Last Updated on July 14, 2025 by Ashleigh Pinkerton
Aside from my mom, Molly is my very favorite cook. Her recipes, like this classy chicken salad with dates and macadamia nuts, are nourishing and full of flavor.
Molly and I met several years ago through our blogs. We started writing one another and then after a few months we decided to be brave and meet one another in person at the farmer’s market. The second I saw her warm smile I knew we would become dear friends. And that we have.
We’ve had had some wonderful meals at Molly’s table with her husband John, enjoying good food and laughter. A couple of years ago they gave up their day jobs and started Apricot Lane Farms. This farm is a little slice of heaven. I can’t even describe it, you just have to go visit one day.
I’ve been anxiously awaiting Molly’s book, Back to Butter, for many months. Every time I’m at her house I ask her for her recipes and now I have them in a book with photos and everything! Molly wrote the book with her mom, Sandy – a dear, sweet lady who I very much admire. Through a traditional diet, Molly completely reversed intense acid reflux and Polycistic Ovary Disease (PCOS). Her story is an incredible testimony to how foods can heal!
Molly allowed me to share her Classy Chicken Salad with Dates and Walnuts. The combination of fruit, chicken and mayo is dynamite!
Here are some other must-try recipes in her book:
Roasted Shrimp Salsa
Multi-Seed Crackers (these are incredible!)
White Bean Chicken and Chili
Meatballs & Mushroom Gravy
Baked Acorn Squash with Kale and Pancetta Stuffing
Soy-Free Carob Chips (a perfect chocolate alternative)
Apricot Lane Farms Lemonade
While her book contains many grain-free recipes, it also includes some recipes with grains, but all of the recipes are properly prepared using traditional methods. She teaches you how to soak and sprout grains so they can be easily digested. Some of her recipes only call for a tablespoon or so of sprouted flours in which you can substitute with a bit of arrowroot or tapioca flours.
PrintClassy Chicken Salad with Dates and Macadamia Nuts
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 cups medium diced precooked chicken
- 6 ounces bacon, roughly chopped, cooked until crisp, and drained
- 1/2 cup finely diced Medjool dates
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion, both white and green parts
- 1/3 cup finely diced celery, cut on the diagonal
- 1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
- 1 cup Homemade Mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup crunchy macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Place the chicken, bacon, dates, scallion, celery and grapes in a medium-size glass mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Pour the mayonnaise on top and sprinkle with the sea salt. Toss to combine, making sure to coat all ingredients well. Refrigerate until chilled, adding the nuts just prior to serving, but after the salad is chilled (to keep them crunchy).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Serves 4-6
Photo Credit: John Chester – Used with Permissionclass
Thanks for the opportunity to win this cookbook. What a great giveaway!
This would be a great resource for better eating.
We make meal plans based around whole, unprocessed foods and then stick to the perimeter of the grocery store when shopping (fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, etc.). Meal planning really does make a difference when trying to minimize the use of processed foods!
I love Molly’s honey-sweetened lemonade recipe! I look forward to reading her new cookbook. We try to stay low-grain with lots of fermented options. Yum!
We just had a butcher open up who serves local grass-fed meat. Talk about excited!!
Love new cookbooks!!’
This looks great! Can’t wait to get the book!
I’ve stopped buying processed/convenience foods and focused on buying single ingredient foodstuffs so that I have to cook.
This looks like a great recipe from a wonderful cookbook! My latest endeavor with traditional foods is trying out fermenting.
Next challenge will be soaking my nuts and grains and making kombucha!
I already incorporate traditional foods into my family’s diet. I would love to have some new recipes!
We eat a lot of traditional foods already, but this is the first year we get to garden on our own land! Can’t wait. Looking forward to building a root cellar for storing food for the winter months!
We use butter and coconut oil. And soak our flours. Looks like a great cookbook!
I’m going to try my hand at gardening again this spring! I feel like it’ll be easier than relying on the grocery store for every single type of organic produce we buy on a regular basis.
My husband and I are working on making breakfast in the morning before work instead of eating a LaraBar or oatmeal. We are currently eating eggs, toast, and fruit! We’ve both have more energy and are better prepared to take on our days at work!
This recipe sounds amazing, I can’t wait to try it!
Looking forward to trying the Chicken Salad! Would love to win and have some new recipes to try.
I would love this book! Our family has ditched the assortment of oils that were in our pantry and now exclusively use butter or coconut oil. I lived so long thinking that these things were bad for me!
