What can I say? It's another healthy salad. adapted recipe from COOKING by Kim Johnson Gross and Jeff Stone SALAD: • Olive oil • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced • 4 cups cooked wild rice • 1/2 pound smoked turkey (or chicken), diced or shredded • Couple handfuls cherry tomatoes • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley DRESSING: • 4 to 8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped • 2 cloves of garlic, minced • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar • 1 tablespoon soy sauce • 5 tablespoons olive oil 1. Place a small skillet over medium heat and drizzle with a film of olive oil. Add the red onion and sauté until onion is wilted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. 2. Make the dressing: Place the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce in the bowl of a food processor. Mix to combine. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until smooth. 3. In a serving bowl, combine the salad ingredients with the dressing; mix gently. Serve either chilled or at room temperature. • My daughter added diced avocados to her salad and highly recommends doing so. TAKE a LOOK:
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• + • + • + • + • My ANTIQUE-of-the-WEEK sister Susan flew into town to host a bridal shower for my daughter. I made the food... My daughter was greeted with congratulatory kisses by the guests. Appetizers were served on the deck. The table for dining was set up on the patio and crowned with a canopy to protect the guests from the slight possibility of rain. • Melon, Prosciutto, and Fresh Mozzarella Skewers • White Bean Spread with Pita Crackers • Tapenade • French La Petit Crème with Sour Cherry Spread and Walnuts • Iced Tea and Lemonade • Cuvée Catherine Rosé d Anjou • Radish Sandwiches • Seared Haricot Vert • Chicken Salad with Wild Rice and Watercress • Lemon-Lime Mousse with Fresh Strawberries • Cookies A beautiful day spent with wonderful friends! The main course was a salad of chicken, wild rice, and watercress with a tarragon vinaigrette. I have been making it for years with no recollection of where I found the recipe. :: Chicken with Wild Rice and Watercress INGREDIENTS • 1 cup wild rice • 1 1/2 cups water • Salt • 3 cups diced, poached chicken • 1 cup watercress leaves • 1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions • 1/2 cup diced celery • 1/2 cup toasted, blanched almonds TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE • 1/2 cup olive oil • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon • 1 teaspoon kosher salt • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Rinse the rice under cold water. Place in a saucepan of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender, about 25 to 35 minutes. Rinse the rice under cold water and drain well. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the chicken, watercress, green onion, and diced celery, mixing gently. When ready to serve, top with the toasted almonds. TO MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE Slowly whisk the oil into the vinegar. Stir in the tarragon, salt, and pepper. Pour a small amount of the vinaigrette over the chicken salad and mix gently. Add additional vinaigrette until the salad is evenly coated. You will probably not need all of the vinaigrette. SERVE THE SALAD SLIGHTLY CHILLED TAKE a LOOK: First time I made this meal and I absolutely loved it, although I did make a few changes... The crisp, slightly tart apple salsa is such a great addition to the beans and rice -- I doubled the amount called for in the original recipe, knowing I would want to be very generous in my serving of the salsa. I also increased the amount of black beans from two cans to three -- too soupy for my taste. Three cans of beans ended up being perfect. Also, I added more chopped green bell pepper to the beans and diced red onion to almost everything else! It can only make it better as far as I'm concerned. + Black Beans with Rice, Chicken, and Fresh Apple Salsa an adapted recipe from bon appétit | January 2012 • 2 cups diced Gala apples • 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus additional for garnish • 2/3 cup finely chopped red onion, divided • 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, plus additional for bean • 1/2 cup finely diced green bell pepper • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil • 3 garlic cloves, minced • 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder • 1 teaspoon ground coriander • 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin • 3 cups low-salt organic chicken broth • 3 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper • 4 cups cooked brown rice • 1 3-pound rotisserie chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded • lime wedges 1. Combine diced apple, 1/3 cup cilantro, 1/3 cup chopped red onion, and 2 teaspoons lime juice in a small bowl; toss to coat. Set aside apple salsa. 2. Combine remaining onion, bell pepper, and oil in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until completely softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and next 3 ingredients; stir constantly for 2 minutes. Stir in broth and beans, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer briskly, mashing some of the beans with the back of a spoon and stirring often, until sauce is thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and more lime juice, if desired. 3. Divide rice and beans among plates. Top with some chicken and apple salsa. