Try This Grilled Chicken Mediterranean Salad With Medjool Dates for Your Next Barbecue

Grilling time is here! But are you tired of burgers already? If you’re looking for a healthy grilled meal, try this “meal-salad” at your next al fresco dinner. The tangy flavours of onion, feta and olives are perfectly balanced by the natural sweetness of the Medjool dates. It’s elegant enough for a dinner party but easy and healthy enough for anytime, and it uses ingredients you may already have on hand.

Grilled Chicken Mediterranean Salad with Medjool dates

Salad

4 cups (1L) lettuce leaves, rinsed, dried and torn

1 cup (250 mL) cucumber, diced

1 cup (250 mL) cherry tomatoes, halved

6 Natural Delights® Medjool Dates, pitted

Half a medium red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted

1 lb (500g) grilled chicken

Lemon wedges for serving (optional)

Dressing

¼ cup (60 mL) extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp (30 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp (30 mL) red wine vinegar

1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced

1 tsp (5 mL) sea salt

½ tsp (2 mL) freshly ground black pepper

In a large mixing bowl, add all the salad ingredients together and gently toss until combined.

Prepare the dressing by adding all the ingredients into a small, lidded jar, then seal and shake until thoroughly mixed.

Pour the dressing over the salad just before serving and gently toss to combine, then transfer to a serving dish. Serve with a slice of rustic bread.

BONUS recipe: These Medjool Date Shake Popsicles contain all the healthy goodness of the iconic date shake, but in popsicle form. They’re perfect for a snack, dessert or even a special breakfast!

Medjool Date Shake Popsicles

1 cup (250 mL) vanilla full-fat yogurt

12 Natural Delights® Medjool Dates, pitted and chopped

¼ tsp (1 mL) ground cinnamon

¼ tsp (1 mL) freshly grated nutmeg

¾ cup 175 mL) heavy cream

½ tsp (2 mL) sea salt

In a high speed blender, combine all ingredients until silky smooth. Fill popsicle molds and freeze overnight.

Enjoy!

Medjool dates are a pure and wholesome superfood picked straight off the tree at the peak of ripeness. Plump and naturally sweet, the only things added are sunshine and water. Grown at the intersection of California and Arizona, a perfect microclimate along the Colorado River, Natural Delights Medjool Dates are a nourishing portable snack that provides long-lasting energy, and is full of antioxidants, potassium, and fibre.

They are also a nutritious and natural replacement for processed sugar in baking. While Medjool dates are high in natural sugars, they are low on the glycemic index thanks to a balanced amount of soluble fibre. The complex carbohydrates found in Medjool dates are digested at a slower rate, making them a source of dietary fibre and releasing energy to the body over a longer period of time.

And as long as you’re picking up some Natural Delights, Medjool Date Mini Medjools are the perfect summer snack providing delicious energy for any summer adventure like picnics, hikes and trips to the beach. Medjool dates don’t need refrigeration, so you can pop them into your bag and go. They’re kid-friendly and great for portion control—if you can resist eating the whole tub at once!

Natural Delights Mini Medjools are available in three flavours: Cacao Pecan; Sweet & Salty Almond; and the top seller, Coconut.

Visit naturaldelights.com for healthy and delicious recipes!