Really tasty this time. A huge serving of salad with chicken, roasted potatoes, and roasted butternut squash on top. Everyone else ate it on a plate, with a tiny bit of the salad on the side and a huge slice of bread. My way was yummy.
Archive for the ‘Chicken’ Category
Day Twenty Six: Another Dinner on a Salad
Posted in 100 Days of Salad, Butternut Squash, Casein Free, Chicken, Gluten Free, Lemon Citronette, Meal in Salad Form, Navel Orange, Potatoes, Romaine Lettuce, Scallion, Yellow Onion, tagged butternut squash, chicken, citronette, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, greens, lemon, lemon juice, maple syrup, meal, navel orange, onion, potato, romaine, salad, salt, scallion, zest on November 21, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Day Twenty Two: Another Weird One
Posted in 100 Days of Salad, Chicken, Meal in Salad Form, Mixed Baby Greens, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pesto, Rice Wine Vinaigrette, tagged chicken apple sausage, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, maple syrup, meal, mixed greens, parmigiano-reggiano, pasta, pesto, rice wine vinegar, salad, salt on November 14, 2014| 2 Comments »
Another weird one, this time with the pasta pesto and mini chicken apple sausage’s one of my kid’s made for dinner piled on top of a bed of mixed greens. Let’s see if I can do better next week…
Day Three: Stir Fry Salad
Posted in 100 Days of Salad, Asparagus, Carrot, Celery, Chicken, Hoisin Sauce, Meal in Salad Form, Peanut Butter, Spinach, Yellow Onion, tagged asparagus, bok choy, chicken, garlic, ginger, hoisin, onion, peanut butter, salad, shitake, spinach, stir fry on October 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Current guidelines for this time around are that there will be no weekend posts and any meal in a bowl on a bed of raw greens counts as a salad.
So, today I put my stir fry dinner in a bowl over a huge bed of raw spinach. The rest of the family is having brown rice, but I wanted to make sure to get my salad in for the day!
Citrus with Chicken, Daikon, Cilantro, and Mint
Posted in Bell Pepper, Button Mushrooms, Casein Free, Chicken, Cilantro, Cucumber, Daikon, Frisee, Garlic, Lemon Citronette, Meal in Salad Form, Mint, Mixed Baby Greens, Mizuna, Navel Orange, Radicchio, Red Leaf, Red Onion, tagged bell, breast, chicken, cilantro, clove, cucumber, daikon, dinner, extra virgin, food, frisee, garlic, juice, lemon, lettuce, lunch, maple syrup, mint, mizuna, mushroom, navel, oil, olive, onion, orange, pepper, persian, radicchio, red, red leaf, salad, salt, thigh, zest on March 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Time to make lunch!
We both had busy days planned, so I made two salads, one to go and one for me to eat at home before heading out with the kids for the afternoon. I’ve been on a citrus kick, so I decided to make a lemon citronette. I added navel orange for a sweet citrus punch, as well as daikon, red onion, and lots of cilantro and mint to give it a little bit of an asian fusion feel. I’ve always loved those fresh vietnamese spring rolls, and cilantro plus mint is an easy winning flavor combo for me. The daikon and red bell bepper added necessary crunch, and leftover roasted chicken provided plenty of protein.
A rainbow of ingredients!
Ingredients:
(Serves one as a meal.)
4 cups of mixed greens, including red leaf, mizuna, radicchio, and frisee.
1/2 roasted chicken breast, skin removed, chopped.
1 roasted chicken thigh, skin removed, meat torn into bite sized bits.
1/2 navel orange, peel sliced off, quartered, and sliced.
1 large mushroom.
1/2 red bell pepper.
1/2 persian cucumber, sliced into wheels.
8 thin slices of daikon (use a sharp cheese slicer or a mandoline), halved.
1 thin slice of red onion, quartered.
1 fistful of cilantro.
1 fistful of mint.
Zest of one lemon.
Lemon Citronette:
(Use only what you need. Refrigerate extra for a couple of days.)
3 T extra virgin olive oil.
1 T lemon juice.
1small clove of garlic, smashed and minced.
1/2 tsp maple syrup.
Pinch of salt, to taste.
I doubled all of the ingredients above to make two identical salads.
As usual, I prepared a lush bed of greens and zested my lemon over the top. I mixed up two batches of citronette in small jars, and I added the navel orange to the salad dressing so that it wouldn’t wilt the greens. Then I sliced the veggies, herbs, and chicken, layering it all over the greens. For the daikon, I like peeling it with a vegetable peeler and then using a really good cheese slicer (mine were all brought over from Norway in our suitcases) to get nice thin slices quickly. Once the salads were made, I nestled my husband’s jar of dressing in his bowl and snapped a quick picture.