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges. TAKE a LOOK: A bowl you can eat. A bowl full of your favorite salad -- any salad. Go through your refrigerator and find a cheese... salami? some greens. A favorite chicken salad with... apples, oranges, blueberries? The possibilities make this so much fun. Make the Pâte à Choux Bowl, and fill it with... whatever. It's different at our house every time I make it. Today my salad consisted of arugula, sautéed chicken, bacon, crisp apple slices, and brie. Another great filling? Try my Chicken Salad with Grapes. Pâte à Choux • 1/2 cup water • 1/4 cup unsalted butter • 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper • 2 large eggs 1. Preheat oven to 425˚F. 2. Combine water and butter in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper; add to butter mixture, stirring vigorously over medium-high heat until mixture leaves sides of pan and forms a smooth ball. Remove from heat and cool 4 to 5 minutes. 3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly with a wooden spoon after each addition. Beat until dough is smooth. 4. Spread the pâte à choux dough evenly in a buttered 9-inch pie plate or cast iron skillet, covering the bottom and sides. Bake at 425˚F for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 325•F, and bake an additional 25 minutes. 5. Cool briefly, then carefully remove the pastry "bowl" from the pie plate to a cooling rack. 6. Fill with your favorite salad or the salad below... Salad of Arugula, Chicken, Apples, and Brie • 1 skinless, boneless, chicken breast • salt & freshly ground pepper • olive oil • 1 apple, cut into thin wedges • apple cider • 2 slices bacon, large dice • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar • 1 tablespoon brown sugar • 5 - 6 cups arugula • Cubed brie or blue cheese • coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted 1. Season the chicken breast generously with the salt and pepper. Heat a small skillet (I always use my mother's cast iron) over medium heat. Cover the skillet with a thin film of olive oil and add the chicken breast. Cook over medium heat, turning once. Remove from heat and set aside. 2. Dip the apple slices in the cider to prevent browning; set aside. 3. Cook bacon in a small skillet until crisp; remove bacon, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Add 1/4 cup apple cider, balsamic vinegar, and the brown sugar to the drippings. Cook over medium heat , stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved. 4. Fill the Pâte à Choux Bowl with arugula. Slice the cooked chicken breast and arrange the chicken slices, along with the apples, and brie on top of the greens. Drizzle with the apple cider dressing and sprinkle with the reserved bacon and toasted walnuts. TAKE a LOOK: Yes, Pipi's in my garden. Pipi is always in my garden. But this is what I want to show you... GREEN BEANS! It was a slow start this spring and into summer, but all of my hard work is starting to pay off. I've been picking green beans daily, and tonight there will be a salad of roasted beets! So, what did I make with the freshly harvested haricots verts? ... a pasta salad of penne, poached chicken and green beans with a dressing of olive oil, garlic, basil, and parsley. As you can see, there will be red cabbage again this year. More red cabbage in pots. And Napa Cabbage -- a first for my garden. Thanks for visiting! PESTO GREEN BEANS and PASTA CHICKEN SALAD salad: salt 1/2 pound Penne pasta 1 pound green beans (haricot verts, if possible) 3 cups cooked chicken, cubed 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts dressing: 25 basil leaves 15 parsley leaves 1/4 cup mayonnaise 3 tablespoons pine nuts 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves salt & freshly ground black pepper 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and the pasta and stir. When pasta is cooked within 2 to 4 minutes of doneness (you will need to determine this by the size of your green beans), drop in the beans. Cook just until the green beans are tender. Drain; refresh immediately with cold water. 2. Turn the pasta and beans into a large serving dish. Add the chicken, reserving the 2 tablespoons pine nuts for garnish. 3. For the dressing: Place basil, parsley, mayonnaise and 3 tablespoons pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor and process until creamy. With machine running, pour in oil; blend well. Drop in the garlic and blend briefly. Season with salt and pepper. 4. Pour dressing over ingredients in bowl. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with reserved pine nuts. TAKE a LOOK: I usually make this pasta when I have fresh sage in my kitchen garden; and since I didn't have much of a kitchen (actually, no kitchen at all) last summer when my fresh sage was available, I missed the growing season and my chance to make this pasta the way I normally do. But don't do as I do, and limit this pasta to just a few select months. It's too good for that. Substituting dried rubbed sage for the fresh is easy enough. I'm taking a break until the end of March; taking a vacation, actually! That's something I haven't done in over 2 years, and it's something I desperately need right now. We're also in the midst of another renovation (our basement and two bathrooms). Yes... time to go. Heading to northern California. Hope to eat well, drink some good wines, and take a lot of beautiful photos. • • • • • • Pasta with Turkey Italian Sausage and Sage • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 pound bulk turkey Italian sausage • 1/2 cup diced red onion • 3 garlic cloves, chopped • 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage • 1 14.5 ounce can Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes • 1 pound Mezzi Tubetti • 1 cup half-and-half • 1/3 cup heavy cream • 1/2 cup dry white wine • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus addition to garnish • Fresh sage and diced tomatoes, to garnish, if available • Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the turkey Italian sausage, red onion and garlic, stirring to break up the sausage. