Although often as exciting as laundry, turkey and cheese remains one of the most popular lunchtime staples. Here, we’ve kicked things up a notch by serving moist poached turkey on a bed of greens and adorning it with tangy goat cheese dressing.
Great groats
Crunchy buckwheat groats are sure to become your new favourite salad topper. If you come up short locating groats in stores, you can use toasted walnuts instead.
Turkey and Cheese Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) boneless, skinless organic turkey breast
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) buckwheat groats
- 4 oz (112 g) soft goat cheese, room temperature
- 3 Tbsp (45 mL) camelina or extra-virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 2 tsp (10 mL) honey
- 1 tsp (5 mL) fresh thyme
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) black pepper
- 8 cups (2 L) baby kale or other salad greens
- 1 pint (500 mL) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup (250 mL) dried figs, sliced
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories398
- protein36g
- fat19g
- saturated fat6g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates35g
- sugars24g
- fibre6g
- sodium346mg
Directions
01
To poach turkey, place breasts in large pot and add enough water to completely cover by at least 1 in (2.5 cm). Bring water to a very slight simmer with just a few bubbles breaking surface. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Adjust heat as needed during cooking to maintain slight simmer, and skim off any foam that forms. Remove turkey from water and thinly slice when cool enough to handle.
02
Meanwhile, toast buckwheat in dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, until darkened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn groats.
03
To make dressing, place goat cheese, oil, lemon juice, 2 Tbsp (30 mL) water, garlic, honey, thyme, salt, and pepper in blender container and blend until smooth. Blend in small amount of additional water if needed to reach desired consistency.
04
Divide salad greens among serving plates and top with sliced turkey, tomatoes, and figs. Drizzle goat cheese dressing over top and sprinkle on buckwheat.
Matthew Kadey, MSc, RD, is a dietitian, nutrition writer, and recipe developer. He is also the author of Rocket Fuel (VeloPress, 2016) and Muffin Tin Chef (Ulysses Press, 2012).
