My mom used to make this amazing almond-crusted chicken when I was little. It was usually an appetizer at a party, but I would fill my plate with them and could have it as my meal. I haven’t had it in a while and knew that it would be the perfect topping to my salad.

Stonyfield tasked us with creating a yogurt-based dressing to go along with Taylor Farms salad greens. So many options sprung through my head, and I had a hard time narrowing it down. I eat Taylor Farms quite often so coming up with a new salad took a little time thinking, and a little bit of craving.

I hadn’t had my mom’s almond chicken since childhood. Since I have a toddler (going on teenager), lately I have been thinking about all the delicious recipes my mom used to make for us as kids. I cook almost every night, but I want to cook more of the recipes I grew up with too. So, my mom and I made this chicken and I used it in my salad the next day. It is best when freshly made, but crisped up just fine in the oven too!

Homemade honey mustard is so easy to make. I had all the ingredients already in my pantry and whipped it up in less than 2 minutes. Homemade dressings are easy to make and it feels great knowing exactly what goes into them.

I love using Stonyfield Organic Yogurt in my dressings for that rich creamy texture. Greek yogurt is good for a dressing with body and when I want a tangy taste. Stonyfield’s Smooth & Creamy is also a great choice if you can’t find the Greek yogurt. I hope you try my almond chicken salad and homemade honey mustard yogurt dressing soon!

Almond Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Yogurt Dressing

By Love and Confections
Published 06/30/2017

Ingredients

• Taylor Farms 50/50 Spring Mix and Sweet Baby Lettuce
• Almond Beer-Battered Chicken Fingers
• Tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup Stonyfield Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Place salad greens in bowl. Top with sliced almond chicken and tomatoes.
2. In small bowl, mix yogurt, mustards, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour desired amount over salad. Alternately, cut chicken tenders and coat with dressing, then add to salad.

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

The post Almond Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Yogurt Dressing #StonyfieldBlogger appeared first on Love and Confections.

Welcome to day 4 of #BrunchWeek. My aunt introduced me to this salad. It is usually present at family gatherings, including brunch, and I love its versatility. You can definitely customize it with different fruits, vegetables and nuts, depending on the season. Blueberry season just started here in Florida, and we have already been out in the field picking blueberries. Well, I did the picking, #ToddlerLnC showed me every blueberry she picked, faked me out thinking she would put it in our bucket, then popped it into her mouth. Every. Time… toddlers…

What I love most about this salad is that I am able to enter it into the #Blueberry Toss contest for the Food Wine Conference. The conference is less than 2 weeks away and I can hardly wait. One of the conference sponsors is Wish Farms – a Florida Strawberry and Blueberry grower. They tasked us to create an original recipe that includes at least 1 serving of blueberries.

I know that this recipe is a favorite in my family, and with some tweaks of my own, this is the perfect salad for any family event – especially brunch. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. If you are interested in joining me at the Food Wine Conference, there are still tickets available! It is a wonderful experience, with amazing food, delicious wine, fabulous speakers (did you hear our keynote speaker is Donatella Arpaia?!?!) and great sessions planned.

BrunchWeek Beverages:

• Aperol Cocktails by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Grapefruit Rosemary Mocktails by Sweet Beginnings
• Teh Tarik (Malaysian Pulled Tea) by Tara’s Multicultural Table

BrunchWeek Breads, Grains and Pastries:

• Homemade Crumpets by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Apple Cinnamon Scones with Salted Caramel Drizzle by Family Around the Table
• Cannoli French Toast by Cooking In Stilettos
• Cinnamon Cobblestone Bread by My Catholic Kitchen
• Orange Popvers by The Chef Next Door
• Pretzel Bagels with Roasted Jalapeno Cream Cheese by The Texan New Yorker
• Strawberries and Cream Sweet Rolls by The Redhead Baker

BrunchWeek Fruits, Vegetables and Sides:

• Apple Fritters by The Suburban Soapbox
• Blueberry Salad with Green Onion-Poppy Seed Dressing by Love & Confections

BrunchWeek Egg Dishes:

• Caramelized onion, Bacon, and Cheddar Egg Tart by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Breakfast Quesadillas with Bacon and Cheesy Eggs by Casa de Crews
• Chorizo Egg Breakfast Skillet by Brunch-n-Bites
• Crab Souffle by A Day in the LIfe on the Farm
• Picante Omlette Pie by Feeding Big and more
• Slow Cooker Ham, Cheese, and Veggie Breakfast Casserole by Rants From My Crazy Kitchen