I’m trying to not buy processed foods and shop the perimeter of the store.
all about the traditional foods.love to check out some new/old recipes!
I’m gunna eat more of this yummy salad!
I’d love to learn more about soaking and sprouting grains
Right now I’m working on eating less sugar and more veggies!
This looks wonderful! I have some chicken I need to use & will make this. Would love to check out the book!
I’m always trying to prepare more traditional foods & work more & more into our diets, though slowly as life is busy. We’re mostly grain free, but I soak oatmeal for my son & husband. I make sauerkraut. I would love to try making yogurt next!
It would be awesome to win the cookbook!
A few years ago we overhauled our diet, but I know there is some extra tweaking we could do.
We’re starting a garden this spring! We are planning now and planting in a few weeks!
This salad looks scrumptious. I often roast a big chicken and have leftovers – can’t wait to try it. The cookbook sounds wonderful!.
A few years back I switched away from most any processed foods (not perfect by any means) but lately I’ve been slipping. Would love to use her new recipes to help get back.
Hope to start making small changes to incorporate more organic whole foods into my family’s diet. Want to make 1-2 changes per week so I don’t overwhelm my husband or kids
We as a family cut the majority of processed foods out (I have completely) We make dinner from whole foods now and have a good hearty breakfast…lunch at school is the hard one to kick since they love sandwiches and treats and juice….I am getting better at making them more nutritious but I”d love to be able to find more lunch ideas that the kids will tolerate.
Search this site for “back to school” lunch ideas. Carrie has posted some amazing ideas and recipes over the years, right here on this blog. And some of my sons very favorite foods are adaptations from her cookbook Delicously Organic. His personal favorite are the chicken tenders with homemade ranch dressing.
we’ve already started to cut out processed foods.
It’s not often that I can say I read a cookbook from cover to cover, but that is exactly what I did when I received my copy of Back to Butter. It was a cold and rainy Saturday when the book came in the mail, I was so excited! I plopped myself in front of the fire and read it all day. My husband knew not to bother me, haha.
Like Carrie, I’ve been waiting for this book for a very long time, I think since I found the organicspark website a couple years back. The book not disappoint. This book is amazing! Filled with healthy information, beautiful photography and recipes that will take your family back to the table and Back to Butter. I LOVE the book! I highly recommend everyone here buy the book.
p.s. I did the same thing with your cookbook, Carrie. Cover to cover, reading all your comments and about your journey to health. You inspire me!
Cookbook looks great! Need to try my hand at making my own cheese and other dairy products.
Looks yummy! Wonder if adding mustard would be good?
Thanks for this recipe – I have dates and walnuts in the pantry and will make this over the weekend!
I am trying to find and add cookbooks like this one that focus on healthy whole foods. I have also started growing my own foods. I haven’t harvested anything yet but I can’t wait until summer for my fresh veggies.
I am slowly but surely eliminating boxed mixes from my grandchildren’s diet. Sodas/koolaids/etc. are gone.
These recipes sound awesome!
Would love, love to have this cookbook. I’m working on incorporating more whole grains
and vegetables into my husbands diet. I’m slowly convincing him 🙂
Would love to win
Butter;)
I’m going to soak grains.
Thank you for an opportunity to win this cookbook. It looks fabulous.
This recipe sounds great, and the others mentioned sound like food I would like to prepare for my family. We are being as organic and local as we can with our food choices.
Stop relying on old comfort foods and trying healthier recipes.
We are coming full circle with our eating now after the low-fat era. There is a reason our ancestors lived so long! This recipe sounds delicious. I would love to win a copy of Butter!
We’ve been always eating traditional made from scratch food but soon hoping to grow most our food too.
I’ve been playing around with different ancient grains (buckwheat, millet, etc.) for my family, and I plan to continue to decrease our grain consumption/learn about traditional methods of preparing them.
I try to shop for fresh, local ingredients twice a week and then I strive to make home cooked meals using those ingredients.
I’ve been reigning myself in with cookbook acquisition these past years, but this looks so lovely and unwed some new recipes.
I am trying to really limit food packaging coming into the house, so I buy more whole foods that I can reuse containers with.
What an unusual recipe! Can’t wait to try it.. And hopefully win 🙂
I am trying to incorporate more whole foods and want to find better ways to cook to heal. Between your website and the sources you’ve mentioned, I think I’ll be off to a good start! Can’t wait for the feet of snow to melt and spring to start so I can get my garden going!
