Harvest Chicken

Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields.  And I usually refer to it as something happening in the fall or autumn season.  So why did I come across an unusual (at least in my book) yet unexpected and surprisingly good 'fall' salad in the middle of summer?

My hubby and I have been making our own lunches the past few weeks but today since we had errands to do we had lunch out.  We stopped by the mall (and for anyone living on Kauai) understands that there isn't too much to our mall....Macy's, Sears, and a few small island local shops.  And the food court consists of McDonald's, Quizno's and a local food spot (don't remember the name).  So we opted for the healthiest....Quizno's. 

To my surprise I discovered that they've created a few new salads.  They advertised them as farmers market salads - Caprese Chicken, Mediterranean Chicken, Chicken Caesar, Harvest Chicken, and Cobb - which I found to be.........

.........interesting. 

The Harvest Chicken caught my eye the most.

It was filled with a number of foods I enjoy, but each individually, separately on their own - Honey-Dijon chicken, red seedless grapes, apples, dried cranberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkin seeds with Acai Vinaigrette Dressing.  I never thought about combining any of these ingredients together.  I mean.....apples, grapes, and dried cranberries.......and what are pumpkin seeds?  I was a bit hesitate especially since I've never had pumpkin seeds or Acai Dressing before (I've heard of Acai and know it's considered a 'superfood') - so I figured, what the heck.  I need to venture outside of the 'box' every now and again. 

So today was the day.  I ordered the salad complete with the Acai Vinaigrette Dressing (which I ended up only dipping a tiny bit).  The combination of the apples, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds with the Honey-Dijon chicken was quite satisfying.  And there was enough Honey-Dijon on the chicken that I didn't really need the dressing  (I usually use dressing sparingly on my salads anyways).

It made me realize that I need to try new things.  And for those that know me well.....know that is difficult for me at times.  Depending on my mood I'm open to try new foods, but I'm hesitate and scared.  I'm glad I decided to choose something new and different today. 

So next time you stop by Quizno's give this salad a try....I don't think you'll be disappointed.