Sunday, August 14, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Chicken Salad with Potatoes
This is another salad recipe compliments of my Mama. I can't take credit for making this, only devouring it late at night after I came to visit my parents.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound new potatoes
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 to 2 pound rotisserie chicken
2 bunches (about 3 cups) of arugula with the stems removed
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan, shaved
Directions:
1. Cook the potatoes in a large pot filled with cold water. Bring the water to to a boil. Then add the salt and reduce the heat to simmer the potatoes until they are tender. Drain the potatoes and immediately run them under cold water. After the potatoes have cooled. slice them.
2. Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper together. Set the dressing aside. To prepare the chicken shred the meat and remove the skin and bones.
3. When ready to serve the salad, combine the arugula, chicken, fresh tarragon, and potatoes. Drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle shaved parmesan overtop.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound new potatoes
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 to 2 pound rotisserie chicken
2 bunches (about 3 cups) of arugula with the stems removed
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan, shaved
Directions:
1. Cook the potatoes in a large pot filled with cold water. Bring the water to to a boil. Then add the salt and reduce the heat to simmer the potatoes until they are tender. Drain the potatoes and immediately run them under cold water. After the potatoes have cooled. slice them.
2. Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper together. Set the dressing aside. To prepare the chicken shred the meat and remove the skin and bones.
3. When ready to serve the salad, combine the arugula, chicken, fresh tarragon, and potatoes. Drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle shaved parmesan overtop.
Watercress Salad with Egg, Goat Cheese, and Seeds
My mom found this in the Wall Street Journal. She's just as surprised as I am about how good it is. If watercress is scarce or too expensive Mama recommends arugula as a bitter greens substitute. When we ate this for lunch Mama left out the dill and used an herbed goat cheese. Per usual the recipe is a guide, not absolute.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tablespoons raw almonds chopped medium-fine
1/2 Tablespoon coriander seed
1 1/2 Tablespoon pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
2 eggs, hard boiled
1/2 to 1 glove of garlic minced or finely grated
1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice or more to taste
3 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups watercress or arugula
1 cup dill, roughly chopped
1 cup basil leaves, chopped roughly
1 cup cilantro leaves, tightly packed
1 3/4 ounces fresh, mild goat cheese
Directions:
1. Put almonds, coriander seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and optional red pepper flakes in a skillet and toast them over medium heat for about three minutes while shaking the pan often. When sesame seeds begin to turn brown remove the seed mixture from heat.
2. Cook the eggs in a saucepan of water until they reach their desired consistency. Some like a runnier yoke to their hard boiled eggs. I prefer to cook them until the yolk is firm but still a wet/deep yellow color. This often means cooking them just a little less than a well done hard boiled egg requires.
3. Whisk prepared garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add more lemon juice if necessary.
4. Toss the greens (watercress or arugula) with the prepared herbs in a bowl. Serve the greens with goat cheese dollops, dressing drizzles, and seeds overtop. Slice eggs and serve in the salad as well.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tablespoons raw almonds chopped medium-fine
1/2 Tablespoon coriander seed
1 1/2 Tablespoon pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
2 eggs, hard boiled
1/2 to 1 glove of garlic minced or finely grated
1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice or more to taste
3 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups watercress or arugula
1 cup dill, roughly chopped
1 cup basil leaves, chopped roughly
1 cup cilantro leaves, tightly packed
1 3/4 ounces fresh, mild goat cheese
Directions:
1. Put almonds, coriander seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and optional red pepper flakes in a skillet and toast them over medium heat for about three minutes while shaking the pan often. When sesame seeds begin to turn brown remove the seed mixture from heat.
2. Cook the eggs in a saucepan of water until they reach their desired consistency. Some like a runnier yoke to their hard boiled eggs. I prefer to cook them until the yolk is firm but still a wet/deep yellow color. This often means cooking them just a little less than a well done hard boiled egg requires.
