Description

When you need a little bit of Summer in your life, this healthy dish will leave you happy and ready to conquer the world. A spicy North African harissa, mixed with creamy avocados, cilantro vinaigrette and juicy grilled chicken and pineapple.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Harissa Chicken

2 large chicken breast, marinade can be used for up to 3-4 breast
2 tbsp harissa, see recipe below
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 lime, juice only
1 lemon, juice only
1/4 tsp salt & pepper, each, or to taste

Harissa Chili Paste (makes 1/2 cup)

2 oz dried chiles, 50g, see notes*
1 tsp fennel seeds, or 3/4 tsp ground fennel
1 tsp cumin seeds, or 3/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp coriander seeds, or 3/4 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt, or to taste, start with 1/2 tsp
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, optional
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for storing
1 lime, juice only, optional
1 lemon, juice only, optional

Cilantro Sauce

1 clove garlic
1 cup fresh cilantro, 2 large handfuls, or parsley
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 lime, juice only
1/2 tsp chilli flakes, optional
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
4 tbsp Greek yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil, 60ml, or to desired consistency

Salad Ingredients

6 cups fresh greens, 4 cups (120g) spinach, 2 cups arugula (40g)
4 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
2 avocados, sliced
1 pineapple, Cut in 8 rings of 1/2-2/3 inch thick (1.5-2cm)
2 roasted bell peppers, instructions in recipe

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Instructions

Roasted Bell Peppers

Preheat oven to 450F (230C).
Place two red peppers, sliced in half, on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a little charred skin. When these are done, cool them down in a covered bowl before you remove the skin. Slice/julienne them up and they are done!

Harissa Chili Paste

Soak the dried chiles in a bowl of boiling water and cover, let sit for 30 minutes. Read notes to find your favorite kind of chili to use.
In a dry non-stick pan, add fennel seeds, cumin seeds and coriander seeds, dry roast for a couple of minutes on medium heat, until fragrant. Grind in a mortar or spice grinder. Skip this step if using ground spices.
Drain the chiles and begin de-seeding them, use gloves for this step! I do not de-seed the guajillos, but about 90% of the bird's eye chiles. Since this is a lot of chili, I highly recommend de-seeding.
Add all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until a smooth and thick paste. Taste and adjust the seasonings. If you want to store it for later, place it in a jar and add a layer of olive oil on top and use within a month.

Grilled Harissa Chicken Salad

Mix all the marinade ingredients together, and marinate chicken for at least 10-20 minutes in the fridge. Meanwhile, heat up the grill or find your grill skillet.
For the cilantro (or parsley) dressing, just mix all the sauce ingredients in a blender, taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Add more olive oil or a splash of water if it's too thick.
Grill chicken breast until the thickest part is 165F (74C), about 5-7 minutes on each side, coved with the grill lid. If you pan-fry; on high heat fry for about 7 minutes each side for larger breast.
Grill sliced pinapple rings until charred and a little soft. About 2 minutes on each side.
Slice up avocados, spinach, arugula, and crumble some feta cheese and then you're ready to assemble this beast of a healthy dish.

Notes

* What kind of chiles for harissa?

Mildest: roasted bell pepper. Mild-ish: jalapeño, serrano, poblano, guajillo or anaheim. Spicy: bird's eye chili

Mix and match to your own liking! I use 80% bird's eye chili and 20% guajillo peppers. I de-seed most of the bird's eye, but none of the guajillos. This is a very spicy harissa, but delicious.

Recipe adapted from JoyfulHealthyEats.

Prep Time: 1 hours
Inactive Time: 0 hours
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Healthy
Cuisine: Moroccan

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 grams
Calories: 545
Sodium: 424
Fat: 32.8
Saturated Fat: 5.1
Unsaturated Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 45.7
Fiber: 11.6
Protein: 25.8
Cholesterol: 65