California Chicken Salad and Summer Soup

ALL THE PRETTY COLORS

Tonight's meal was an array of beautiful colors. I am not sure how it happened but I picked a lot of veggie filled recipes this week and we have 2 recipes tonight PACKED with veggie goodness
First up
SUMMER SOUP
I tried to find out the origins of this recipe but I have no idea where I copied it from

INGREDIENTS

4 cups fresh corn kernels or two 10 oz. packages frozen corn, thawed **you don't need to cook the corn before you de-cob it, I did but a contributing chef Lauren said I didn't need too--
thanks L***
2 cups non-fat milk
1 tbs. olive oil
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
1 small zucchini (about ½ lb.), diced
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
¾ tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons

Put 2 cups of the corn and the milk into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
Add the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining 2 cups corn and the broth and bring to a boil.
Add the pureed corn and the tomatoes and cook until warmed through but not boiling.
Add the salt and season with pepper.
Serve garnished with the basil ribbons.

VERDICT
This soup was....good. Healthy, full of veggies, and Jackson and Doug really liked it so that says something. I wish I knew I didn't have to boil the corn 1st because that would have cut down on my cooking time. I had 2 servings of this soup. The 2nd had cheddar cheese added and I liked it more with the cheese. I also think it would be great with some toasty croutons. I think I needed to add more fresh basil then I did also. Overall it was a good quick, healthy soup and I will make it again for a perfect lunch. It did pair nicely with the next recipe for........


California Chicken Salad
borrowed from the blog Delicious Meliscious

INGREDIENTS

4-5 cups mixed salad greens

5 large strawberries, sliced

1 mango peeled and sliced

1 avocado peeled and sliced

2 chicken breasts, grilled & diced ** I used Monterrey Chicken Seasoning**

Directions: In a large bowl, place salad greens, then add all other ingredients. Serve drizzled with the poppy seed dressing below, or the dressing of your choice.

Balsamic Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

Source: Adapted from a post on the CookingLight.com Community

Ingredients:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 tsp. splenda or sugar

1 tbsp. fat free mayo (optional)

Directions:Whisk together all the ingredients

VERDICT

I really liked the freshness of this salad. I loved the combo of the fruit and the avocado, it looked beautiful on the plate. And would be perfect to serve for an Easter brunch or shower luncheon. I wasn't so crazy about the dressing. It was kind of bitter because of the balsamic and I think there are much better poppy seed dressings out there (and on this site) This is my least favorite of the 3 poppy seed dressings I have made in the past 2 weeks. But if you like Balsamic I would give it a try because maybe it was just me and my tastes. I think I need to take a break from the poppy seeds in case I need to take a drug test.