Grilled Chicken Salad with Romesco Sauce

This is a delicious, light salad. The chicken is best grilled, but cooking it in a pan on the stove will work too in a pinch. Or - you could substitute rotisserie chicken purchased at the grocery store.

Ingredients:

For the Romesco sauce:

• 2 large red bell peppers

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 2 Tbl. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

• 2 Tbl. almond butter

• 1 Tbl. olive oil

• 1 tsp. kosher salt

• 1/4 cup cayenne powder (optional)

For the chicken:

• 4 chicken breasts

• 1 tsp. kosher salt

• 2 garlic cloves, grated

• 3 Tbl. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

For the salad:

• Romaine lettuce

• 1 cucumber

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 lemon

• 2 Tbl. olive oil

Instructions:

First make the sauce:

1. Preheat the broiler. Cut the red bell peppers in half and seed them. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the red bell peppers on the sheet and smash them with your hand to flatten them as much as possible. Put them under the broiler and let the broil until the skins are blackened. Take them out and pull the foil up around them to create steam inside. Once they are cool enough, slip off the skins.

2. Place the skinned red bell pepper and all of the remaining sauce ingredients into a small food processor or blender. Puree it until all ingredients are blended and smooth. Place the sauce in the refrigerator to let it cool and firm up.

Now prepare the chicken:

1. Put the chicken in a bowl with the vinegar, garlic and salt. Toss it together to coat the chicken and let it marinade for at least 15 minutes.

2. Cook the chicken on the grill. You can do it ahead and serve it cold if you'd like.

Make the salad:

1. Tear the romaine lettuce into bite sized pieces.

2. Cut the cucumber into slices and toss into the bowl with the romaine.

3. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze some of the lemon juice from half of the lemon over the time, add the olive oil, and then toss it all together. Taste and add more lemon, olive oil or salt and pepper to taste.

Put it all together:

1. Spread some of the Romesco sauce on each plate.

2. Put some of the salad to the side of the sauce.

3. Slice the chicken breast and lay it over the top of the salad.