BrunchWeek Main Dishes:

• Curried Fish Tacos by Nik Snacks
• Ham and Mushroom Strata by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Mini Croque Monsieurs by Making Miracles
• Roman Breakfast Sandwich by Palatable Pastime
• Strawberry Chicken Salad by The Barbee Housewife
• Spiced Marinated Lamb Lollipops by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

BrunchWeek Desserts:

• Gluten Free Citrus Pastries by Gluten Free Crumbley

Disclaimer: Thank you to #BrunchWeek Sponsors: Red Star Yeast, Dixie Crystals, Cabot Cheese, Vidalia Onion Committee, Sage Fruits, Nielsen-Massey, KitchenIQ, and Le Creuset for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #BrunchWeek. All opinions are my own.

The post Blueberry Salad with Green Onion-Poppy Seed Dressing #BrunchWeek #FWCon #BlueberryToss appeared first on Love and Confections.

Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad is a simple and easy way to have a delicious dinner prepared for your family in under thirty minutes!

I grew up having dinner with my family almost every night and that instilled the importance of eating a meal together. Fast forward to the present and I am now a mom to a rambunctious toddler whose favorite word is “no”. I love cooking for my family and eating dinner together. It isn’t always easy to get a meal ready for everyone at the same time, and some days when #ToddlerLnC boycotts nap-time we don’t all eat together.

Lots of families have work, after school activities, or any number of reasons why family meals don’t happen. I get it – life is busy, but I am a firm believer in eating meals together – and I try my hardest to “unplug” during those times as well. Family meals don’t have to be elaborate affairs, but I also don’t want to have fast food every night. I like to cook fresh meals for my family, and this Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad made with Tyson® Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips and Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing is full of protein, flavor, easy enough for any night of the week.

Mozzarella, tomatoes, and fresh herbs give my quinoa an Italian twist. I love making Tex-Mex Quinoa Salads, and this Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad will definitely be a repeat meal. Quinoa is a breeze to make, and can be made day-of if you want a warm salad, or ahead of time, if you want a cool salad.

Tyson® Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips from the freezer section at Walmart, and Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing are the perfect one-bowl salad mix-ins. Tyson® Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips are made with 100% all natural ingredients and white meat chicken, no preservatives, and are fully cooked. Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing is full of herbs, seasoning and a boost of zesty flavor while not containing high fructose corn syrup.

Since they go perfectly together, you can enjoy both Tyson® Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips and Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing from Walmart too with these available coupons:

• “Save $.75 on ANY ONE (1) Tyson® Grilled & Ready Chicken” coupons will be on Wishbone® Italian Dressing bottles.
• “Save $.75 on ANY ONE (1) Wish-Bone Salad Dressing” coupons will be on Tyson® Frozen & Refrigerated Grilled & Ready products.

I hope you enjoy this easy and delicious one-bowl Italian Chicken Quinoa Salad with Tyson® Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips and Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing. 

Your family is sure to love it!

Follow Love and Confections | Terri’s board Salads & Dressings on Pinterest.

Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad
A Love and Confection original recipe
Serves 4


Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad Ingredients:
– 4 cups prepared Quinoa
– 8 ounces Mozzarella Pearls
– 1 cup Grape Tomatoes, halved optional
– 3 tablespoons fresh chopped Parsley
– 2 tablespoons fresh chopped Basil
– 12 ounces Tyson® Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips, prepared according to package directions
– 1/2 cup Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing

Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and gently toss to combine. Serve warm, cool or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

The post [Ad] Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad #SimpleSatisfyingSalads #EverydayEffortless appeared first on Love and Confections.

I love all kinds of Mexican flavors, so-much-so that we usually have a Tex-Mex meal once a week. For unknown reasons (i.e. poor planning) it usually isn’t “Taco Tuesday”. We mostly do Tex-Mex on Wednesdays, so I have gotten into the habit of calling it “Mexican Miercoles” – coined the term from a family friend.

We have a lot of the popular toppings or sides, like tomatoes, avocado or guacamole, corn, rice, and black beans. I have been using Stonyfield Greek Yogurt to top all my Tex-Mex dishes because it is way healthier than sour cream, plus you can have more than 2-3 tablespoons per serving… seriously, check the back of your sour cream containers versus Greek yogurt!

