Weeknight Bites: Chicken and Prosciutto Salad with Asiago

October is my favorite month for a few reasons. For one, it's the month when the leaves on the trees really start to change (at least here in Georgia), and the world just kind of looks...magical. I love that. I also love the cool, crisp air of the mornings and the chill that sets in after the sun goes down. Then we have Halloween, which is one of my very favorite holidays, again falling in October. Both my dad and my brother have birthdays this month. And, last but absolutely not least, my husband and I celebrate our anniversary. See why I love October so much?

For our anniversary, the hubby and I are taking a trip back to the Bahamas, where we went on our honeymoon two years ago. We enjoyed our time there so much that when we started thinking about taking a trip this year it wasn't too hard to decide where we wanted to go. We'll be staying at Atlantis, though this time we're keeping our budget in mind a little bit more than we did before; last time we stayed at The Cove (which, by the way, was beautiful and I would recommend to anyone going there for a special occasion! it's completely worth it), but this time we're staying at the Royal Towers - which is that big building you see on all of their commercials. Woo!! 17 days and counting until we're on our way!

With a little more than two weeks before we head out, I'm locking myself down on diet and drinks (I know I'm not the only woman in the world who does this) to make sure I feel at least somewhat confident in a bathing suit, considering the fact that I don't normally have to wear one this time of year. So, I've been scouring the pages of Cooking Light to find delicious and nutritious meals to make between now and then. I think the hardest thing for me is to reign in my take-out lunches, but with a dinner like this I can *almost* afford to eat poorly one meal of the day. This salad incorporates 2 of my absolute favorite ingredients (asiago cheese and prosciutto) and is super light and yummy! The rotisserie chicken makes this so easy to make during the week, and the homemade croutons don't disappoint.

2 slices sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Canola cooking spray

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/8 tsp garlic powder

3 tbs EVOO

2 oz very thin slices prosciutto, chopped

2 tbs fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

2 (5-oz) packages baby arugula (or use mixed greens - as shown in picture)

1 1/2 ounce Asiago cheese, shaved

6 oz shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place bread cubes on a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with basil and garlic powder and toss to coast. Place in preheated oven and bake for 8 minutes or until crisp.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tbs oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add prosciutto and saute 4 minutes or until prosciutto is crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Combine 2 tbs plus 2 tsp olive oil, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl and stir well. Place arugula or mixed greens and half of cheese in a large bowl. Add juice mixture and toss well to coat. Divide salad evenly among plates and add chicken, prosciutto, remaining cheese and croutons evenly among each serving.

This recipe will serve 6 two-cup portions or 4 larger servings. I'm also including the nutritional information below, in case you're interested.

Until next time....

Cheers!

Calories: 193

Fat: 11.5g (sat 2.9g, mono 5.8g, poly 1.3g)

Protein: 14.4g

Carb: 8.9g

Fiber: 1.5g

Chol: 37mg

Iron: 14mg

Sodium: 481mg

Calc: 142mg

*All nutritional information from Cooking Light Magazine, April 2012