MEXICAN CHICKEN SALAD

This is the perfect time of year to be dining outside here in Fayetteville - beautifully flavorful and fresh, this Mexican Chicken Salad is the perfect accompaniment to your al-fresco experience.

MEXICAN CHICKEN SALAD

1 cup corn kernels
1 lettuce
2 hot, cooked chicken breasts, sliced
4 to 5 radishes, sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (I used a mixture of red and yellow tomatoes)
1/2 cucumber, cut into 2 cm chunks
handful of cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons buritto or taco seasoning mix
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice

Cook the corn in a saucepan of boiling, lightly salted water for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and set aside. Tear the lettuce into bite sized pieces and arrange on a serving platter. Add the chicken, radishes, tomatoes, cucumber, cilantro leaves and corn.
Lightly whisk the burrito seasoning mix, brown sugar, olive oil and lime juice together in a small jar. Taste and add a little salt if needed.
Drizzle dressing over salad and serve.
Enjoy!

THAI STYLE CHICKEN IN LETTUCE LEAVES - Fayetteville Pilates and Barre - recipedoodle Wednesday

My family and I loved these Chicken Lettuce "wraps".
Fresh tasting, with a delicious burst of mint, spicy ginger and cool cucumber. The flavors blended beautifully.
Placing everything out in the bowls, made it fun for the kids to put together, and even the adults enjoyed playing with their food.

THAI STYLE CHICKEN IN LETTUCE LEAVES

3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 red pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced
1/4 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
1 head of butter lettuce
2 tablespoons water

In a small saucepan, mix the vinegar with the sugar and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add 1 teaspoon of the garlic and the crushed red pepper and let cool.
In a large bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the sweet seasoned vinegar with the remaining 3 teaspoons of garlic and the soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil. Set aside 2 tablespoons of this soy marinade. Add the chicken and the remaining marinade in the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
Heat the broiler. Remove the chicken from the marinade and let it drain, slice thinly, then broil for about 3 to 4 minutes per side until browned and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let it rest for 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, toss the cucumber with the remaining sweet seasoned vinegar. Put the red pepper, mint, cilantro and peanuts in separate bowls. Arrange the lettuce leaves in a basket.
Add the water to the reserved 2 tablespoons of soy marinade.
Wrap the chicken and garnishes in lettuce leaves, and pass the soy marinade and cucumber salad separately.
Enjoy!

LIGHT AND ELEGANT SALMON SALAD

Summer vacation is starting to wind down, and I'm left wondering where all the long, lazy days have disappeared to. I seem to have been rushing around just as much as ever.
However, when I have had the opportunity to slow down enough to relax and recharge it has been wonderful, and very much appreciated.
I had a group of girlfriends over for a light lunch, and it was glorious to sit out on the deck, sipping a cool beverage, dining on our elegant salad and just loving the company and the day.

LIGHT AND ELEGANT SALMON SALAD

DRESSING
3/4 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh chives, chopped
1 1/4 teaspoon of lemon zest, grated
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 clove of garlic, minced
SALMON
1 salmon fillet per person
olive oil or cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste
SALAD
4 cups salad greens
3/4 cup basil leaves
1 ripe mango, cubed and peeled

Place dressing ingredients in a blender and process until almost smooth. Set aside.
Drizzle olive oil into a large pan, set over medium heat. Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper, and pan fry, 5 minutes on each side or until salmon flakes easily when tested with a fork.
Place the greens and basil on individual plates. Drizzle with the dressing to taste, and divide salmon among the plates. Top with extra dressing if desired and the cubed mango.
Enjoy!

CREAMY DILL CUCUMBER SALAD and CHEESE POTATOES and PORK SHOULDER WITH ITALIAN DRESSING and STRAWBERRY LIMEADE MUFFINS

Often after a weekend of cooking and entertaining, there are ingredients left over from the recipes I prepared. I recently spent almost a week finding creative ways to use up the excess found in the refrigerator and pantry - always a fun challenge, and as interesting as coming up with a menu for a dinner party, lunch with friends or after school gathering.

