, drizzle dressing over salad ingredients; gently toss.
- Place chicken on top, garnish with chili pepper ring, if desired.