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink. Add the sage and canned tomatoes. Toss the mixture in the sauté pan with the cooked pasta. In a small saucepan, heat the half-and-half and heavy cream; add the wine and cook over low heat until slightly reduced and smooth. Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Add to the pasta mixture and toss. Garnish with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano, chopped tomatoes and fresh sage sprigs. TAKE a LOOK: I am always in search of new recipes. I have enormous files full of recipes I have clipped or photo-copied, the majority of which I have yet to try. I will go to the local library and haul home stacks of cookbooks that I take along with me to bed at night and read cover to cover. I will purchase major and not-too-major newspapers from around the country on the days they devote several of their pages to food. I am always looking for ways to perfect or tweak a bit, dishes that are already in my kitchen's repertoire. Now, there are numerous ways to approach the roasting of a chicken, from a wide range of oven temperatures, to what is rubbed onto or stuffed into the carcass, and deciding what vegetables and herbs might be tossed along-side the chicken, to cook in the fats and juices that are released. With so many choices, I am constantly disappointed in myself for the lack of desire and loss of creativity in changing anything when preparing my bird. I guess I'm satisfied enough, knowing my house will have a strong smell of garlic while the chicken is in the oven, and there will be the usual fighting between family members over who gets the legs… and, that it will be delicious. I've been roasting my chicken this way for over 20 years, and I still like it! • MY ROAST CHICKEN • PREHEAT OVEN TO 325˚F • 1 5-pound organic roasting chicken • Extra-virgin olive oil • 3 cloves of garlic, minced and then mashed together with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt • Freshly ground black pepper • 1 organic lemon • Fresh rosemary or thyme • fingerling potatoes, optional • organic carrots, optional 1. Rinse and dry the chicken. Place in a roasting pan. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and rub over the entire bird. Take the garlic- salt mixture and rub over the chicken. Sprinkle with the freshly ground pepper. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice of one of the halves over the chicken. Place the unsqueezed lemon into the cavity of the bird, along with an addition clove or 2 of garlic, if desired. Take the fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs and lay across the top of the chicken. Surround the chicken with the potatoes and carrots, if using. 2. Place the roasting pan on the middle rack of the oven, and bake at 325˚ for 2 hours. If roasting vegetables along-side, stir occasionally, and adding additional olive oil if needed. Remove from the oven, cover with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before devouring. TAKE a LOOK: I've been busy lately. Very busy. I have finally gotten around to planting my garden with eggplant, beets, tomatoes, and much more. Oh yes... there are also red cabbage. You might remember my red cabbage from last summer. And I'm back in my old routine of assembling a large pasta salad early in the day. It makes my time spent turning garden soil, planting and watering a lot easier knowing a great meal is waiting for me in my refrigerator. This recipe makes a lot of pasta and vegetables. Halve the ingredients if it sounds like too much for you. I use any leftover Basil Sauce in sandwiches. : Smoked Turkey Pasta Primavera : Serves 12 • 12 ounces uncooked fettuccine • 1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli, cut into flowerets • 2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced • 6 green onions, thinly sliced • 1 sweet red pepper, sliced into thin strips • 1 small can pitted ripe olives, sliced • 4 cups chopped, cooked smoked turkey • 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • Basil sauce (recipe follows) • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 1. Cook fettuccine; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain. 2. Combine fettuccine and next 9 ingredients, tossing well. Add 2/3 cup Basil Sauce, plus any additional sauce to your liking, and the cherry tomatoes; toss gently and chill. • Basil Sauce • • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil • 1 large clove garlic • 2 eggs • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar • 1 1/2 cup canola oil • 1/2 cup sour cream 1. Combine basil and garlic in the container of an electric blender or food processor; process 30 seconds or until basil is minced. Add the eggs and next 4 ingredients. Process 20 seconds, scraping sides of processor bowl if necessary. With motor running, gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream, mixing just until well blended. Add sour cream and process. