The Promise of Local Fare Right Outside Our Door (Farmers Market Chicken Salad with Pepita Cilantro Dressing)

(Dressing recipe updated April 1, 2018)

The other day I chatted with the woman who owns the furnished townhouse we will live in for the next two to three months. She lives in Ohio, spends the winters in Chapel Hill, and won’t need the place until December. The timing is perfect for us as we get our sea legs and find and purchase a home.

The trend in Chapel Hill is to create little “villages” that include a small city-center with shops, restaurants and other amenities. Our temporary rental home is in just that kind of development, and looks out on a pretty little park that is home to summer concerts and movie series, art festivals and a weekly farmers’ market.

A farmers’ market right outside my door. I will have died and gone to heaven.

I am a long-time fan of farmers’ markets. I love perusing the stalls, chatting it up with the vendors and learning about new and different produce. I have a little wire cart that I use for these weekly excursions. Here in Southern California my bounty typically includes strawberries that are red all the way thru, buttery avocados that replace mayonnaise in our sandwiches, cilantro, spicy and hot peppers, squash, beets and crisp seasonal apples that come up from San Diego County.

I have no idea what I will find when I hit my new farmer’s market, but I can’t wait. My brother tells me that local food movement is a strong one. And yes, I will conquer okra.

The following salad is one that I often make after a trek to our local farmers’ stands. It was inspired by a yummy salad that often get at the El Torito Grill that is down the hill from Brea Olinda High School – but with less fat, since I make it with fat free Fage Greek Yogurt.

Whether you use veg from a local farm or your local store, I hope you make up a batch of this soon.

P.S. The dressing is GREAT as a dip and sandwich spread as well.

Farmers Market Salad with Grilled Chicken and Lower-Fat Cilantro Pepita Dressing

4 meal-sized portions

Dressing ingredients - makes 1 cup

1 garlic cloves, peeled

1 7oz Fat Free Greek Yogurt (2%, 1% or 0%)

1 T mayonnaise

1/8 cup cider vinegar

Juice and zest of one lime

1/2 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp ground cumin

1 bunch of cilantro, washed, dried and stems removed (just twist ‘em off, no need to get crazy about removing every little stem)

1/8 cup pepitas (Mexican pumpkin seeds), plus the same amount or more for garnish

1/8 cup queso fresco (Mexican cheese that you can crumble, available at most grocery stores), plus the same amount or more for garnish

Dressing Directions:

In the food processor with steel blade:

Pulse garlic until fine, scrape down bowl

Add yogurt, mayo, vinegar, lime juice, salt, pepper and cumin – mix until well mixed and very smooth.

Add cilantro and pulse until cilantro is finely chopped and incorporated into the mixture

Add pepitas and queso fresco pulse until chopped and incorporated

Season to taste.

Grilled Cilantro Chicken Marinade

• 1 clove garlic, grated with microplane or chopped very fine
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ tsp cumin
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 8 chicken tenders

Grilled chicken directions

• Combine all ingredients in a plastic storage bag and marinade 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
• Grill chicken 3 – 5 minutes each side, or until juice runs clear. No more than 10 minutes!
• Remove chicken from grill, tent with foil for 10 minutes
• Cut into bite sized pieces.

Salad ingredients

• 3 hearts of romaine, chopped
• ¼ Cup roasted/toasted pepitas
• 4 green onions (scallions) chopped
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• Kernels from 2 ears of corn (see August 13 post for method) or 1 ½ cups thawed frozen corn (get the frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe’s if possible)
• 2 avocados, peeled, seeded and chopped
• ½ cup cojita cheese or other Mexican cheese (optional)
• Lime wedges for garnish (optional)
• Slightly crushed tortilla chips (optional)

To Assemble salad:

• Toss all salad ingredients except for cheese with enough dressing to coat greens, but not drench.
• Add chicken, chicken and tortilla chips and toss if serving for a crowd; for individual servings, plate the salad and top with chicken, cheese and chips. Serve lime wedges on the side.

Enjoy!