Easy Summer Dinner: Apples & Greens Salad with Chicken Sausage
It’s summertime and that means apples! Oh, wait, that’s fall. Oops. Well, I guess this recipe could be tagged under either season simply because of how easy it is to pull this together on a steaming summer night when the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven or stove!
But how you might be asking? The answer is my old friend, chicken sausage. I feel like I completely forgot how wonderful chicken sausage is as a quick and easy protein source until this past weekend when I was scrolling through my Shaws app. Note: yes, I am that 20 something year old who loves couponing (especially since it’s all digital now) and scoring a good deal on anything and everything! As of late I’ve been neglecting Shaws to shop at Whole Foods (shockingly not as expensive as you may think, plus if you go at the right time they have glorious free samples throughout the store! Last weekend I literally ate shrimp while I was shopping for a little snack.), and BJ’s for the things that Ryan and I seem to go through like the world is ending or something.
I was brought back to Shaws last weekend during my hunt for rhubarb (see my last post for a killer summer overnight oats recipe). Shaws came through for me in more ways than 1 that day. Not only were they the only store within a 20 mile radius of us that had rhubarb (we live in Southern NH now where yes, there is more than 1 grocery store within a 20 mile radius; Northern NH friends know what I’m talking about lol), they also had a killer sale on All Natural, Nitrate Free Chicken Sausage! A package with 4 decent sized links which was normally around $6 was on sale for $2.97 when you clipped the digital coupon! Score! My only regret from that day was not getting more than 1 package. Shaws also came through on a number of other items including organic strawberries, Malk no gum almond milk (also on a great sale), & the Nashville Hot Chicken seasoning Ryan has been talking about for the last month.
How did I drift away from my beloved Shaws? Well, for starters, Shaws and I go way back. Skip this paragraph and the one after it if you have no interest in hearing my grocery store love story. It all started growing up in a small northern NH town where there literally was 1 grocery store option within 30 minutes of where we lived. We were some of the lucky ones that lived with a few miles of said grocery store. This grocery store was Butsons. I remember thinking that Butsons was such a weird name for a grocery store, my youthful mind of course jumped to “butt” and of course I couldn’t believe someone would want groceries associated with that end of the body- never taking into consideration it was someone’s name. Oops. Well, anywho, one day Shaws came in and bought them out. From then on we always shopped at Shaws. We shopped there so often that plastic bags in our home were known as “Shaws Bags”.
In college and after graduating, living on my own for the first time, I gravitated back towards the many Shaws locations in and around Burlington, VT. This was right about the time they released their coupon app. I was obsessed from the start with clipping the coupons in the app, and planning my weekly meals around what was on sale in the weekly flyer. Almost weekly there would be a Free Item coupon for a random new product hitting Shaw’s shelves. I’d always snag it, and it became a fun weekly ritual to try something new. When we moved to Southern NH I originally was working as a Wellness Coordinator in person full time. One of the sites I went to each day was about a quarter mile from a Shaws- I went about once a week. After quitting my job, Shaws became much farther away (10 minutes lol), than the Whole Foods we live near. While I have grown to love Whole Foods, Shaws and I have history and it will always hold a special place in my heart.
Plus, some deals at Shaws just cannot be beat. Like the chicken sausage. At the store I looked through the selection that was on sale and made sure the ingredient list wasn't outrageous, and checked to make sure they didn’t have nitrates in them (something that triggers my migraines, therefore I avoid at all costs). All of the flavors passed my initial test. Next, I compared the amount of protein to fat of each. Warning: some chicken sausage can be decently high in fat depending on the variety, never assume that because it’s chicken that it will be lean! I ended up going with the flavor that I liked the macros of, which just so happened to be the Sweet Apple variety.
I decided to prepare a salad to match the flavor profile of the apple. If you’ve been following me on Instagram lately (if you haven’t, you can follow me at @livewellwith.emily ) you’ve probably noticed how obsessed Ryan and I have been with salad kits. We’ve had them almost every weeknight for dinner over the last couple months; not an exaggeration! While I have thoroughly enjoyed the taste and ease of these kits, I’m not thrilled with the variety of micronutrients they provide, and the long list of ingredients in the salad dressings that accompany them. I told Ryan that I wanted to start making my own “salad kits” recently. I’d say this is a step in the right direction. The salad came together beautifully, and made plenty of leftovers that have kept well in the fridge for days! I highly recommend keeping the leftover produce separate from the chicken sausage, feta, and dressing, and just tossing it all together when you are ready to eat.
The best part of this entire recipe? The chicken sausage is fully cooked! No oven, stove, or microwave required; which means you get to stay cool this summer while still crushing your protein goals! Who’s with me? You are? Okay- read on for the full recipe <3
Apples & Greens Salad with Chicken Sausage
Ingredients:
1 Package Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage (I used the brand Al Fresco)
1 Bunch Kale
1 Package Shredded Brussel Sprouts
1/2 Vidalia Onion
1 Honey Crisp Apple
Crumbled Feta
Green Goddess Dressing (I used Annies this time to keep it simple)
Directions:
Wash all produce. Chop up the kale, onion, and apple into small, bite sized pieces.
Add all produce to a large bowl & mix to combine.
Cut chicken sausage into bite sized pieces. Store leftovers in an airtight container or bag. (Note: I eat 2 sausages per meal, but you do you!)
Serve the salad mix in large bowls. (the bigger the salad bowl the better- am I right?)
Add the chicken sausage, feta (I use about a tablespoon per serving), & Green Goddess dressing to taste. Enjoy!
Try this recipe and let me know what your thoughts are! Also, where are my other Shaws fans at?
Em