In case you’re wondering, I’m still completely into chopped salads.
Quick reminder: this is my kind of salad—packed with tasty extras. I admit I love a salad with lots of components and texture. The word “salads” still makes me chuckle when I say it out loud.
I’m back from vacation and, naturally, sharing a salad on a Monday. Predictable? Absolutely. I’m also trying to process that it’s already the second week of August. How did that happen?
When I was a kid, returning from a summer trip with a couple of weeks before school meant one thing: school supply shopping. I would pester my mom until we went, completely obsessed with fresh notebooks, pens and the thrill of new supplies. Even now I get a little nostalgic and secretly wish I could go back to that ritual—though these days I can buy gel pens any time I want. The old-school jitters about the first day of school used to hit me hard, even though I’d spent years with the same classmates. I still get a little anxious about first-day-of-school vibes — a classic carryover from childhood.
I loved being at school but not always the subjects themselves. Give me anything involving reading or writing and I was all in. Math and science? Not so much. I’m an all-or-nothing person: if I’m passionate about something, I throw myself into it; if I’m not, I tune out. It’s both a blessing and a downside.
I managed decent grades—mostly A’s and some B’s, with that one D in college econ that still stings—while remaining very enthusiastic about color-coded notes and fresh pens. I remember being crushed when my elementary school banned trapper keepers because they didn’t fit in the desks. To a kid obsessed with neon, glitter and unicorn-covered notebooks, that was devastating.
Trapper keepers were giant, glossy, and neon—basically the ultimate school accessory. Of course I wanted a spiral journal with glittering unicorns under rainbows surrounded by pandas and dolphins. At the time, that felt essential.
These days, instead of shopping for school supplies and planning class lists, I make chopped salads—because part of me is still ten years old and prefers bite-sized pieces of vegetables. Not much has changed, really.
What are you up to this Monday? Are you secretly shopping for scented markers and gel pens? If so, tell me I’m not the only one. I’m also planning to recreate a chocolate-covered potato chip ice cream I had on vacation—so something sweet is on the horizon.
Chopped Cashew Chicken Salad
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup sugar snap peas, cut into thirds
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 shallots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/3 cup roasted cashews, chopped
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces
- 1/2 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 4 cups butter lettuce, chopped
- 1 green onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
- 1 mango, half peeled and chopped, half peeled and sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
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Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the sugar snap peas, red and green bell peppers, shallots and garlic with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper; stir to coat. Add the chopped cashews and cook until the vegetables soften, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the vegetables and set aside.
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Season the chicken with the remaining salt and pepper. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the toasted sesame oil to the skillet and add the chicken. Toss to coat and cook until browned on all sides, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat and combine the chicken with the cooked vegetables.
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To assemble the salad, combine chopped butter lettuce with the chopped mango, cooked vegetables and chicken. Add the chopped cashews, sliced green onion and chopped cilantro, then toss gently. Top with sliced mango and a light dusting of chili powder. With the savory flavors of the cooked chicken and vegetables, this salad doesn’t need a dressing, but add one if you prefer.
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p.s. This salad is delicious. It’s inspired by an older cashew chicken recipe — comfortingly familiar and just as satisfying as a fresh stack of school supplies, in its own way.