Two salads, one packed to go and one ready to stay home.
The Verdict:
Great meal salad. The chicken works well with the citronette, and the diverse veggies and herbs added color, crunch, and flavor.
Ready to eat!
Make it a Meal:
Done.
Pack it to Go:
Done.
Lime Citronette with Leftover Chicken, Mandarins, Mint and Cilantro.
Posted in Avocado, Bell Pepper, Button Mushrooms, Casein Free, Chicken, Cilantro, Corn, Gluten Free, Lime, Lime Citronette, Mandarin, Meal in Salad Form, Mint, Romaine Lettuce, Scallion, Yellow Onion, tagged bell pepper, casein free, chicken, cilantro, dinner, extra virgin olive oil, food, gluten free, lettuce, lime, lunch, mandarins, maple syrup, meal, mint, mushroom, mushrooms, orange, romaine, salad, salt, scallion, scallions, side, side dish, vegan, zest on February 23, 2011| Leave a Comment »
When life gives you leftovers, make salad!
Leftover protein and vegetables are amazing in salads. It’s a quick, easy way to make a delicious, nutritious meal. It’s cost-effective, because the leftover ingredients go further in a salad than they would on their own, and it’s fun, because you’re not actually eating the same damn thing twice in a week.
So, I was short on time and creativity, and I had some excellent leftover chicken tenderloins and some cooked corn. I rooted around for lettuce, mandarins, fresh herbs, and other veggies, and I made the best of it.
The ingredients, ready to be transformed!
Ingredients:
(Serves two as a meal.)
2 hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped.
2 scallions, chopped.
3 mandarins, peeled, cut in half, and quartered.
4 button mushrooms, quartered.
1 avocado, quartered and sliced.
1 red bell pepper, sliced.
2 chicken tenderloins, leftover, cooked with onion, chopped.
1/2 cup of cooked corn.
1 fistful of mint, chopped.
1 fistful of cilantro, chopped.
Zest of one lime.
Lime Citronette:
(Use only what you need. Refrigerate extra for a day or two.)
1 T lime juice.
3 T extra virgin olive oil.
1/2 tsp maple syrup.
Pinch of salt, to taste.
I made a lovely bed of romaine lettuce and zested my lime over it. Then I whipped up my citronette in a small jar, and started chopping. I added the chicken, vegetables, and herbs first, saving the avocado and mandarin for last so that they would be bright and colorful. I don’t like brown avocado, and I prefer for citrus fruit to go into salads at the last minute so it doesn’t wilt the lettuce. Once all of my ingredients were properly sliced and diced, I drizzled the dressing over the top and tossed it before serving it up.
Rainbow deliciousness, ready to eat!
The Verdict:
Straightforward and delicious. The mint and cilantro brighten up the salad, and the juicy mandarins work well with the creamy avocado. The simplicity of the lime citronette works well with the leftover chicken and corn, and helps bring all of the flavors together. The crunchy red bell pepper and the crisp romaine lettuce keep the salad fresh and the textures diverse. This was a perfect example of how using leftovers meat and cooked veggies in salads is a great way to streamline cooking while keeping the food fun, tasty, and interesting.
Make it a Meal:
Done. For a vegan salad, swap out the chicken for garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, shelled edamame, or lightly seasoned tofu, and add a smashed and minced clove of garlic to the lime citronette for a little extra flavor.
Pack it to Go:
As usual, the avocado and citrus fruit go in the jar with the salad dressing (this keeps the avocado from browning and the mandarin juices from wilting the lettuce). Everything else goes in a large glass or stainless steel container with a lid. Combine when you’re ready to fork toss and enjoy!
Spicy Sesame Balsamic Vinaigrette with Candied Walnuts, Daikon, Young Ginger, and Opal Basil
Posted in Balsamic Vinaigrette, Button Mushrooms, Casein Free, Chicken, Daikon, Garlic, Ginger, Gluten Free, Meal in Salad Form, Mixed Baby Greens, Mizuna, Opal Basil, Red Chili Flakes, Romaine Lettuce, Scallion, Sesame Oil, Shallot, Tatsoi, Tomato, Walnut, tagged baby, balsamic, basil, breast, candied, casein free, cherry, chicken, chili, daikon, dark, dinner, drumstick, extra virgin olive oil, flake, food, garlic, ginger, gluten free, green, lettuce, lunch, maple syrup, meal, mixed greens, mizuna, mushroom, mushrooms, mustard, oil, opal, red, romaine, salad, salt, scallion, scallions, sesame, shallot, side, side dish, tatsoi, tomato, young, zest on February 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »
My husband loves spicy food. I can handle it, in small doses. He also recently requested “crazier” salads. I aim to please.
