CAB COOKING; A HEALTHY FORTIFYING LUNCH

Now I do love fruit and veg, but I've never been a huge fan of salads it has to be said, but recently I've started making my own and they are delicious. I think the key is the hot chicken, it makes the whole thing seem more meal like if you know what I mean. This would never win a prize as the healthiest salad in the world, but a salad with a few more calories than the norm is better than no salad and a bag of chips! This is a really filling lunch and I do sometimes have it for my tea, dinner if you're posh! It has a nice bite to it, a combination of the crispy salad stuffs and the tang of the sweetfire baby beetroot. The beauty of a salad is you can make it anyhow you please, add things or leave them out. I found this particular combination the tastiest for me. I've named it the Lady Michelle Chicken Salad, as it looks great and has a nice kick to it. ;-)

Time taken - 15 minutes

1 baby gem lettuce
1 chicken breast, diced
3/4 small sweetfire baby beetroot
Half a pepper cut into strips
Handful of grapes halved
Sliced cucumber
Small piece of white stilton crumbled up
Handful of baby plum tomatoes halved
Honey and mustard salad dressing
Dollop of mayo
Salt and pepper and olive oil for cooking the chicken

I hardly need to tell you how to make a salad but I shall anyhow! Season the diced chicken with salt and pepper and pop in a drizzle of olive oil and fry till lovely and brown with a nice crispy outside. The rest is simple. I tend to layer the salad rather than mix it up, the pics above show preparation from start to finish starting top left and going clockwise. Lettuce always at the bottom and layer up from there. I use baby gem as I love the crunch to it and its got a lot of substance. I slice the sweetfire beetroot into thin slices and add with the peppers, cucumber, grapes and tomatoes. Then I crumble the cheese over the top. Any cheese would do but I found white stilton works well in a salad and crumbles nicely. Then finally I add the hot chicken to the top. This nicely melts the cheese a little and gives a nice contrast to the cold of the salad. Finish off with a little mayo and a drizzle of honey and mustard dressing and you've a spectacular meal, both to taste and to look at! Let me know what you think if you make it for yourself.

Luke Vernon
www.lorry-driver.com
www.twitter.com/LukeVernon