Pomegranate, Pear, & Avocado Salad

Thank you, Pinterest, for finding me a wonderful salad recipe! I think I'm the worse at finding a salad recipe that delivers on flavor and crunch. I've come across a couple salad dressing recipes that I really enjoy, but I'm still the worse at putting a salad together. Have no fear; Pinterest is here to save the day! This recipe comes from Gimme Some Oven, and I have been making it over and over and over. I love the crunch factor of the pomegranates and the pistachios. I love the juiciness that the pears give the salad. And, how can you go wrong with avocados and goat cheese? Plus, this salad dressing is so good!! Seriously, if you're looking for a healthy recipe give this one a try! You'll love it!!

Salad Ingredients:

1 head Romaine lettuce, washed and roughly-chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 ripe pear, cored and diced
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
2/3 cup shelled pistachios
2/3 cup crumbled goat cheese (or blue cheese, or feta cheese)
1/2 cup diced red onion (about half of a small red onion)
seeds from 1 pomegranate
citrus vinaigrette (see below)

Citrus Vinaigrette Ingredients:

1/3 cup orange juice (freshly-squeezed, if possible)
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon honey, if needed to sweeten
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

To make the salad; take out a large bowl and toss in the lettuce, diced pear, diced avocados, diced onions, and the pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle the goat cheese and pistachios on top. Pour the salad dressing on top, and toss gently. Enjoy!

To make the dressing; pour all the ingredients into a mason jar. Place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously. 

Asian Fried Chicken Salad

Oh, Applebee’s. I remember in my hometown for awhile, Applebee’s was actually a decent choice for a restaurant (it was the Midwest). When my friend turned 21, it was the logical place to take her and we spent the night testing the limits of a newbie bartender (I had the the worst, and strongest, Long Island Ice Tea of my life.) But today, Applebee’s is not a place I would visit under normal circumstances. Especially since Richmond has so many great non-chain restaurant options. Still, I wanted to try this copycat salad, which I found on a blog named “Tastes Better From Scratch.” It looked good whether it came from “the neighborhood” or not.

It turned out great, surprisingly. Nice crispy chicken that could have maybe used a touch more salt. The slaw and salad mix was different, but a nice way to add crunch without going full slaw. And the dressing was really good. Sweet with an Asian flair. I liked that it was a meal salad so that was a good way to get us to eat relatively healthy (fried part aside). It was a lot of steps though, so I don’t think this would go into my “easy dinner” pile.

Ingredients

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornflake crumbs (I used Parmesan Herb crumbs)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 chicken breast

3 cups vegetable oil, for frying

3 cups chopped romaine lettuce

Bag of rainbow or broccoli slaw

            -OR-

1/2 cup chopped red cabbage

1/2 cup chopped napa cabbage

1 carrot, shredded

1 green onion, chopped

1/4 cup chopped cucumber (optional)

1 Tbsp sliced almonds (optional)

Dressing

3 Tbsp honey

1 1/2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/8 tsp sesame oil

Start by whisking your dressing ingredients together in a small bowl, making sure they mix completely. Refrigerate this until you’re ready to use it. Get out two more small bowls (lots of dishes, sorry) and in one beat the egg and milk together. In the second mix the flour, crumbs, salt and pepper. Cut your chicken into long thin strips, as evenly as you can.

In a large saucepan over medium high heat, preheat your oil. I don’t think you need the full 3 cups of oil, just enough to make about a half inch in the pan. Heat the oil to about 350 degrees. One by one, dip your chicken strips in the egg mixture, and then the flour mixture, making sure they get completely coated, then CAREFULLY put them into the oil. Don’t just plop them in or you’ll have hot oil going everywhere and that’s a danger to everyone. I did about 4 chicken strips in each batch so I could watch them. You want to fry for about four minutes, turning over halfway through to get a good golden brown on the crust. Then set them aside on a paper towel.

Ok, that’s most of the work. Now you just have to mix together the salad ingredients, add the chicken on top and pour some of the dressing over the whole thing. It’s a great meal, and you don’t have to deal with the strange folks eating at Applebee’s to enjoy it.

