Pesto salad with a special ingredient

 This Christmas I asked for two things: cookbooks and Trader Joe's gift cards. I was blessed in the first department but my family remains an anti gifting gift cards bunch. So when the recipe in one of my new cookbooks called for the Trader Joe's famed and viral "everything but the bagel" seasoning, I had to pull out of my own pockets. Fortunately, it was worth it.

Honestly this whole recipe is a bit of a homage to Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's seasoning, Trader Joe's marinated chicken, Trader Joe's pesto. My secret is: I actually can't cook, but Joe can. I also can't follow a recipe so this weeks blog post is my own spin on Tieghan Gerard's (Half Baked Harvest on instagram) everything but the bagel salad. 

I was flipping through the Half Baked Harvest Super Simple cookbook and this recipe caught my eye due to its key ingredient: pesto. It was then that I recalled the pesto marinated chicken breast that had been forlorn and forgotten in the back of my freezer for a month. I can confirm that the stale flavor of freezer burn cooks off on a high heat pan. 

I'm always looking for new salad recipes. I've finally grown tired of my pickled onion, feta cheese, and Jacksons Corner white balsamic that has been a staple in my diet for months. This salad was more on the simplistic side, its main attractor being the dressing, but I'm trying to adapt to the less is more mindset and this was a great start. The tangy lemon pesto contrasts perfectly with the mild creaminess of the white beans and the everything but the bagel seasoning adds an unexpected kick. Added bonus: anything with arugula automatically looks and tastes restaurant quality.

Salad Ingredients:

Arugula

White beans

Grated parmasean 

Pesto marinated chicken breast

Everything but the bagel seasoning

Dressing:

1 tablespoon pesto

1/2 juiced lemon

1/2 tablespoon vinegar

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

I'm free styling a bit here. I did not follow the recipe whatsoever, just took inspiration from it. For the salad ingredients, personal portion preferences are encouraged. As for the dressing, I like mine on the tangier side so I would encourage to taste and adjust.