The Humble Chicken Salad

 

Food historians tell us salads (generally defined as mixed greens with toppings and dressing) were enjoyed by ancient Romans and Greeks. As time progressed, salads became more complicated. Recipes varied according to place and time. The concept was coined from Greek philosophers who believed raw vegetables prepared your system for the heavier meal to come. By the end of the 19th century, salads were a staple in every meal and just plain dressed greens were replaced with all sorts of ingredients and mixes of meats, cheeses and vegetables to create very diverse array of "salads" we make today. One of my favorite things to do is take left over chicken and turn it into something really tasty and quick. The possibilities are endless. Whether you use canned chicken or pull chicken off of a store bought rotisserie chicken, serve it on bread, on lettuce or in a cantaloupe, or hollowed out cucumber it all tastes pretty amazing. 


                                                                                                  
Curry Chicken Salad
This is a very refreshing change to the traditional chicken salad. Easy to prepare and even for big crowds. 

Recipe makes 3 Cups 

2 cups leftover cooked chicken, chopped. (use chicken breast or chicken thighs)
1/2 cup mayo or 1/2 C.sour cream +3 Tbsp yogurt
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Tamari or coconut aminos (if not gluten free, use soy sauce)
1/2 cup combination of apricots or golden raisins
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 green onions, minced
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste 

Combine mayo/yogurt with seasonings, whisking till smooth. Pour mixture over chicken and veg and chill. I serve mine in endive leaves, celery hearts, and on a bed of spinach or mixed baby greens. 

          *optional ingredient: 1/3 C. broccoli slaw mix

Recipe and photo courtesy of Ambitious Kitchen

Chickpea, Chicken Salad  Serves: 4-6
This recipe is so good! 

 Ingredients
2 large romaine hearts, washed and chopped
1 cup pulled cooked chicken breast
1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
3/4 cup sweet corn (I grilled mine)
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/3 cup cilantro, washed and chopped
1 small avocado, diced
1/2 cup BBQ dressing, if desired

Buffalo BLT Chicken Salad

2 Cups leftover chicken, chopped or shredded

2-3 Tbsp. Franks Red Hots

1/2 C. Paleo Mayo (Recipe below)

1/4 Bacon, crispy

2 tomatoes chopped

1 avocado, cubed

1 Head of Butter Lettuce

1/8 tsp. celery salt

1/4 tsp. onion powder

Himalayan salt/ and pepper to taste

Combine everything in a bowl and mix. You can also add diced shallots or red onion to give it a kick.

Paleo Mayo
2 egg yolks
1 tsp mustard (this is optional)
3 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup coconut oil

Pina Colada Chicken Salad 
This recipe reminds me of grandmothers everywhere. It's sweet and delicious. If you're worried about calories, replace sour cream with greek yogurt and coconut with unsweetened. 

If you want additional sources of fiber, add 1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans and that will bring you to 12g fiber.

 

3 Cups Chicken (canned chicken will not work in this recipe)
1 (10-ounce) can pineapple chunks (about 1 cup), drained
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges (about 1 cup), drained
1 medium apple, cored and chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup grapes, halved
1/2 cup sour cream, light or regular (or) 1/2 cup greek yogurt + 1tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Combine the chicken and fruit in a large bowl, tossing well so the apple (and other fruit that likes to brown) can get coated in the pineapple and orange juice to prevent browning. Stir in the sour cream and coconut, gently tossing to coat.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve chilled. You might notice that after a day or so of sitting in the fridge, quite a bit of liquid from the fruit pools at the bottom. If eating the leftovers, I like to gently pour some of this off before eating.

*If you're looking for this recipe to be more of a meal, replace the oranges with

add: 
1/2 cup carrot rounds

       
 1 cup salad greens and the more savory version of dressing

1½ cups coconut milk, 1 cup pineapple juice, 3 teaspoons vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons greek yogurt (may sub sour cream) ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons honey (or more to taste)

Try these other options with you chicken, mayo, salt and pepper
       Mango, Red Onion, and Celery
       Blueberries, Walnuts and Pomegranate Seeds
       Strawberries, Almonds, Feta and Sunflower Seeds
       Pumpkin Seeds, Grannie Smith Apple, Jicama
       Fuji Apple, Celery, Green Onion and Red Grapes
       Avocado, Orange Bell Pepper, and Shallots
       Pears, Blueberries, Blue cheese and Almonds 

Serve in a non traditional way, in a hollowed out cantaloupe, on top of multi grain crackers, inside a tomato or red bell pepper, in celery sticks, cucumber logs or on toasted baguette.

Tradition...Tradition!

What kind of food traditions do you have? We have many traditions, but some of the most important traditions revolve around food. Every culture or group or individual has a memory or taste or smell that evokes pangs of nostalgia and a loving memory. Food has such an amazing role to play in our lives. It's not just for survival. We use it for pleasure and comfort and it brings people together. For many cultures food is a symbol of hospitality and religious significance. How we eat, what we choose to make, how we serve it and how we eat it plays a profound role for our heritage and individual culture. With every birth, birthday celebration, holiday and death, we eat, we celebrate, we gather and enjoy.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner what food traditions are we going to experience? Is there always a turkey? Do you cook it traditionally in the oven and painstakingly baste it until it's picture perfect? How about sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, brown and serve rolls and sausage stuffing, oh and pumpkin pie for dessert? Do you ever try to add a new dish or experiment with a cooking method.