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Jerk-Light Chicken with Pineapple Salsa from Melissa's Everyday Cooking With Organic Produce by Cathy Thomas recipe printed in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, May 9, 2010 Marinade: • 2 large garlic cloves, chopped • 2 green onions, chopped, including dark green stalks • 2 serrano chiles, unseeded, chopped (I used seeded jalapenos) • 1/8 cup fresh lime juice • 2 tablespoons soy sauce • 1 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil • 3/4 teaspoon salt • 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar • 1 teaspoon ground allspice • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Chicken: • 2 1/2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts and thighs ( I used a 3 1/2 pound package of bone-in chicken breasts and there was enough marinade to cover all) Salsa: • 1 teaspoon honey • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice • 1/4 cup peeled, seeded, finely diced cucumber • 1 cup finely diced fresh pineapple • 1 tablespoon fresh mint ( I did not have fresh, so used 1/3 of a tablespoon dried) To Prepare Chicken: Place all marinade ingredients in blender; whirl until smooth. Place chicken in large zipper-style plastic bag with the marinade. Press out air and seal. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours, turning bag several times to redistribute marinade. To Prepare Salsa: Combine all salsa ingredients in nonreactive container. Gently toss to combine and refrigerate, well sealed, up to 1 hour. To Prepare Chicken: Take chicken out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Arrange chicken in a shallow baking pan; discard marinade. Roast approximately 45 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve topped with salsa. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: I've never thought of myself as being conventional. Actually, I consider conventional to be a bit boring. When my daughters invited friends over to our house for the Super Bowl game last month they all expected football food. I disappointed them by being unconventional again and serving Ribollita. They all agreed the soup was good, but nothing anyone would ever eat while watching a football game. So when we planned to get together again this past weekend for the Academy Awards and I asked what they'd like for dinner, one daughter said, "How about the chicken wings we didn't get for the Super Bowl!" Ouch.... they never let me forget a misstep in this house. In fact, they all seem to get a little too much pleasure (pleasure that is accompanied by a little too much laughter) when pointing out how I have screwed-up. I made this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip and Celery Sticks twice in the past week; mainly because I had so much Blue Cheese Dip left over from the first go-around. But I also wanted to try out different wings. My first attempt was made with a 4 pound package of chicken wings that I cut at the wing tip (which is discarded) and then again at the joint between the bones. My daughter's reaction was -- why didn't you just buy frozen wings in a bag that are already disassembled? That's what I did the second time. What would I do a third time? The first takes a little extra time because you will be doing all the cutting up of the wings yourself. What I liked about the bag of frozen wings is, they were still extremely cold and a bit frozen when I brushed them with the butter. Because of their icy temperature, the butter mixture actually hardened onto the wings and after broiling they seemed less greasy than the first batch I made and tasted better because of that. If using my first attempt approach, I'd suggest putting the wings in the freezer for about 15 minutes to get them good and chilled before brushing with the butter. Also, check ingredients on the bags of frozen chicken wings, boneless breasts, etc. Sometimes Hydrogenated Oils are used in the solution of these frozen items. Search to find a brand that does not use trans fats. Note: I still have some of the Blue Cheese Dip left, even after making the chicken wings twice. I'm going to add some buttermilk and use as a dressing on a plate of romaine lettuce with cherry tomatoes... yum. • Buffalo Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip and Celery • recipe from the Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten • 16 chicken wings (about 3 pounds) -- I've used up to 4 pounds, but you need to move the chicken around the sheet pan so the wings brown evenly • 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper • 1 teaspoon Tabasco (I misread the recipe the 2nd time and used 4 teaspoons! It was good and HOT!) • 1 teaspoon kosher salt • 1 1/2 cups crumbled Gorgonzola or other blue cheese • 1 cup good Mayonnaise • 3/4 cup sour cream • 2 tablespoons milk • 3/4 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • Celery sticks, for serving 1. Preheat the broiler. 2. Cut the chicken wings into thirds, cutting between the bones. Discard the wing tips. Melt the butter and add the cayenne, Tabasco, and salt. Put the wings on a sheet pan and brush them with the melted butter. Broil them about 3-inches below the heat for 8 minutes. Turn the wings, brush them again with the butter, and broil for 4 more minutes or until cooked. 3. For the sauce, place the blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until almost smooth. 4. Serve the chicken wings hot or at room temperature with the blue cheese dip and celery sticks. |
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