Giada's California Lettuce Cups

Recently, I watched an episode of Giada at Home, and it was all about California cuisine. I believe this episode was called California Dream. Sometimes, I dream about how much I would enjoy living in California...especially southern Cali. But, I remind myself how expensive it is, the earthquakes, the fires, the population, and I immediately come back down to earth. Sigh. I will just have to admire it from afar. And, enjoy recipes like this one that Giada invented. I have to say as soon as I saw her make this I knew I wanted to try it. It fits in perfectly with the sugar detox that I'm trying (4 more days people)! I saw one review posted where they gave this recipe 1 star, because they thought it was too sour. I don't know. Maybe this person got a sour grapefruit, and if so I can see how that would be true. But, I thought it tasted delicious. I love the heat the pepper gives as well as the crunch from the almonds. For me, this was fabulous. Plus, my pink grapefruit was on the sweeter side so it worked great. I will say this is a messy dish. The juice from the dressing easily seeps out from the lettuce cup, so be sure you have plenty of napkins handy. But, overall this was a hit, and I've made it two other times since! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup lime juice (from about 4 small or 2 large limes)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 red grapefruits
2 avocados
1/2 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped
1 serrano chile, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 head Boston or butter lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried

First, take out your grapefruits and make sure you segment them and place in your bowl. I watched this video to learn how to do it, but I'm still not great at it. Anyway, just go with it and be sure to squeeze out the juice from the segmented grapefruit into your bowl before tossing in the trash (or compost). Next, add your diced avocados to the bowl. Then, add the almonds, chile pepper, and cilantro. Take out a small bowl and combine the lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour this into the bowl with the grapefruit. Toss gently. Spoon the mixture into the separated lettuce leaves, and enjoy!

Asian Pear and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese

Don't you just love arugula? It's such a great lettuce and goes great with a wide variety of accompaniments. I love it with blue cheese, parmesan, grapes, white beans, fennel, beets, etc. I thought I'd give this recipe a try from Food and Wine. They accompany arugula with pear, pumpkin seeds, and goat cheese. However, since I didn't have pumpkin seeds I used pistachios instead. I also used Giada's lemon dressing from this recipe. This is a seriously delicious recipe. Give it a try and I think you will love it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp chopped thyme

Salt and freshly ground pepper

5 oz baby arugula

3 Asian pears (or d'Anjou) - peeled cored and very thinly sliced

1/2 c salted roasted pumpkin seeds

3 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Sea salt, for sprinkling

In a small bowl; whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, thyme, salt, and pepper. Take out a large bowl, and add the arugula with the pear slices and pumpkin seeds. Add the dressing and toss well. Then, add the crumbled goat cheese and sprinkle some sea salt if desired. 

Mango, Avocado and Arugula Salad

This salad is probably more appropriate for the summer months, but it's still quite delicious for the fall months, too. It's a very colorful salad thanks to the mango, avocados, and the red onions. I really enjoyed the spicy dressing, as well. It gave the salad a nice kick to go along with the peppery arugula. I found this recipe from Laylita's Recipes. Give this recipe a try no matter the time of year, and I think you will love it!
Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• For the Salad:
• 6 cups arugula leaves
• 1 mango, peeled and cut into long slices
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
• ½ red onion, sliced
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 
  
• Spicy Vinaigrette Dressing:
• 1 tbs champagne vinegar
• 4 tbs orange juice, about ½ orange
• 2 tbs lime juice, about ½ lime
• 4 tbs olive oil
• ½ tsp cumin
• 2 tbs finely chopped cilantro
• 1 red chili or hot pepper, sliced
• Salt and pepper

First, take out a small bowl and toss in the onions. Add in some warm water, a dash of salt, and the lime juice. Let marinate for 10 minutes. While the onions are marinating; let's make the dressing. Take out a mason jar (or something with a lid) and combine all the ingredients for the dressing. Shake well. Set aside. Next, take out a large bowl, and add the arugula, the sliced mangoes, the sliced avocado, and the red onions. Give the dressing one last good shake and pour over the salad. Give the salad a good toss and serve immediately. 

