Lunch with my favorite Salad

I get weekly recipe updates from Saveur Magazine via email.  They are always informative and always inspirational.  Each week I walk away with at least 2 recipes that I can't wait to try.  One of my favorites is the salad that was featured from Jar Restaurant. I haven't eaten at Jar in years, but I remember loving every bite.

I usually crave this salad mid week.  I am not sure why, but I do.  Maybe because it has all the food groups; protein, veggies, dairy, however no grains.  Nothing that a big hunk of crusty bread can't solve!  After eating this once, I crave it for days.  What I like to do is cut up the cabbage, fennel, carrots, celery and radishes and store in a Ziploc bag in the fridge.  I then make a batch of dressing and store in a jar, also in the fridge.  The bag of chopped veggies can last for days. If I want it the next day, I then add the extra stuff (cheese, chicken, etc). The original recipe calls for prosciutto.  I thought it would be better crispy, like bacon.  I bake mine in the oven for a few minutes and then right before I am ready to toss with the dressing, I crumble it on top.  So good!

This is the perfect party food!

Chopped Cabbage Salad
original Jar Chopped Salad ( here )

vinaigrette
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. champagne vinegar
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar, seasoned
1/4 tsp. dried vinegar
1/8 tsp. dried thyme
kosher salt and pepper, pinch of each

salad
2 chicken breasts, skin + bones, roasted
1 whole green cabbage, cored and shredded
1 small fennel bulb, sliced thin
1-2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 piece of celery, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
3-4 radishes, julienned
4 oz. sliced prosciutto, roasted
1/2 cup green olives, sliced
1/2 cup hearts of palm, sliced
4 oz. ricotta salata, diced
2 Tbsp. chives, chopped

instructions:
• make vinaigrette.  put all ingredients in a glass jar and shake well.  set aside
• preheat oven to 375.  set chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub a little bit of olive oil on the skin side of the breast.  sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.  roast for 35 minutes.  let cool, remove skin and bone and then shred
• while the oven is on, put the prosciutto slices on a wire rack set over a sheet pan.  roast for 12-16 minutes or until crispy.  once cool, crumble and set aside
• in a large bowl, combine cabbage, fennel, carrots, celery, and radishes, toss well. add the olives, hearts of palm, chicken, sliced onion, and ricotta salata.
• toss with some of the vinaigrette (this recipe makes a lot of dressing-it won't go to waste). crumble the prosciutto on top and toss lightly.  sprinkle with chopped chives.

YUM!

p.s. I used a mandoline to julienne my veggies.
p.s.s. ricotta salata is a delicious, hard ricotta cheese