Copycat Harvest Salad

On Tuesdays the group I work with has lunch brought in. We order from a variety of restaurants that are near the office, so week to week it's a surprise what we'll have for lunch on Tuesday. This week we opted for Panera. Several members of our team were disappointed that their summertime strawberry salad is no longer available, but we discovered the new fall feature salad. They call it the "Harvest Medley Chicken Salad" and it is amazing!

As I often do, I have something amazing at a restaurant, and I try to recreate it at home. Some of our family favorites have happened this way.

Panera made this pretty easy as they list all of the ingredients on their website. I made a couple of substitutions for items I couldn't find, but they gave the same effect.

Ingredients

• Chicken

• Farro & Rice Blend (I used a Quinoa & Barley Blend)

• Feta Cheese

• Arugula & Mixed Greens

• Beet Strips (I used the Terra vegetable chips)

• Pecans

• Mandarin Oranges

• Pumpkin Seeds

• Dried Cranberries

• Balsamic Vinaigrette

I made the salad in a large bowl that two of us could share for dinner. I started with the base layer of mixed greens and topped them with the grain blend. After that I added the fruits - mandarin oranges and dried cranberries. The third layer consisted of the nuts, seeds, and feta cheese. All of this was then topped with chopped chicken breast, crumbled vegetable chips, and dressed with balsamic vinaigrette.

This is so much more than a "salad". I would call it a "bowl". It's a delicious, crunchy blend of so many good things plus it's packed full of nutrition and easy to make. I hope you give it a try since we're not quite to soup season.