A salad with lots of green, lots of flavor

Salads can be a great way to pile on the vegetables, not to mention serving as a fine canvas for showing off summer's bounty.

But sometimes eating a plate full of greens can be a bit boring. Then there are the toppings. Too often, we are tempted to pile on fatty toppings - cheese, bacon, seeds and nuts, or rich dressings, all in an attempt to amp up the flavor.

So we decided to create a salad that is both jammed with healthy vegetables, including a lot of greens, but also has tons of flavor (without tons of fat).

The first order of business was the plate full of greens. There is nothing wrong with a mound of greens, but we wanted to jazz it up. Mixing in a handful of fresh herbs added instant flavor. To top this off we created a salsa-like mixture of chopped vegetables, some of which are grilled for maximum impact.

A drizzle of pickled shallot vinaigrette, and we had a beautiful and tasty salad.

But to really make this a meal, we also topped it with strips of grilled chicken. Shrimp or tofu would be easy substitutes.

Makes 4 servings

EndTextStartText

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine

vinegar

1/2 teaspoon each: salt, fresh ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound chicken cutlets

5 ounces mixed spring greens 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

3 tablespoons each: chopped fresh cilantro, basil, and parsley leaves

1 tablespoon minced fresh mint

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch allspice, ground cloves

1/4 cup chopped shallots

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 ears corn, husked

2 tomatillos, husked, halved

2 medium apples, cored and chopped

1 cup peeled and chopped jicama

1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped

EndTextStartText

1. To prepare the chicken, in a zip-close plastic bag combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, black pepper, and garlic. Add the chicken, then massage the marinade into the meat. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the greens. In a large bowl, combine the mixed greens, chives, cilantro, basil, parsley, and mint. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

3. When ready to cook the chicken, prepare the vinaigrette. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, allspice, cloves, and shallots. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Whisk in the mustard and olive oil.

4. Heat the grill to high. Using an oil-soaked paper towel held with tongs, oil the grill grates.

5. Put the chicken, both ears of corn, and the tomatillos on the grill. The chicken should grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side. The corn should grill for about the same time, but with frequent turning to sear all sides. The tomatillos should be grilled for the same duration, cut side down. Transfer the vegetables to a plate to cool. Once cooled, chop the tomatillos. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs.

6. In a medium bowl, combine the corn, tomatillos, apples, jicama, and bell pepper. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the vegetables, then toss to coat.

7. To serve, divide the greens between 4 plates. Top with the chopped vegetable mixture, then the grilled chicken.

Per serving: 320 calories; 70 calories from fat (22 percent of total calories); 8 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 65 mg cholesterol; 34 g carbohydrate; 30 g protein; 7 g fiber; 880 mg sodium.

EndText