Chicken Citrus Salad

I've decided to try a new lifestyle. The reason for this new lifestyle is because I've had certain things pop up in my body that has caused irritation, pain, etc. I've been doing quite a bit of research on this "new" way of eating. Well, it's not really new; it's been around for thousands of years. I'm going back to how our ancestors ate: vegetables, protein, fat, fruit, etc. Now, I'll be the first one to admit that I don't have the healthiest of eating habits. I mean come on; look at how many pasta, dessert, and bread recipes I've posted on this blog. A. Lot. After reading about Paleo; I've decided to give it a shot for thirty days. If you're interested in it you can read about it here. It's quite fascinating and a lot of it makes sense. People think it's a modified Atkins diet. It is; sort of. This isn't a diet; it's a lifestyle change. You're allowed carbs, but you get it in the form of fruits and vegetables. And, Paleo really stresses no grains, legumes, or anything that comes in a package (man-made). I'm actually pretty excited about this; and I really hope it helps some of my body aches and irritations. So, aside for one post I have coming concerning hummus; I'll be posting a lot of Paleo recipes. Including this one from Against All Grain. This salad was very delicious. Normally, I'm starving after eating a salad, but the nuts, chicken, avocados, and fruit really helped to keep me satisfied. If you don't like fruit in your salad then feel free to skip the orange, but it really helps to make the salad. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
For the Chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 orange, juiced
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon chile powder
salt and pepper

For the dressing:
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup olive oil

For the Salad:
2 oranges, segmented
1 avocado, cubed
1 heirloom tomato, diced
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds, toasted on the stove over medium heat until browned
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
2 cups arugula
2 cups butter lettuce
salt and pepper

First, combine the juice from the orange, lime juice, olive oil, cumin, coriander, and salt and pepper into a small bowl. Stir well and then pour into a large zip-lock bag. Toss your chicken into the bag and let marinate for several hours or overnight. I only had time to marinate my chicken for an hour and a half and I thought that it came out just fine. Get your grill ready; and once the chicken is ready grill on medium-high heat (350 degrees) until the chicken reaches a temperature of 170 degrees or the juices run clear. Remove from grill and set aside to rest.
Next, gather a large bowl and add in all the salad ingredients. Then, take out a small bowl and combine all the ingredients for the salad dressing save the olive oil. Stir well and slowly pour in the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired. Now, dice up your chicken and add to the salad and pour the dressing over the salad making sure not to over-dress the salad. Toss well and serve. Enjoy.

Spicy Sesame Carrot Salad

Carrots are fine. To me, that's all I can say. I don't dislike them. I don't love them. They are just fine. But, the Hubs likes carrots a lot. And I found out as I was making this carrot salad, my two dogs also really like carrots. Well, one of them likes them, the other I'm pretty sure thinks they are just orange sticks and is a little confused by them. But that's neither here nor there. The important part is that even though I'm not a big fan of carrots, this Spicy Sesame Carrot Salad was really good. I even went back for seconds. I found the recipe on YumSugar and pretty much followed it exactly, although I skipped the sesame seeds because I just find them to be a nuisance. And I put about a half teaspoon more of sesame oil because I love it so. This salad is just a little tart from the vinegar, and has a building heat. The carrots are still crunchy but a little softer than an untreated carrot, and it gets some nice flavor from the sesame oil and cilantro. It's a great summer side! 

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (I added a little more)

1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp if you don’t like spicy)

Kosher salt

1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled lengthwise into thin ribbons

1 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves

Start by peeling your carrots, then use the peeler to cut the clean carrots into ribbons. This was harder to do than I thought, and I actually had some of the centers of the carrots left where it was no longer viable for me to get ribbons of carrot without also getting ribbons of finger. So I gave the carrot centers to the dogs (and the Hubs). In a separate bowl, whisk together the garlic, vinegars, honey, sesame oil, seeds, flakes and salt. Pour this dressing over the carrots, add the cilantro, and mix thoroughly. I would let it rest for at least 10-15 minutes for the flavors to get into the carrots a little bit. And make sure to mix it again as you serve it because the dressing tends to sink to the bottom of the bowl. I’m sure this is a side dish that everyone will enjoy! 

