Chicken Chopped Salad With Lime Vinaigrette

 Alec was put on the salad station when he was last in culinary at school and tried a new salad for lunch (they have the option of eating what they're preparing).  He came home talking all about it and offered to make it for me one night.  It sounded delicious!  

I wasn't sure if I was going to like the dressing since I don't like cilantro or Dijon mustard but it was so good and paired well with the other flavors of the salad.

Ingredients (for one diner sized salad):

• Iceberg, romaine, or mixed greens-- We used one romaine heart per salad
• 1 Grilled chicken breast, diced
• 2 slices Bacon cooked and chopped
• A handful of cheddar cheese; shredded
• A handful of candied pecans
• A handful of dried cranberries
• 1 Granny smith apple; peeled and chopped
• 1/2 large tomato; diced
• 1/4 cucumber sliced into quarters

 Lime/cilantro dressing: 

In a blender combine:

• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice

Then pee stream in 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil into the blender just before finishing. 

The blender easily shreds the pieces of cilantro and infuses them into the dressing.  

We made up our own candied pecans following a recipe we found on-line but you can buy them that way too.

We added all the ingredients into a large bowl and then tossed; giving the salad a good coating of dressing.  We double the ingredients and made two salads.  So after tossing we divided everything into two bowls. 

Linking Up With: Centerpiece Wednesday,