I bought opal basil and young ginger at the Berkeley Bowl recently, as well as daikon and mixed asian greens. I wasn’t sure exactly how the salad would come together, but I knew I wanted to play with some slightly more unusual ingredients. We both had busy days planned, so I made two matching lunch salads, packed to go. This was a perfect opportunity to really spice up his salad, and I did. Mine stayed mild enough for me to enjoy, and I made his salad hot hot HOT.
Here are the ingredients, ready to face the blade.
Ingredients:
(Lunch salad, serves one.)
4 cups of mixed asian greens, including mizuna, tatsoi, baby mustard greens, and baby romaine.
1 fistful of opal basil, chopped.
4-5 cherry tomatoes, whole.
2 large mushrooms, sliced.
2 scallions, sliced.
1/2 cup candied walnuts.
1 knob of young ginger, peeled, sliced, and cut into small matchsticks.
9 slices of peeled daikon, halved. (Use a mandoline or a good cheese slicer to get thin slices.)
1/4 leftover roast chicken breast, cubed.
1/2 leftover roast chicken drumstick, shredded.
Spicy Sesame Oil Balsamic Vinaigrette:
(Use only what you need. Refrigerate extra for a couple of days.)
2 T extra virgin olive oil.
1 T dark sesame oil.
1 T balsamic vinegar.
1 small shallot, diced.
1 small clove garlic, smashed and minced.
1-3 hefty pinches of red chili flakes, to taste.
1/2 tsp maple syrup.
Pinch of salt, to taste.
Twin salads ready to go!
I doubled all of the ingredients above and made two matching salads, complete with vinaigrette. I began by mixing up the vinaigrettes in little jars, giving him three big pinches of red chili flakes to my one very small pinch. I tasted my dressing, and just hoped for the best for him. Then I created a lush bed of greens for each of us, and layered all of my other ingredients in two glass bowls. I chopped and sliced and sliced and chopped, putting my knife down only to use a spoon to peel the ginger and to use a fine Norwegian cheese slicer to quickly slice the daikon into perfect, thin circles. Finally, both glass bowls were full of a colorful, hearty salad. I nestled the salad dressing jars in the larger containers, popped the lids on, and we each went off for the day.
Quick snapshot taken with my phone of the glossy beauty before I devoured it.
The Verdict:
This was really amazing. Like nothing I’ve tried before, at home or in a restaurant. Full of strong, punchy flavors that worked very well together. I liked the balsamic vinegar with the sesame oil, and the bits of ginger really sparkled. The walnuts and the daikon added crunchy joy, and the sweetness of the nuts and the tomatoes worked well with the spicy dressing and the peppery greens. It was crazy, in a good way. My husband loved the chili heat, and the explosive flavor. This is one that I’m sure I’ll revisit.
Notice the dressing jar nestled cozily in with the salad.
Make it a Meal:
Done.
Pack it to Go:
Done.
Sesame Chicken and Asparagus Lunch Salad
Posted in Arugula, Asparagus, Basil, Button Mushrooms, Casein Free, Chicken, Gluten Free, Meal in Salad Form, Radish, Red Wine Vinaigrette, Scallion, Shallot, tagged Arugula, asparagus, basil, casein free, chicken, extra virgin olive oil, food, gluten free, lunch, mushroom, radish, red wine vinegar, salad, salt, scallion, sesame, shallot on February 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Arugula, leftover chicken, asparagus, and red wine vinaigrette.
Basil, scallion, mushrooms and radishes ready for slicing.
Since I was supposed to be walking out the door for a homeschooling park day when I realized I hadn’t eaten yet, speediness mattered.
I raided the fridge for leftovers and found a jar of shallot red wine vinaigrette, and some sesame chicken with asparagus. I grabbed arugula, mushrooms, basil, and a scallion to make it a meal.
Salad ingredients:
3 generous cups of arugula.
4 radishes, sliced.
3 large mushrooms, sliced.
1 scallion, sliced.
1 fistful of basil, chopped.
2 small sesame chicken tenderloins, sliced.
3 fat spears of asparagus, chopped.
