California Pizza Kitchen or CPK is a chain of casual family style restaurants that not only serve pizza as the name might suggest, but also a host of small portions, intriguing pasta and innovative salads. There's really something for everybody. I recently got hooked on what they call their Moroccan Salad.. Moroccan flavoured chicken pieces combined with an array of vegetables and nuts to give you one of the most pleasurable textured salad experiences you'll ever have.
CPK isn't found in Canada. Imagine the horror. I had to get to work and figure out how to reproduce this wonderful salad. I was happy to find out that I'm not the only one who loves the Moroccan Salad and that Food.com has a copycat recipe. I altered the recipe to accomodate 4 people.
Ingredients
½ cup butternut squash, diced (I used a whole butternuts squash)
1 (8 ounce) cans beets, diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3 hard-boiled egg, diced
2 avocados, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 red bell peppers, diced
¼ cup dates or ¼ cup dried apricots, chopped
1 head romaine lettuce, sliced
1 pkg mixed greens
¼ cup girard's champagne dressing (or homemade champagne vinaigrettes follows)
1/2 cup roasted almonds
3 boneless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon olive oil
Directions
To make the spiced chicken: combine coriander and cinnamon with olive oil to make a paste. Spread on chicken breasts with a bbq brush or fingers; cook chicken in pan or grill until fully cooked. Let chicken cool and slice. While chicken is cooking, roast diced squash in a 400 degree oven for about ten minutes. Toss all other ingredients together with the champagne dressing to taste. Add chicken and almonds and top with diced beets.
To make the Champagne Vinaigrette
Adapted from Epicurious:
Yield: Makes 3/4 cup
Ingredients
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dijon Mustard
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 or 3 dashes hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
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Preparation
Whisk together the garlic, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, hot sauce, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Alternatively, you can combine all the ingredients in a blender or a food processor and puré until smooth.
Verdict: The salad is not "exactly" the same but definitely close enough to say that my fond memories of Moroccan Salad at California Pizza Kitchen will live on for many years to come.
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2 comments:
When I was in college I practically lived off of CPK salads during Passover.
An there it is Giz! It does sound good and you don't need to wait for another trip to Palm Springs to have it next year.
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