The toddler even loves Mexican Miercoles, she loves black beans, guacamole, rice, tomatoes and Greek yogurt. She even sometimes eats salsa too, if it’s not too spicy. I actually got the idea for these Quinoa Jars from her meal. She doesn’t like the beef or chicken we have with tacos, so it’s more of a vegetarian night for her.

I didn’t like quinoa until a few years ago, and now I have it quite a bit. I prepare a big batch of it, and use it in salads or as a side throughout the week. It is perfect for these Tex-Mex Jars and gives the perfect nutty flavor to balance out the mix-ins and dressing. You can eat it out of the jar, as-is, or add it to a bowl with some lettuce or arugula for an even better lunch option.

Click here for more information on Ball Canning, and follow them on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter

Tex-Mex Quinoa Jars
A Love and Confections original recipe

Tex-Mex Quinoa Jars Ingredients:
– 1/4 cup packed Cilantro
– 1/4 teaspoon Salt
– 1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
– 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
– 1/2 cup Stonyfield Greek Yogurt
– 1-2 teaspoons Lime Juice, to taste
– 1 cup prepared Quinoa
– 1/4 cup diced Tomatoes
– 1/4 cup Black Beans, drained and rinsed
– 1/4 cup diced Avocado
– 1 ear oven-roasted corn kernels
– Baby Kale and Arugula, optional
– Hot Sauce or Salsa, optional


Tex-Mex Quinoa Jars Directions:
1. In a blender, combine the Cilantro, Salt, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Greek Yogurt, and Lime Juice, and mix until consistency of salad dressing. Refrigerate.
2. Combine Quinoa, Tomatoes, Black Beans, Avocado and Corn in a mixing bowl, and disperse into 1-2 Ball Canning Jars. Use immediately with dressing, mix into salad, or refrigerate 1-2 days. Enjoy!

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Disclaimer: I have an ongoing relationship with Stonyfield as a member of the Clean Plate Club. I receive product, coupons and/or compensation for posts featuring their products. As always, all opinions are my own. #stonyfieldblogger #sponsored.

The post Tex-Mex Quinoa Jars #StonyfieldBlogger appeared first on Love and Confections.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Stonyfield Organics and Wayfair.com. As always, all opinions are my own.

I love having salads for lunch with different mix-ins. We usually have a large salad for dinner some nights during the week as well. Already prepared rotisserie chicken is an easy shortcut when things get a little hectic around here, and I often add it to salads. Some other things we like to add are tomatoes, black olives, artichoke hearts, and hearts of palm.

The post Charred Romaine Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing #StonyfieldBlogger appeared first on Love and Confections.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Basil-Balsamic Vinaigrette is a simple and delicious side dish that is sure to please everyone. The key to the vinaigrette is using fresh basil, which I love to use in my cooking. Pair it with one of Freschetta® Gluten Free Pizzas and you have great meal for any night of the week.

We usually have pizza on Friday nights every other week. My family loves all kinds of pizza and toppings. A lot of times, friends come over and we play games or watch movies. While my family is not gluten intolerant, some of my friends are. About 15 million Americans are estimated to have food allergies. It’s always a good idea to have options, so everyone can enjoy themselves and feel comfortable in my home. All gluten-free eaters can enjoy Freschetta® Gluten Free Pizza because it is certified by the Celiac Support Association.

I saw Freschetta® Gluten Free Pizza during a recent Publix shopping trip, and decided to try it. We go to Publix at least twice a week, and for our pizza nights, we switch between take-out and bake-your-own pizzas. I love having something alongside the pizza, like a salad. To go along with our Freschetta® Gluten Free Cheese Pizza I made a simple and delicious Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Basil-Balsamic Vinaigrette.

To make the salad, slice the cucumbers in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices, then quarter each slice. Take grape tomatoes and yellow grape tomatoes and cut them in half. I love the two different colors of tomatoes in the salad. Place everything in a medium bowl and grab a measuring cup to make the vinaigrette. Gather all the ingredients for the vinaigrette and whisk together in the measuring cup. Lightly dress and toss the salad. There will be extra vinaigrette for you to enjoy throughout the week.