Red Wine Vinegar Shallot Vinaigrette:
(Mine was leftover from a double batch I’d made the day before. If you want to replicate it at home, here are the ingredients for a single batch. Use what you need, there may be extra.)
1 T of red wine vinegar.
3 T of extra virgin olive oil.
1 small shallot, diced.
1 pinch of salt, to taste.
I chopped fast, and dumped everything into the bowl. After drizzling the dressing over the top, I did a quick toss with my fork and then inhaled my lunch. Even when salad is quick to make, it’s never very quick to eat, but I did my best.
Dressed and ready to eat!
The Verdict:
Diverse flavors, many tasty bites, but the salad as a whole didn’t quite hang together. I think the basil and asparagus didn’t mesh as well as I’d hoped. If I’d had more time, I would’ve made a citronette instead, and replaced the basil with mint and lemon zest. I think a bright, citrus dressing would’ve been a better fit with the chicken and asparagus leftovers. Still, it was a decent lunch and provided me with plenty of energy for the park outing.
Make it a meal:
Already done!
Pack it to go:
This one would work well to go, just as-is, but why bother? Make a citronette instead, and use mint and lemon zest instead of basil. The ingredients are all hardy enough to handle spending the morning in the fridge. So, pack all the salad ingredients in a large container. The dressing goes in a small jar (I like jars that are little enough to nest inside the salad so you’ve just got one item to haul around). Add some dressing (start with a little so you don’t drown the salad), fork toss, and munch away.
Bacon and Chicken Teaser
Posted in Bacon, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Basil, Button Mushrooms, Casein Free, Chicken, Frisee, Garlic, Mache, Meal in Salad Form, Mixed Baby Greens, Radicchio, Radish, tagged bacon, balsamic, basil, chicken, dinner, extra virgin, food, frisee, lettuce, lunch, mache, maple syrup, meal, mixed greens, mushroom, olive oil, radicchio, radish, salad, salt on January 31, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Crispy bits of applewood smoked bacon and chunks of chicken breast nestled in a lush bed of mixed greens.
Two mushrooms.
A small fistful of fresh basil.
Three radishes.
A jar of leftover balsamic vinaigrette.
Can you taste it?
You know what comes next.
Balsamic Vinaigrette with Red Bell Pepper, Basil, and Chicken
Posted in Balsamic Vinaigrette, Basil, Bell Pepper, Chicken, Cracked Pepper, Garlic, Garlic Powder, Mache, Meal in Salad Form, Mixed Baby Greens, Radicchio, tagged balsamic, basil, bell pepper, butter, chicken, extra virgin olive oil, food, garlic, garlic powder, lunch, mache, maple syrup, meal, mixed greens, pepper, radicchio, red bell, salad, salt on January 24, 2011| Leave a Comment »
We’d all had a big lunch, so I wanted a simple dinner. The kids were happy with sandwiches and fruit, but I craved vegetables. I decided to make a slightly elegant salad — less is more — drenched in a good balsamic vinaigrette.
The red bell pepper and basil are ready -- time to chop.
Ingredients:
(Serves one as a meal.)
3-4 cups mache and mixed greens.
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced.
1/2 fistful of basil, chopped.
Freshly ground pepper, to taste.
2 small chicken tenderloins (fresh or frozen).
1T butter for cooking the chicken.
Garlic powder for the chicken, to taste.
Pinch of salt for the chicken, to taste.
Balsamic vinaigrette:
(Use only what you need, refrigerate extra for several days.)
1 T balsamic vinegar.
3 T extra virgin olive oil.
1/2 tsp maple syrup.
1 small clove garlic, smashed and minced.
1 pinch of salt, to taste.
I doubled all of the ingredients listed above and made two salads. First I mixed up the vinaigrette, giving the garlic time to mellow and infuse the salad dressing with flavor.
Then I cooked the chicken. I keep a bag of the Trader Joe’s frozen chicken breast tenderloins in the freezer, and I use the following method when I don’t have time to bother with defrosting the chicken. I melted the butter in a stainless steel frying pan over medium heat, and added the frozen chicken just as the butter began bubbling. I sprinkled salt and garlic powder over the chicken tenderloins, and let them cook while I chopped the bell pepper.