Each year I try to do something new or I try to discover a new way of cooking a particular dish. I have my set of traditional dishes that rarely change, but as the years go by, there is nothing wrong with improvement.

At Christmas time, Italians have sweet Spumetti that is a chocolate hazelnut meringue. In Italy it's a tradition to have the small children make the Spumetti or their version of gingerbread "Panforte" with their Nonna's (grandmother).

1 lb. hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1 lb. confectioner's sugar
1 oz. cocoa (2tbls.)
2 tsps. cinnamon
5-6 egg whites

Preheat oven to 325 F. Cut baking pan liner paper or brown paper to fit 2 baking sheets and grease lightly. Put hazelnuts, confectioner's sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon in a large bowl; add egg whites and mix well until mixture is well blended--about 5 minutes. Wet hands with water and break off small pieces of mixture (about 1 tbl.) and shape into round balls. Place on baking sheets, 1 inch apart, and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Makes approx. 3 ½ dozen. Add some sprinkles...why not.

The Irish Barnbrack cake is traditionally served at Halloween time and it's similar to fruit cake here in the states. They hide a quarter, nickle, dime and penny, a button a piece of cloth, and a ring inside. Each object symbolizes some future event. When I was young my childhood best friend Kira would have a money cake for every birthday. All the kids invited to the party were so excited to discover a prize inside their slice of cake. I was lucky enough to be a nuisance in the kitchen and I would sometimes watch her Mom (who was my second Mom) bake the cake. It usually was a spice cake and she would slice a little hole in the cake and insert the coin or object inside, frost it and boy did it taste good.

Some of the oldest cook books are chiseled on stone tablets and come from the Middle East. Their food culture and traditions are so ingrained  in to their daily lives that they will never be separated. If you've ever had a dish at an Arab or Israeli home you'd know that each meal is treated with such care. Each dish is carefully prepared and represents some important symbol. Delicate and spicy, aromatic and fragrant, scented and syrupy-these are some of the words that come to mind.

Passover and Yom Kippur are beautiful Jewish holidays steeped in tradition. Even though the Jewish people are limited by dietary standards, their culture and life style have had the reverse of a restrictive effect on their cooking tradition. Matzo Balls Soup is a tasty dish that can be eaten all year long, but it's even more special when you make it with your "babba".

Homemade Matzo Ball Soup

1/3 C. vegetable oil + 4 eggs + 3 T. finely chopped basil, dill, parsley, rosemary and sage + 1 1/2 tsp. salt + 1/4 tsp. pepper + 1 C. matzo meal + 2 chicken breasts chopped + 2 small onions diced + 3 quarts water + 2 celery stalk, cut in to chunks + 3 large carrots, sliced + 1 bunch dill + 1 bay leaf

For matzo balls : combine, oil, eggs, herbs, salt and pepper. mix up well, stir in matzo meal, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Boil a pot of water at least 3 quarts with 1 tsp. salt. Shape matzo balls and drop them into the boiling water. Simmer for 20min. Transfer the matzo ball to plate to rest. Soup: Put all ingredients in a large pot including chicken and simmer on medium for 3 hrs or until carrots are tender. Before serving, put the matzo balls back in the soup and serve. 

Since our little boy came around we've started some new traditions in our own home. Each Christmas Eve, we make homemade soft pretzels and after opening presents on Christmas morning we all cook in the kitchen together with matching aprons, baking sticky, pull apart bread with pecans and fruit. It's the time you spend together that matter and why not learn with each other as you do it. Experiment, enjoy and taste and make your memories.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

1 tablespoon yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

2 cups warm water

1 cup flour

4 cups flour, mixed with

1 tablespoon salt, more flour if needed

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

coarse salt 

pcs. roll each piece into 14" ropes, shape the pretzel and place on greased cookie sheet (don't skip this step it really matters). Cover them and let them rise about 15 minutes. Simmer a stock pot full of water and drop each pretzel in to the water for 1 minute. Place back on oiled sheet. Brush each one with egg wash, sprinkle with course salt ( I use margarita salt which can be found by the margarita mix) bake at 450º for 12 minutes.

Whether it's a tradition from the old country, or if it's right here in our amazing American backyard, that is very culturally diverse we love it and we celebrate it with eating. Keep your traditions going strong in hopes that they will be passed down for generations to come.

 Pineapple Upside-down Bread Pudding
1 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 T. coconut milk
1/2 c. pineapple juice (reserved from can)
1 1/2 c. pineapple tidbits (the amount of pineapple in a 20 oz. can)
Dash of salt
1 T. fresh lemon juice
6 eggs
1/2 c. shredded coconut

8-10 glace maraschino cherries halved

4 c. (packed) white bread, cubed

Spray 9×13 pan. Cube bread and place in the bottom of the pan. Mix together the milk, pineapple juice, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, eggs, and lemon juice. Whip together until smooth. Add the pineapple and coconut. Arrange your halved glace cherries inside the bread. Pour mixture over the bread pieces. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Caramel Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. pineapple juice
3 T. coconut milk
1 t. fresh lemon juice

In a sauce pan, melt the butter and brown sugar until the sugar begins to dissolve. Turn heat to medium high and add the pineapple juice and boil for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce is thickened. Once the sauce has begun to thicken, add the coconut milk and lemon juice. Remove from heat and set aside until pudding is done.
Heavy whipping cream
Whip until stiff peaks form. Add a few teaspoons sugar. You can put a maraschino cherry right on top too.

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