3. Whisk prepared garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add more lemon juice if necessary.
4. Toss the greens (watercress or arugula) with the prepared herbs in a bowl. Serve the greens with goat cheese dollops, dressing drizzles, and seeds overtop. Slice eggs and serve in the salad as well.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Splendid Raspberry Spinach Salad
This is a salad for salad-haters. It's sweet taste will win the hearts of any skeptical vegetable eater. The recipe is from Creme de Colorado. It is a favorite in my family and has been served around Christmas and also in the early summer when fresh berries are in season.
serves 8
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons raspberry vinegar (or another sweet vinegar like red wine or cider)
2 Tablespoons raspberry jam
1/2 Cup oil (I prefer canola over vegetable)
8 Cups spinach, rinsed, stemmed, and torn into pieces
3/4 Cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 Cup fresh raspberries
3 kiwis, peeled and sliced
Directions:
To make the dressing you combine the vinegar, jam, and oil in a blender or whisk together. Do so by first adding the vinegar and jam and then slowly adding the oil in a stream either gently whisking in or pouring in a slow steady stream while the blender is on.
Toss the spinach in dressing and top with raspberries, kiwis, and nuts.
Note: You can also substitute strawberries in this salad by using strawberry vinegar, strawberry jam, and strawberries over top.
serves 8
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons raspberry vinegar (or another sweet vinegar like red wine or cider)
2 Tablespoons raspberry jam
1/2 Cup oil (I prefer canola over vegetable)
8 Cups spinach, rinsed, stemmed, and torn into pieces
3/4 Cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 Cup fresh raspberries
3 kiwis, peeled and sliced
Directions:
To make the dressing you combine the vinegar, jam, and oil in a blender or whisk together. Do so by first adding the vinegar and jam and then slowly adding the oil in a stream either gently whisking in or pouring in a slow steady stream while the blender is on.
Toss the spinach in dressing and top with raspberries, kiwis, and nuts.
Note: You can also substitute strawberries in this salad by using strawberry vinegar, strawberry jam, and strawberries over top.
Sophie hates anise, but loves oranges
Sophie turned me on to a variation of this recipe. With her strong dislike of anise, she substituted fresh orange rind instead of anise and made me a delicious orange chicken. She served it over rice and added additional toppings including chopped peanuts, chopped green onions, and cilantro.
I later tried to recreate the chicken dish and on both occasions managed to deviate even further from the original recipe like a game of telephone. To be fair though, I never read the original recipe and mainly worked from a vague recollection of Sophie's orange chicken affair.
The first attempt led to a very saucy version of the orange chicken Sophie made. This time, I served it over wild rice with vegetables and salad. It was nice to cut the chicken and toss the rice and vegetables in the extra sauce. The leftovers tasted like a tasty orange chicken salad. In my second attempt, I omitted the flavor additions entirely and I ended up (by accident) making teriyaki chicken which I ate with a side salad and mashed sweet potatoes. This time there was less sauce and it more tasted like a chicken smothered in a savory brown reduction sauce.
I recommend looking at this recipe as either a recipe to follow or a guide to the endless possibilities of sugar, tamari sauce, and chicken.
I later tried to recreate the chicken dish and on both occasions managed to deviate even further from the original recipe like a game of telephone. To be fair though, I never read the original recipe and mainly worked from a vague recollection of Sophie's orange chicken affair.
The first attempt led to a very saucy version of the orange chicken Sophie made. This time, I served it over wild rice with vegetables and salad. It was nice to cut the chicken and toss the rice and vegetables in the extra sauce. The leftovers tasted like a tasty orange chicken salad. In my second attempt, I omitted the flavor additions entirely and I ended up (by accident) making teriyaki chicken which I ate with a side salad and mashed sweet potatoes. This time there was less sauce and it more tasted like a chicken smothered in a savory brown reduction sauce.
I recommend looking at this recipe as either a recipe to follow or a guide to the endless possibilities of sugar, tamari sauce, and chicken.
Sophie's Quick Pickle Salad
Salad with Pickled Red Onion, Cucumber, and Avocado
Ingredients:
1-2 lemons
1/2 red onion, cut in half and then sliced thinly
Salad greens, preferably deep green leafy variety
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 avocado sliced
Dress with olive oil and lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: grated parmesan cheese and additional beloved vegetables
Directions:
Toss the thinly sliced onions in lemon juice and squeeze the onions lightly. The citrus from the onions will make a quickly pickle the red onions transforming them from crunch and bitter into soft and sweet. Proceed with making a salad per usual tossing the greens in oil, salt, and pepper and then topping the dressed greens with the picked onions, sliced cucumber and avocado, and any additional squirt of lemon juice your heart desires.
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