When the chicken was nice and brown on the bottom, I flipped the tenderloins over and lightly seasoned the other side. I chopped up the basil and cleaned up my salad prep area, and then I checked on the chicken. Once it had browned on the other side, I used a pair of kitchen shears to snip it into bite-sized pieces. My chicken was still raw in the center, so I stirred it around a bit, turned the heat to low, and covered it. If you use fresh chicken instead of frozen, you can probably skip that last step. After a few minutes on low, I took off the lid and turned off the heat. I added the vinaigrette, a dusting of freshly cracked black pepper, and the hot, juicy chicken to the salads, and served them right away.
Time to eat!
The Verdict:
Yum!
There is nothing like homemade balsamic vinaigrette. It was my gateway salad dressing — the one I absolutely had to learn how to make, and the one I spent years playing with and refining. It’s friendly, and works well with all kinds of fruits, vegetables and flavor palettes, but sometimes, I have to make a salad where the balsamic vinaigrette is the star. This was one of those salads. It all worked very well together. The juicy chicken soaked up just enough dressing to really sparkle. The tender mache paired nicely with the crispy red bell peppers, and the basil brought all the flavors together.
If the ingredients in my fridge ever align just right, I will happily make this salad again.
Make it a Meal:
Done. For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken with either kidney beans, goat cheese, or feta cheese.
Pack it to Go:
This would be very easy to pack to go. The chicken will be cold, but it will still taste delicious. Just keep the vinaigrette and the salad in separate containers until ready to serve (I recommend making the dressing in a small glass jar, and preparing the salad in a large glass or stainless steel container with a tupperware-style lid.) Use only as much vinaigrette as you need, fork toss or pop the salad container lid back on and give it a few good shakes, then eat and enjoy.
Teriyaki Chicken with Avocado and Apples
Posted in Apple, Avocado, Button Mushrooms, Casein Free, Chicken, Cucumber, Gluten Free, Meal in Salad Form, Rice Wine Vinaigrette, Romaine Lettuce, Scallion, tagged apple, avocado, chicken, cucumber, extra virgin olive oil, mushrooms, rice, rice wine vinegar, romaine, scallion on December 31, 2010| Leave a Comment »
I’ve been sick.
No energy for mucking about in the kitchen, or traipsing through the long, long aisles and the produce maze at the Berkeley Bowl. Trader Joe’s to the rescue. Today at lunch the kids wanted frozen teriyaki chicken. Easy for me, especially since we had some leftover rice in the fridge. I heated it all up for them, and handed them each a couple of mandarins to eat with it. Then I decided that I needed to get some fresh vegetables in to my body, appetite be damned.
I found most of a heart of romaine in the fridge, and a decent avocado, and I poked around until I scrounged up enough other stuff to call it a salad. I also tossed in what was left of the rice and chicken after dishing it up for the kids. This was a utilitarian salad. This was not fancy. This was food. Random food.
Ingredients:
3/4 romaine heart, chopped.
3 large mushrooms, quartered.
1 scallion, sliced.
2 inches of an english cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced.
1/2 avocado, spooned out of it’s skin and directly over the lettuce.
1/2 small apple, quartered, cored, and sliced.
3 T of rice
1/4 cup of teriyaki chicken
Dressing:
There is no recipe for this. This is the laziest dressing I know. This is the dressing I use when I know I won’t really taste what I’m eating, but in case I do, I want it to at least have some flavor.
1 sprinkle of salt over the avocado.
1 splash of seasoned rice wine vinegar, try to get a wide arc without missing the bowl. I missed the bowl, but it’s okay. We have washcloths.
3 glugs of extra virgin olive oil, distributed as evenly as you can.
It all went into the bowl. First the lettuce, then the veggies, then the salt on the avocado, then the rice and chicken, and finally, the vinegar and olive oil. Then I moved it all around a bit with my fork, and mixed it up. Then I ate it.
Teriyaki Chicken with Apple and Avocado, ready to eat!
The Verdict:
Actually, my taste buds worked better than I expected. I enjoyed this. I think orange or mandarin might have been tastier with the chicken, but I really appreciated the crunch of the apple, so it was more of a passing thought than a burning regret.
I felt a lot better after eating (funny how that still surprises me). I experienced one of those moments where my post-salad self is extremely, maybe disproportionately, grateful to my pre-salad self. Fresh vegetables, even with pre-fab teriyaki chicken and without a fancy vinaigrette, always make me feel better. I like feeling better.
Make it a meal:
It was. A random, yet very satisfying meal.
Pack it to go:
If I’d been packing this to go, I would’ve mixed up a real vinaigrette, and tossed the apples in so that they wouldn’t brown. The chicken might be better off in a small tupperware or ziploc bag and added at the last minute — the sauce has a tendency to wilt lettuce.
Salad Play 