Freschetta® Gluten Free Pizza is available in two flavors – Cheese Medley and Signature Pepperoni – as well as two different sizes, so it is easy to keep your freezer stocked if you happen to have a gluten-free guest show up.

Don’t forget to grab your digital coupon from 8/16-9/06 to save $1.50 on 2 Freschetta® Gluten Free Pizzas. What are your favorite sides to have with pizza? Be sure to check out more delicious pizza ideas from Freschetta here. I’d love to hear your favorite!

Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Basil-Balsamic Vinaigrette
Vinaigrette recipe adapted from Southern Living via All Recipes

Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Basil-Balsamic Vinaigrette Ingredients:
– 1 large Cucumber, sliced and quartered
– 3/4 cup Grape Tomatoes, halved
– 3/4 cup Yellow Grape Tomatoes, halved
– 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
– 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Basil
– 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
– 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
– 1 teaspoon Sugar
– 1 teaspoon minced Garlic
– 1/2 teaspoon Salt
– 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
– 1/3 cup Canola or Vegetable Oil

Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Basil-Balsamic Vinaigrette Directions:
1. Place Cucumber and Tomatoes in a medium bowl.
2. In a measuring cup, whisk together the Vinegar, Basil, Lemon Juice, Mustard, Sugar, Garlic, Salt and Pepper. Slowly drizzle in the Oil while whisking, to combine. Lightly dress the veggies and toss to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then serve. Leftover dressing is good for 5 days in the refrigerator.

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

The post Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Basil-Balsamic Vinaigrette #GFreePizzaNight appeared first on Love and Confections.

Chicken Kitchen Chop Chop with Curry Mustard Sauce is one of my favorite meals. It reminds me of when I used to live in Miami. The line to order was usually out the door, but it moved quick. If we happened to have a half day at school, I would usually try to get my lunch from there.

Chop Chop quickly became a favorite for KB and I. The Chop Chop bowl isn’t anything too special, just fresh ingredients and delicious chicken. When you get to the end of the line and they ask you what sauce you want, and we always got the Curry Mustard Sauce. It’s spicy, creamy, tangy and perfectly delicious on all the Chop Chops.

When I moved to Orlando for college, there was no Chicken Kitchen anywhere near. If I happened to go home and visit my family on the weekend or during Summer break, I stopped for Chop Chop before I had to drive back to school. For a brief period, a Chicken Kitchen opened up in Orlando, but it didn’t last too long – it wasn’t in the greatest part of town. My hopes of having a Chicken Kitchen close by never happened.

One day, a few years back, I was craving Chop Chop even though I hadn’t eaten it in years. I played around with ingredients until I created the perfect copycat Curry Mustard Sauce. It was like Angels started singing. I could now have this glorious sauce anytime I wanted, and it was so simple. My go-to order was the Cuban Chop Chop with yellow rice, black beans, chicken, lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream and guacamole. It’s kind of like a Cuban rice bowl and the Curry Mustard Sauce is the “cherry on top”.

Using a prepared rotisserie chicken helps make this recipe easy and perfect for any night of the week. Everyone can add whichever ingredients they like to the Chop Chop bowl and top with the sauce. Hopefully you will make and try my Curry Mustard Sauce and if you have eaten from Chicken Kitchen before, let me know how it compares.

Chicken Kitchen Chop Chop with Curry Mustard Sauce
A Love and Confection original recipe
Click here for a printable recipe

Chicken Kitchen Chop Chop with Curry Mustard Sauce Ingredients:
– 6 tablespoons Mayonnaise
– 2 tablespoons Mustard
– 2 tablespoons Curry Powder
– 2 tablespoons Sour Cream
– 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
– 1/2 teaspoon Granulated Sugar
– 3 tablespoons Water

– Yellow Rice
– Black Beans
– Rotisserie Chicken
– Shredded Lettuce
– Diced Tomatoes
– Shredded Cheddar Cheese
– Sour Cream
– Guacamole

Chicken Kitchen Chop Chop with Curry Mustard Sauce Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the Mayonnaise, Mustard, Curry Powder, Sour Cream, Garlic Powder and Granulated Sugar. Whisk in the Water, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Prepare the Chop Chop Bowl, to your liking, with the remaining ingredients. Top with some of the Curry Mustard Sauce. Enjoy!

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

The post Chicken Kitchen Chop Chop with Curry Mustard Sauce appeared first on Love and Confections.