Giada's Lemony White Bean and Arugula Salad

I know! I know! I'm posting another salad recipe. But, it is summer after all, and I'm trying to get healthy. So, why not help you get healthy, too. Ha. In all seriousness, this is a really delicious salad. I found this recipe on The Food Network. And, it's a Giada recipe, so it has to be yummy, right? Right. Last year, I made a similar recipe here, but this one you eat on a crostini. Yeah, not as healthy, but just as scrumptious. For this salad, I added pine nuts to give it a bit more crunch, but I think it need even more of a crunch. Perhaps pecans would have worked better than the pine nuts. But, it certainly didn't take away from the flavor. The dressing was really good, too. I think I'm going to incorporate this dressing in more salads than just this one. Overall, I really enjoyed the salad, and I know I will be making it again. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Salad:
5 packed cups (5 ounces) arugula
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
3 tbsp Pine Nuts or Pecans (optional)

Dressing:
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Take out a small bowl, and add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste, and whisk well. Set aside. To make the salad; take out a large bowl and add the salad, beans, chopped onions, capers (if using), and any nuts you may be using. Pour the dressing onto the salad, and toss to combine. Enjoy.

Chinese Chicken Salad with Red Chile Peanut Dressing

Recently, I flew to Florida for a little vacation. It was a wonderful trip. I got to fly in a little 4 seater Cessna plane. I went out on a boat in the Tampa Bay Harbor with my aunt and uncle. I went to the beach for a day, and of course ate a cuban. I always eat a cuban sandwich whenever I visit my hometown. After-all, that's one of the few states where you can get a "real" cuban. Also, while visiting my cousin in Bradenton, we made a quick trip to the store to get ingredients for a salad and for my mango and pineapple salsa. Well, the mango and pineapple salsa was such a hit that we ended up getting too full on it, and never made the salad. Well, I really wanted to try this salad because my cousin said the peanut dressing that goes on it is delicious. When I got back home to Richmond; I sent my cousin a quick text asking for the recipe. I didn't realize it was a Bobby Flay recipe. I should have known it was good just based of that name alone. And, indeed, it's delicious. The salad had a nice crunch with the peanuts, and the dressing had a nice kick with the peppers. I highly recommend this dish. I know I will be making it again. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Dressing:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chipotle peppers, puree
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup canola oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
1/2 head napa cabbage, shredded
1/2 head romaine lettuce, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
1/4 lb snow peas, julienned
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
2 cups shredded rotisserie cooked chicken
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
chili oil (optional)
grilled lime, halved for garnish

Whisk together the rice wine vinegar, peanut butter, ginger, pureed chipotle peppers, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and canola oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Take out a large bowl and combine the lettuce, carrots, snow peas, cilantro, green onions, shredded chicken, peanuts, and mint leaves. Toss to combine. Drizzle with chili oil if using. Pour the dressing on the salad, and toss till well combined. Serve immediately.

Iron Chef Grape: The Signature Salad

I hosted our 17th Iron Chef Competition. I decided that our "secret" ingredient would be grape. There was some contention concerning this ingredient. I think because there aren't a heckuva lot of recipes out there for grape. You really have to go digging to conjure up some recipes. Overall, I think it was a pretty darn successful competition. I wanted to make something delicious, but I didn't really want to win since I was the hostess. I decided to make a side dish, and tried a couple different recipes. Ultimately, I settled on this salad because I thought it was delicious and represented the grape well. Plus, it's a pretty dish which doesn't hurt. I've since made this salad and it's really scrumptious. Enjoy.
 


Ingredients:
8 ounces mixed greens
2 cups red grapes, sliced in half
2 pears, peeled, cored, and diced
2/3 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
½ cup shelled pistachios
2 ounces gorgonzola cheese (I used Manchego cheese)

Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette
1 medium shallot, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup sherry vinegar (if you can't find sherry vinegar, substitute red wine vinegar)
½ cup olive oil

The recipe doesn't call for this, but I roasted my grapes. Set your oven to 350 degrees. Take out a baking sheet and add some foil on top. Place the sliced grapes on the baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for about 5 to 10 minutes until the grapes start to soften. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Now, let's make the dressing. Take out a small bowl, and combine the minced shallots, garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Then, whisk in the olive oil until well combined. Now, onto the salad. Take out a large bowl and combine the lettuce, diced pears, cranberries, pistachios, cheese, and roasted grapes. Using salad tongs give a quick toss of the ingredients. Pour in the dressing and serve immediately. Enjoy.

Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad

This is a pasta salad that I made a long time ago. Before I really got into cooking. I found this recipe on All Recipes, and I took it to a party of my then-boyfriend, now-husband’s co-workers. And…no one ate it. Well, I did. And of course my “trying to impress” boyfriend did. But no one else did, and that still stings a little. But I actually really enjoyed it, so I made it again this weekend, 8 years later, for one of my own parties. And I can’t say that I set it out with much confidence, but that all changed when everyone started complimenting it. And eating it. In fact, by the time the night was over there was none left at all. So I’m not sure what was wrong with that first group of people, but clearly they don’t know what’s up! This is a fairly simple pasta salad to make, but it’s got a lot of great flavor, and it’s definitely different from your traditional summer pasta salads. Don’t be like that first party—try it!

1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup light soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 teaspoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup chopped green onion

One thing to note right off the bat. I generally have to make a second batch of the sauce. The pasta and chicken just really suck it up. So usually, I make it as directed and let it spend the night in the fridge. In the morning I stir it up and test it, and almost always end up making another half batch of the sauce to add in. I definitely recommend making it ahead of time since the sauce really needs to get into the pasta and chicken to hold on to that flavor.

Boil your chicken breasts and shred them first. At the same time, you can boil your farfalle (bowtie) pasta to al dente. Rinse it under cold water to cool and put in a large bowl or Tupperware. In a jar or a Tupperware container (something that you can tightly close) mix the vegetable oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, and black pepper. Close the lid (tightly!) and shake the dickens out of it. Then pour it over the pasta and mix in the chicken, cilantro and green onion. Let it sit in the fridge overnight and then assess the flavor. If it seems a little bland or dry, make another half batch of sauce and pour it in. Let it sit for another fifteen minutes at least before serving.

Arugula with Pine Nuts and Manchego Cheese

Recently, I visited my sister for dinner. She made Shrimp Scampi, but minus the pasta. Instead of the pasta we decided to have a salad and bread. I offered to bring the ingredients for the salad. She suggested that we make arugula with pine nuts and manchego cheese and a simple vinaigrette. I thought that sounded delicious, and I was right. The shrimp was wonderful, but I really enjoyed the salad. So much so that I decided to make this salad again at home. It's really simple and very delicious. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
7 oz bag of baby arugula
2 oz block of Manchego Cheese (about 1/3 cup shredded)
1/4 cup Pine nuts
1/4 cup of good Olive oil
1 lemon
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt
pepper

Take out a large bowl, and add the arugula. Add the pine nuts. Add the cheese. Then, add the juice of one lemon. Drizzle the olive oil over the salad. Add the red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Toss the salad to evenly coat the greens. Add more salt and pepper to taste. If necessary add a bit more olive oil or lemon juice. Enjoy.

Grilled Cabbage with Spicy Lime Dressing

Ok, I know what you're thinking. Cabbage. Cabbage? But don't judge. Don't give up on this humble veggie without giving it another, newer (and tastier) try. I've always been a fan of raw cabbage, although I know that puts me in the minority. In fact, as a kid I remember we used to ask my mom for the cabbage core whenever she was making cole slaw. If you've never tried the core, please do. It's a little like a radish without the bite. Very tasty. But I digress. I saw this recipe for grilled cabbage on The Kitchn and knew that I wanted to try it immediately. I also knew that I would meet with some resistance from the Hubs, but I thought the spicy lime dressing might bring him around. Well, he admitted he had his doubts, but in the end said that he was "pleasantly surprised." Hey, I'll take it. This is a great, flavor-packed side dish that is surprisingly filling, considering it's pretty much just cabbage. The dressing is very citrusy, but pairs nicely with the mellow cabbage and the garlic and cilantro also stood out. If I had one complaint it would be that I didn't get spiciness from this at all, so next time I might add a jalapeno to the dressing. We used half a head of cabbage for two people, but I'm including the recipe for the whole head below. 