I would like to use more vegetarian dishes for my family
This book looks awesome! Thanks for the chance to win. I currently try to eat all home cooked food that includes organic, non GMO whole foods. No processed foods for me. I sure do feel a lot better!!
Looks like a fabulous book… I would love to learn about soaking and sprouting grains.
When the farmers markets open, I’m going to visit them often and plan meals around what is currently available.
My families goal is to make as much of the food we eat from scratch and to buy from local sources whenever possible. We are also expanding our home garden each year.
Thanks for another opportunity for a great giveaway! Everyday I am experimenting with new whole food recipes and we feel amazing! To reverse PCOS and endometriosis is one of my main goals! Thanks so much for all you do Carrie!
It is refreshing to see a cookbook using fresh whole food.
I’m trying to find an affordable source for raw grassfed cheese in my area. We also lost our favorite raw milk farmer (bummer!), so I’m on the lookout for that too. 🙂
love your recipes. can’t wait to read the cookbook!
What a great idea! I just roasted a whole chicken, I already made soup but I sett have so much left over! I will be using this recipe this week for sure. Thanks for the opportunity to win this book. I try to incorporate the use of whole foods as much as I can. I spent so much of my life afraid of fat, meat, grains, even fruit (my teenage self thought it had too much sugar)! I wake up everyday now and have whole milk in my coffee, and whole eggs, not just the whites! Looking forward to reading more recipes from the book when it hits the shelves
Yummy!! I love whole food cooking!!
Would love to have one of these cookbooks, sounds awesome!
Just moved, so we are going to seek out raw dairy.
I have been trying to move away from the lowfat diet that I ate for many years and get back to real food. I eat full fat butter and cheese. Also, I am most interested to win the cookbook because I also suffer with digestive issues and hope that this will help heal me as well. Thanks for the chance.
I eat Paleo but I’m sure there somewhere I can tweak to be more natural. Maybe this book can help show me.
More butter, of course! and with some raw milk, getting some whey and cheeses!
We try to eat whole foods most of the time, although there is always room for improvement. I love trying new recipes also!!!
What an awesome giveaway!! Crossing my fingers (and toes!!)! Thank you!! 🙂
My family has been eating whole foods for a year or so. Loving it!!
My natural/traditional food journey has now spanned over 10 years. I’m currently working on getting pastured eggs as close to 100% of the time as possible, eating more pastured poultry (vs Whole Foods chicken) and eating more vegetables. I already eat grassfed beef, pastured poultry and pork (most of the time), traditional fats and organic/local produce. This book sounds wonderful!
I want to expand my repertoire of fermented foods & drinks!
My family needs to get better with crackers; they are our weakness. Need to try some homemade real food recipes to kick our habit!
YES please!
I want to try making homemade kefir, and then cultured vegetables.
My next step is to learn to make kombucha and cultured veggies at home.
I’ve picked up a few recipe books and am trying to follow a more traditional diet. The less processing the better!
We are seeking to make and eat more cultured vegetables.
I am going to start making my own sourdough.
I’m going to try soaking grains.
Thanks for the chance to win. Sounds like a timely cookbook.
Hopefully winning this book:)!
love molly’s blog and her cookbook looks great!
I have slowly started trying to replace Nourishing Traditions recipes with recipes we are familiar with. Then every month I try to add a new recipe to see how it’s made, how it tastes and if the family approves. Then of course I try to pass on the recipes and encourage others to try this way of eating instead of diet after diet. A truly nourishing way to eat that doesn’t get corrupted by the government and their new “fad” way of eating they encourage people to eat.
Thanks for the chance to win the cook book, love new ideas for food-yum!
What a wonderful giveaway. Always good to have whole food resources!
I plan on buying all whole foods, and nothing processed. It’s a challenge and takes A LOT OF PLANNING AND TIME. But we think it’s so worth it!
My husband is a chef from Northern Europe. Needless to say, our family eats a lot of potatoes, root vegetables and meat during the winter months and LOADS of veggies and fruits during the summer months. We don’t have much processed foods at home because I have learned from him to “prep” staple ingredients to have on hand. For example… We’ll purchase a bunch of locally grown whole garlic, take it home and chop it through the food processor with a little olive oil and then partition out into small containers. We’ll freeze the surplus and only take out what we’ll use in the week. We also bake bread in the breadmaker about 3-4 times a week (yah, he’s a BIG bread eater!) and one of our favorite wheat bread recipes has shredded carrots and chopped walnuts included in the recipe. Again, we buy in bulk, take home and shred/chop up in food processor and freeze in batched that are pre-measured for future use.
