Posts tagged ‘Salads’

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March 9, 2012

Chinese Chicken Salad

Chinese Chicken Salad

I can remember many years ago when the Chinese Chicken Salad suddenly showed up on the menus of restaurants like Houlihan’s and Applebee’s. Have you ever looked at the calorie count of those salads? According to Houlihan’s nutritional information, their Asian Chop Chop salad has 999 calories and 51 grams of fat. The Mandarin Chicken Salad has 1015 calories and 39 grams of fat. Applebee’s has an Oriental Grilled Chicken salad which, according to myfitnesspal.com nutrition facts, has 1290 calories and 98 grams of fat. Just when you think you’re making healthy choices… you might be better off just ordering the burger and fries. I say just stay home and make this simple healthy salad and avoid these calorie laden options.

When this dinner shows up on our table, everyone’s surprisingly happy. There is so much going on in this salad, you don’t even need to serve bread on the side. The salad alone is enough to fill everyone up. They are exhausted from all the crunching of the vegetables. Feel free to get creative with the veggies you use. We love this with lots of different textures and colors. The crunch of the water chestnuts and bean sprouts with the juicy chicken is really delicious.

INGREDIENTS FOR MARINADE/DRESSING (enough to marinate 3 large boneless chicken breasts, plus dressing for the salad, serves about 4)

  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tsp hot chili oil
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
  • Pinch red pepper flakes

Place all the ingredients in a small container, put on the lid and shake like crazy. You can refrigerate the dressing until you are ready to use it.

TO MARINATE THE CHICKEN

  • 3 large boneless chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
  • About 1/3 of the dressing from above
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce

Gently flatten the chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap, using a meat mallet, until they are an even thickness. This will help them to grill evenly. You just want to even out the thickness, not make them thin. Place in a Ziploc bag or bowl. Pour over about 1/3 the dressing, plus an additional 2 tbsp soy sauce. Combine well to make sure the chicken is evenly coated. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for about 3-4 hours. Grill the chicken until cooked through.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SALAD

I have not included quantities of the veggies below. Use as much or as little of each to build the salad combination you like best.

  • Red leaf lettuce cut into ribbons
  • Nappa cabbage, sliced
  • Red cabbage, sliced
  • Thinly sliced red onion
  • Canned mandarin oranges, drained
  • Fresh mung bean sprouts
  • Red bell pepper, sliced in to match sticks
  • Shredded carrots
  • Cucumber, sliced
  • Fresh snow peas (blanched but still crunchy)
  • Fresh snap peas (blanched but still crunchy)
  • Canned, sliced water chestnuts, drained
  • Grilled chicken breasts

Toss together all the vegetables and grilled chicken in a big salad bowl. Pour over the dressing, toss to combine and serve.

Posted in EAT, Soups, Salads & Sandwiches | 2 Comments »

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February 22, 2012

Steakhouse Mushrooms and Arugula

Steakhouse Mushrooms and Arugula

Too much chicken! That was the thought that entered my mind yesterday when I was thinking about the blog and what’s been cooking here recently. Too much chicken! This is a fact that I am constantly reminded of by my daughter, who puts chicken at the bottom of her list of favorite foods. So, to say the New York strips were a welcome surprise last night at dinner, would be an understatement! I rarely cook red meat, but when I do, I run to the farmers market where they have local meat and pick up a few special steaks. Cooking red meat so infrequently warrants cooking only the best quality cuts of beef, and None Such Farms in Buckingham, PA truly has the best.

As delicious as the steaks were, they weren’t the star of the show. This warm mushroom salad with arugula, and grilled whole grain baguette was unbelievable! If you love mushrooms, add this to your next menu. You can serve this as a side, or without the meat as a vegetarian dinner. It looks like a lot of mushrooms when you first put them in the pan, but they shrink down quite a bit as they cook.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4-6 as a side dish)

  • 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 large onion, cut in half and sliced
  • 24oz sliced button mushrooms
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme
  • 2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • A few cups baby arugula
  • Shaved Pecorino Romano cheese (as much as you like)
  • Kosher salt & pepper to taste
  • Really good bread (baguette, ciabatta, etc.)

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large (12-14″ frypan) over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring frequently until they soften. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until their juices release and they begin to turn golden brown. Add some salt and pepper, the fresh herbs and stir. Raise the heat slightly and add the balsamic vinegar and the remaining 3tbsp olive oil. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. The vinegar and oil will become the dressing/sauce for the dish.

In a large, low serving bowl or a rimmed platter, pour the mushroom mixture over the fresh arugula leaves. The arugula leaves will wilt from the heat of the mushrooms. Sprinkle over the ribbons of fresh Pecorino cheese. Pile the mushrooms, cheese and arugula over big wedges of grilled bread. YUM!

**TO GRILL THE BREAD

Rub the sliced bread with a little olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Grill for a minute or two until beautiful char marks appear and the bread becomes perfectly crispy.


Posted in EAT, Sides, Soups, Salads & Sandwiches | 7 Comments »

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