Ingredients
1/4 cup lime juice (2-3 limes)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 head green cabbage
Grapeseed or canola oil

For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients except the cabbage together in a small bowl. The original recipe said to "whizz" them in a food processor, but to be honest, I didn't feel like dirtying up my whole Cuisinart just for this little bit of dressing. So I used my trusty garlic press and I feel like it turned out just fine. Set the dressing aside and prepare your cabbage. Get rid of the outer layers of tough leaves until you get to the tasty good cabbage inside. Cut it into 8 wedges and brush the edges with oil. To grill it, put the wedges on for about 5 minutes or so with the cover closed until the edges start to get some good color. Flip them on the other edge and cook for another 5-7 minutes with the cover closed. We kept the cabbage relatively crisp in the center, but if you want to soften it up even more just cook it for longer.  Then just pour the dressing over the wedge and serve with a knife. Give cabbage a chance! You might find yourself pleasantly surprised as well.

Thai Cabbage Salad with Chicken

In my ongoing effort to find relatively healthy recipes that are also wonderfully delicious, I came across this recipe for Thai Cabbage Salad with chicken on Snapfood. I’ve always enjoyed Thai in general, and Thai salads in particular, so I thought I’d give it a try. It turned out great! Full of flavor with a little bit of spiciness. The original recipe called for cucumbers and red pepper but I omitted them because of personal tastes. I also omitted the peanuts because my husband doesn’t like them. Even though this has a lot of ingredients it was fairly easy to make (especially if you use a mandoline). Oh, and just save yourself the trouble and buy the pre-shredded carrots.

Salad Ingredients

1 small head Red Cabbage, shredded
1 medium head Napa or Green Cabbage, shredded
3 carrots, julienned
1 bunch green onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup tightly packed basil, chopped
1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro, chopped

Dressing Ingredients
1/2 cup sunflower oil (or vegetable oil)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp, Sesame Oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
Zest and Juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp Sriracha

Chicken Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 tsp, turmeric
1 tsp, ground ginger
1 tsp, garlic
1 tsp, salt
1 tsp, cumin

Chop up all your vegetables and mix them well in a large Tupperware container (makes it easier for mixing as well as storing). Mix the dressing ingredients in a small jar or Tupperware and shake to mix and emulsify. Don’t pour over the salad until you are done with the chicken. Mix the spices in a small bowl and then add the chicken, stirring to cover evenly. Cook over medium heat while stirring until cooked (about 6-8 minutes). Add the chicken to the vegetables and pour the dressing over it all. Mix well. I put the lid on the Tupperware and shook it around and that seemed to work well. 

Simple Salmon Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

Last week I marinated some salmon for dinner, not remembering that I would be eating alone that evening. I decided to make it all anyway, and since then I’ve had a couple cold salmon fillets staring at me every time I opened the fridge. I’m actually a pretty big fan of cold salmon. It’s not cold pizza, but it'll do in a pinch. I would have totally eaten them cold if I hadn’t been struck from the heavens with a wonderful idea. I put it on a salad.

It turned out fantastic, actually, as far as salads go. I admit I was a little afraid of the vinaigrette. Especially when I mixed it up and tasted it and it went KRA-KAW! in my mouth. But over the lettuce it wasn’t so strong, and it balanced all the flavors out quite nicely.

Ingredients

Your favorite lettuce (I used butter lettuce)

Fresh Basil

Leftover cold salmon, flaked

Thinly sliced red onions

2 Tbsps Olive Oil

Juice and zest from one lemon

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

Salt & Pepper to taste

Just to shake things up a little, I sliced my lettuce into strips. It makes it a little easier to eat, and I know it doesn’t really make it taste any different, but sometimes it seems like it. I also julienned the basil. Toss all the salad ingredients together first. Then mix the vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl and whisk until fully combined. I’ve also heard that you  could mix it in a canning jar and then just shake the jar, but whisking with a fork worked for me. Don’t dump the entire vinaigrette on the salad! First, just pour some of it over the salad and toss. Then see if you need more. I definitely didn’t need all of the dressing since it’s pretty strong. 

I think this dressing would be great with any salad toppings or meat. It has a great brightness and a lot of flavor. 


(Click for printable recipe)