Thai Cucumber Salad w/ Chicken

Thai Cucumber Salad w/ Chicken

Salad dressing:

7 T. seasoned rice vinegar

2 T. water

1 tsp. ground chili paste

(I add 2 - 4 pkgs of Splenda to this dressing.)

Salad:

2 English cucumbers, peeled & halved lengthwise, sliced thin

1/2 sm. yellow onion, thinly sliced (I use Walla Walla sweets)

2 Roma tomatoes, halved, seeded, thinly sliced

10 fresh mint leaves

6 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped

2 T. roasted peanuts, chopped, for garnish (I don't use - bleh, peanuts!)

Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl, toss. Set aside for 15 min. Top w/ peanuts if desired. Serves 4.

Chicken:

1/2 chicken breast

1 T. fish sauce

1/2 tsp. chili paste

2 T. canola oil

2 pkg Splenda

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Cut chicken breast in 1/2 lengthwise and then in strips. Put all ingredients in large zip bag and mix together, add chicken and marinate 15 - 20 min. Cook on bbq grill til done. Serve w/ cucumber salad. Add more roma tomatoes if desired.

Does this recipe sound weird to you? Don't think it is... give it a try. Remember - my kids give it a 9 out of 10 w/ 10 being the best. :)

Thai Crunch Salad

California Pizza Kitchen Thai Crunch Salad

Servings: 4

Lime-Cilantro Dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
1/4 cup honey
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 cloves garlic
dash salt
dash ground black pepper

Spicy Peanut Sauce:
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
6 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili sauce (or chili-garlic sauce)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 cup water

2 to 3 cups vegetable oil or vegetable shortening
8 wonton wrappers
handful bean threads
4 small skinless chicken breast fillets
1 cup cooked edamame
1 cup lightly salted cocktail peanuts
12 cups chopped napa cabbage, chopped (1 large head)
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
2 cups shredded or julienned carrot
1 cup julienned cucumber
4 green onions, chopped (green part only)

Make lime-cilantro dressing by combining all ingredients in a blender on high speed for 20 seconds, or until cilantro is chopped fine, but not entirely pureed. Cover and chill. Make spicy peanut sauce by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium/low heat. Heat until sauce is hot, but not boiling, and sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture into a blender and blend for about 20 seconds. Cover and chill. Flatten chicken breasts by covering them with plastic wrap and pounding them thin with a kitchen mallet. Rub oil on each breast, sprinkle each with a little salt and pepper, and grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until done. Wrap and chill the cooked chicken.

Make crispy wontons by heating 2 cups of vegetable shortening or oil in a medium saucepan to 375 degrees. Slice a stack of 8 wonton wrappers into 1/4-inch wide strips. Slice those strips in half. Fry them in hot oil for about 30 seconds or until light brown Drain on paper towels.

Fry a big handful of beans threads in hot on "for about 10 seconds or until they float to the top of the oil. Drain on paper towels. Cook edmame following the directions on the package. If the soybeans are in the pods, remove them and chill the beans after they have cooked. Toast the peanuts by heating them up in a skillet over medium/low heat for 3 to 4 minutes or just until starting to brown. Immediately remove them from the heat so that they don't burn.

Now you're ready to build the salads. For each serving, combine 3 cups napa cabbage, 1/2 cup red cabbage, 1/2 cup carrot, 1/4 cup cucumber, 1/4 cup edamame, 1/4 cup toasted peanuts, 1/4 cup crispy wontons, and a couple tablespoons of chopped green onion in a large bowl. Thinly slice a cold chicken breast into bite-size pieces and add it to the salad. Pour 4 to 5 tablespoons of cilantro-lime dressing over the salad and toss well.

Carefully pour tossed salad onto a serving plate. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup crispy bean threads on top of the salad. Spoon spicy peanut sauce into a squirt bottle and squirt the sauce in a sweeping motion over the top of the salad. repeat for remaining salads.

Cafe Green Salad

Mustard Vinaigrette:

* 1 garlic clove, sliced in 1/2
* 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
* Small splash soy sauce
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

3 cups mixed greens, the darker the better (not iceberg)

Rub the inside of a large wooden bowl with the garlic clove and then either discard it or save it for another use. Put the mustard in the bowl and whisk in the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce (a French secret!) vigorously for about 10 seconds to get a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle in the olive oil as slowly as possible with 1 hand while whisking as quickly as possible with the other hand to emulsify. Lay the salad greens on top of the dressing and toss just before serving.

Ina Garten's Cole Slaw

Ina Garten's Cole Slaw

1/2 small head green cabbage
1/2 small head red cabbage
4 large carrots, scrubbed or peeled
2 cups (16 ounces) good mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Cut the cabbages in half and then in quarters and cut out the cores. Set up the food processor* with the slicing blade (according to manufacturer’s instructions) and place the pieces of cabbage, one at a time, lying horizontally in the feed tube. (If they don’t fit, cut them to fit lying down.) Place the feed tube pusher on top and turn on the processor. Don’t push on the feed tube pusher or the slices will turn out too thick! Continue with the remaining red and green cabbage quarters. Transfer into a large bowl, discarding any very large pieces. Before you pour the dressing on the salad, save a handful of the grated vegetables to decorate for serving.

Change the slicing blade for the large shredding blade and cut the carrots so they also lie down in the feed tube. Since the carrots are hard, replace the feed tube pusher and press firmly with the food processor on. Transfer to bowl with the cabbages.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, both mustards, vinegar, celery salt, kosher salt, and pepper. Pour enough mayonnaise dressing over the grated vegetables and toss to moisten well. Add parsley and toss together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to meld. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Smitten Kitchen 11/1/06

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Buffalo Chicken Salad
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray - 30 Minute Meals

2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots, available in pouches
2 ribs celery with greens, chopped
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
1 package, 3/4 to 1 pound, chicken tenders, cut into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and black pepper
1/4 cup hot sauce

Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat.

Combine lettuce, carrots and celery in a salad bowl. Combine ranch dressing and blue cheese crumbles in a small bowl.

Add oil and butter to hot pan with the chicken. Season with salt and pepper and sear for 2 or 3 minutes, then add hot sauce. Reduce heat a little and cook 5 minutes more.

Toss salad with dressing and season with salt and pepper. Top salad with Buffalo chicken and serve.