CREAMY DILL CUCUMBER SALAD

2 cucumbers
1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 1/3 cups dill pickles, quartered and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons pickling brine
1/3 cup sour cream
black pepper

Using a vegetable peeler, peel cucumbers lengthwise so they look striped. Quarter cucumbers lengthwise and slice into 1/2 inch pieces.
Mix cucumbers with onions and salt. Transfer to a colander set over a bowl, to drain. Set aside for 30 minutes. Pat dry.
In a bowl, combine cucumbers and onions with pickles and dill. Mix in brine and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Wall Street Journal, July 2012
online.wsj.com/public/page/magazine-food.html

CHEESE POTATOES

2 1/2 to 3 pounds of potatoes
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
1 cup parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Peel and cut potatoes into 1 inch chunks. Place in a large bowl and cover with water, refrigerate until cold.
Melt butter in a 9 by 13 baking dish. Place flour, cheese, salt and pepper in a plastic bag and shake to mix.
Once potatoes are coated in cheese mixture, place them in the buttered dish. Cook 45 minutes to 1 hour in a 375F oven, or until potatoes are tender, stirring once during cooking.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, July 2003
www.arkansasonline.com/news/features/food/

PORK SHOULDER WITH ITALIAN DRESSING

4 to 5 pound pork shoulder
16 ounce bottle of Italian dressing

Put pork and Italian dressing in the crock-pot. Cook on high for 8 hours.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Jewels in the Kitchen, December 2008
http://jewelsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2008/12/pork-roast-with-italian-dressing.html

STRAWBERRY LIMEADE MUFFINS

 
2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon lime zest
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 to 2 cups diced fresh strawberries

Heat oven to 400F.
Combine flour and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl, make a well in center of mixture.
Stir together yogurt, butter, lime zest, juice and eggs. Gently fold strawberries into batter. Spoon batter into lightly greased 12 cup muffin pans, filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 1 minute, remove from pans to wire rack and cool 10 minutes.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Southern Living, April 2012
www.southernliving.com › Food › Recipes

CUCUMBER LEMONADE CHILLER and SPRING SALAD WITH LIME VINAIGRETTE and WHITE PEACH CRISP

We were really looking forward to having some of the most fabulous people we know for dinner. What started out as a small gathering, grew to 12 adults and 14 children.
We started the evening outside on the deck, with a cocktail, and radishes sliced in half, spread with goat milk butter and sprinkled with sea salt. We then moved inside to dine on braised ox-tail, roasted vegetables and pork shoulder my husband had slow cooked in hoisin sauce and red apple ale. I rounded out the meal with a spring salad lightly dressed with a tangy lime vinaigrette and a simple white peach crisp served with whipped cream and coffee.
It was a delightful spring menu for an incredible evening, joyfully served to wonderful friends.

CUCUMBER LEMONADE CHILLER

3 cucumbers
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cups gin
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons of agave nectar

Peel and chop the cucumbers, transfer to a food processor. Add rosemary and puree.
Pour the puree through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large measuring cup. Press on the solids to extract all the juice. Add gin, lemon juice, and agave nectar to the cucumber juice, stir until the agave is dissolved. Divide among ice filled glasses and garnish with rosemary sprigs.
Enjoy!

SPRING SALAD WITH LIME VINAIGRETTE

FOR THE SALAD
1 green apple, cored and diced
grated zest of 2 limes
juice of 2 limes
3/4 cup artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
5 green onions, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
4 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 cup seedless green grapes, sliced in half lengthwise
butter lettuce
1 avocado, peeled and diced
FOR THE LIME VINAIGRETTE
1/4 lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon horseradish
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon green onions, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

FOR THE SALAD
In a small bowl, coat the apple with the lime juice and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the lime zest, artichoke hearts, green onions, cucumber, celery, parsley, and grapes. Separate the leaves of the lettuce, and place one on each plate. Top with the vegetables, and arrange avocado on top.
FOR THE LIME VINAIGRETTE
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over top of salads.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, June 2005
www.arkansasonline.com/news/features/food/

WHITE PEACH CRISP

STREUSEL
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup sugar
PEACHES
1 1/2 pounds ripe white peaches, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar

STREUSEL
Heat oven to 325F.
In a food processor, pulse together flour, butter, almonds and sugar until crumbly. Spread mixture on a cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on sheet, then crumble into pieces.
PEACHES
In a medium saucepan, combine peaches, honey, lemon juice, and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring until peaches are tender and juices thicken slightly (I ended up adding a little cornstarch to thicken). Remove from the heat and cool.
Spoon 1/3 cup peach mixture onto each serving dish. Sprinkle each serving with streusel. Serve with vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Oprah Magazine, July 2004
www.oprah.com/food.html