He tells me the key to any good kitchen is the prep done ahead of time so you don’t spend so much time each day before dinner. He’s right… it is so much easier to make Tomato Basil Soup or a Veggie Stir Fry when everything is prepped and you just have to toss together and heat!
My goal for this year is to use more fresh herbs from my garden.
Thanks for your great website and articles… I look forward to more!
Kathy
We’ve stopped buying processed foods (as much as possible), we eat lots of fresh veggies, and I am making my own bone broth and stock.
Eating organic makes me feel like I’ll live longer and healthier without medication! And that makes me feel happy for myself and my kids!
My newest adventure in traditional cooking is mayo and other spreads/sauces!
Looks great!
Fermented foods are my top priority. I’ve learned to make homemade yogurt, kraut and kefir water! I love them and spread the joy to any who’ll listen. FRESH foods by organic farmers is my goal each shopping trip. Farmers markets are soooooo fun! I have a brown thumb but I will keep on trying. Thanks for all you do to encourage traditional foods.
This salad looks delicious. And I can hardly wait to read through and try out recipes from this new book!
Oops! Didn’t answer the question. Almost everything we eat or snack on is made from scratch these days. I’ve always trended toward being a cook from scratch person, but since becoming aware of more and more poisons in prepared foods and ingredients, I’ve become even more dedicated!
I like fermenting foods and making homemade water and milk kefir. I like to cook from scratch and I am always looking for new recipes for the dinner table.
I make my own peanut butter and cook more at home. I am also going to try to make my own fruit leather!
This cookbook looks great!
I would love to win this book!
I am expanding my garden to the front yard so I have more room to grow my own food. I will also plant a lemon, lime, and Satsuma mandarin tree this spring.
Buy or win this cookbook. That would be a great start!
Love the Giveaway! Definitely plan on using the recipes from “Back to Butter” in order to incorporate more traditional foods into my diet;)
I will cook my veggies in coconut oil or butter.
I would like to make more fermented foods. This cookbook looks awesome!
I have tried sprouting and soaking grains and nuts a couple times! Hope to make this a permanent one. 🙂 thank you for the opportunity to win this book! Looks fantastic and would definitely be a huge factor in anyone’s whole-foods kitchen and lifestyle!
Xoxo,
Maggie
Thanks to Deliciously Organic, our eyes were opened to the “grain free” world of cooking a few years ago. We definitely eat more vegetables and meats now that we don’t eat the grain fillers on a regular basis. Homemade stocks are always ready in the freezer, along with homemade marinara sauce. When we can get fresh, raw milk, I make homemade yogurt, and use the whey in soups and fermented lemonade. Kimchi is a staple in our home, and our favorite fermented food. We’re grateful to Nourishing Traditions and Deliciously Organic for teaching us so many delicious and nourishing ways to cook foods!
Recently found this blog when trying to find a recipe for whole wheat bread. I’m on an extremely limited budget but am trying to cut out as much processed food as I can. Although I don’t eat chicken (or Bacon) I’m sure I’ll substitute it for shrimp or fish.
Yay! What an exciting entry opportunity! Book looks great! Also I am def making this recipe today! Thank you!
Thanks for the chance to win the cookbook and the recipes that you share!
I am at about 80% whole foods! Getting there! This is so much better than I was doing only a year ago! I have learned so much! Would love this book!
Sounds like a great new cookbook just in time for the farmer’s market opening!
I pinned this to try later. Now to find some pastured poultry to use for this recipe.
I’ve stopped buying groceries just because they’re cheaper, and instead have looked for the best ingredients I can find, regardless of price. I mean, if I can save myself from rounds of chemo by changing my diet TODAY, why stress about spending $20 extra to get good food??
It sounds basic, but I’m going to try to incorporate fruits or vegetables with every meal.
We’re working all the time toward a better diet, and I love Molly’s story. Thanks for sharing this recipe and cookbook — definitely on the list now!
I love getting cookbooks that feature real cooking techniques!!
We are going to expand our garden and really try to grow most of our veggies this year!
I’m trying to include more organ meats in my diet now!
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I will definitely make it again!
Doing the best I can at buy and eating whole foods and organic. Reading all labels ,for GMO’s , and ingredients that I haven’t got a clue what it is. So I would enjoy new recipes for my new way of living. Healthy is my goal. No junk for me or mine.
I’ve started trying to incorporate more soaked or soured grains into my diet and of course I consume a lot of butter. 🙂
Trying to incorporate more chemical free foods into my families diet. Love basic recipes that are very flavorful
Bigger garden, raising more animals (i want a miniature cow for cream and lamb)as we already raise pigs, chickens, layers, milk goats with males for meat., fermenting, jars all over, and now I want a greenhouse and to learn to make and like milk kefir. Thanks for the giveaway.
Fresh garden produce
I’ll never understand why my grandmother and mom switched from real butter (grandma even churned her own) to margarine- just in time for my upbringing. I never knew the amazing taste of real butter until I started cooking for myself. I’m so glad trends are reversing again!
Sounds yummy! I’d love to have a copy of this cookbook-thanks!
We do not eat processed foods. We are members of a fresh food delivery service, we shop farmers markets, I make my own yogurt and almond butter, breads. We do try to eat as healthy as possible. Would love to have some new recipes to try! This chicken salad looks amazing! Thanks!
Sounds awesome!! However, I have a question. The recipe name is Classy Chicken Salad with Dates and Walnuts, but the recipe states “macadamia nuts”. Which did you use to make recipe?
I would LOVE this cookbook. My hubs and I went Paleo last November and I feel better than I have in years PLUS I’ve lost 16 lbs just by making the changes and NOT dieting!!! I do seriously miss my dairy – Greek yogurt especially. But I’ve been doing really well and can hardly wait for the veggies to start appearing!!!
Thanks for pointing that out! I made the edit. It should have read “Macadamia nuts” in the title. Congrats on your success with your health! That’s fantastic!!
I would love to win! 🙂 Looks like some amazing recipes!
I would love to win this cookbook!
I’m interested in learning more about soaking grains.
Molly’s new cookbook would be a great resource while I do my weekly meal plans.
First step I took toward more traditional eating is incorporating traditional fats – butter!
Prepping is a major part of healthy eating. I am always looking for yummy whole food recipes, and would love to have a copy of this cookbook.
I try to eat as many whole foods as possible but unfortunately it doesn’t always happen. But I try. I think this book would be a wonderful addition to my arsenal of cookbooks 🙂 Thanks to you, Carrie for your wonderful blog and all you do to educate your audience!!! Happy Friday!
I can’t wait to try the chix salad!
I love that more and more people are sharing their success stories regarding health and nutrition. It’s amazing how much can be healed through diet alone!
We have started the Paleo diet. I have always hated to cook, but have found myself enjoying it now that I am feeding my family real and healthy foods. Your website has been such a wonderful resource! Thanks for all you do:)
My family and I have been eating pastured eggs, drinking raw milk, and eating lots of organic fruits and veggies. We also make butter from the raw milk. Would love to win the cookbook.
Since purchasing the Deliciously Organic cookbook last January, my family has been eating more vegetarian meals and a healthier, clean diet. Thanks Carrie!
This cookbook looks wonderful! Thanks for the opportunity to win!
I just signed up for Johnson’s Backyard Garden’s CSA, and picked up my first share this week!
Not so much changing the diet we’ve already cleaned up and refined, but doing more of my own food preservation. I’m going to pull out the pressure canner I haven’t used for years and do more stocking up. We don’t used canned foods much anymore unless I can find BPA-free cans, so canning my own tomatoes, sauce, etc., seems appealing. I do water-bath some tomato canning but it takes forever and I have to do much smaller quantities that way.
My doctor has allowed eggs again so I made almond flour pancakes this morning. First time in 2+ years! woo hoo!
I like to eat a ton of fruit and vegetables raw.
We garden in between PCS’s and join CSA’s during the years that we are moving. We’ve also cut processed foods and cook our meals at home.
I am trying to make more steps to a whole foods diet by eliminating processed sugar and wheat.
Sounds like a great cookbook! Preparing for a bridal brunch- I may make this chicken salad!
I don’t keep packaged goods in the pantry and look for recipes using perishable ingredients.
As of one year and 6 months ago I’ve made the step to be grain free and for the most part have used all real food ingredients. One thing that I still use is fermented vegetables and dairy such as kefir and yogurt.
I started making bone broth and need to get back into the habit of eating it everyday. I’m thinking homemade egg-drop soup garnished with scallions will be a tasty way to get my daily serving of gelatin/glycine.
Hi I would love to get this book. I am new to the grain free diet.My family and I have allergy issues my son,and husband have enzema. I have made some of The dishes in your website. Thank you for your help.