Allison's Salad

Melissa's Notes: I'm always looking for good, easy salad recipes.  This one fits the bill!  My friend Allison brought it to a picnic and I couldn't stop eating it.  A good kitchen tip I have learned about red onion is that if you let it sit in some kind of acid (lemon juice, vinegar, etc.) for at least an hour, it totally relaxes it so it doesn't overpower your dish.  You can also substitute the apple for a crispy pear.

Salad:

10 oz. bag spinach
3/4 c. slivered almonds, toasted at 350 for 8 min.
1 medium granny smith apple
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/8 red onion, chopped (optional)

Dressing:

1/3 c. oil
1/4 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/8 red onion, finely chopped

Orzo Pilaf

Melissa's Notes: Side dishes are hard for me, I always revert back to a simple garden salad and rice when I'm at a loss. Which is tasty, but sometimes can be a little boring. Here is a side dish that is a little off the beaten path, though a little more labor intensive than rice-a-roni. It can be eaten hot or cold, I tried both and liked it either way. It would also be easy to substitute your favorite veggies in it.

recipe courtesy of Favorites

Orzo Pilaf

3 c. chicken broth
1 c. orzo
4 slices bacon
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. grated carrots
1/4 c. finely chopped green pepper
1/4 c. finely chopped red pepper

Bring chicken broth to a boil and add pasta. Boil for 10 minutes (you may need to stir it a little near the end of the 10 min.). Cook bacon and crisp and crumble; set aside. Drain all but 3 Tbsp. of bacon drippings from skillet and cook onion and garlic until tender. Add orzo, carrots and peppers. Heat through, tossing to coat and sprinkle with bacon.

What Should I Make?

Menu:

Chicken with Cashews and Broccoli (recipe follows)
Brown or White Rice
Orange slices and Avocado over butter lettuce, with Asian dressing

Melissa's Notes: This dinner was really good, and really healthy, too. Stir fry takes no time at all, as long as you prep during the day when you get a moment. Sometimes I'll just put all the veggies in a bowl, chopped up, and store it in the refrigerator until it's time for dinner. You could do this with the meat and sauce as well. I love the brown rice in the frozen section at Trader Joe's. You pop it in the microwave for three minutes and it's done, it tastes great! A really good Asian dressing is Brianna's Ginger Mandarin. I halved this recipe and it was enough for James, Annie, and I (Nat was at her cousin's house), plus leftovers for James' lunch.

Chicken with Cashews and Broccoli

recipe courtesy of a Junior League Cookbook

1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce (add more if it needs more salt)
1/4-1/2 tsp. Tabasco (I left this out)
1/4 c. peanut oil (I used Canola)
3 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 slices fresh ginger (1/2 tsp. powdered)
3 c. broccoli flowerets
1 medium, sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch squares (I left this out and instead added yellow squash)
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced (I left this out)
1 bunch scallions, slivered
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c. dry roasted cashews (I used honey roasted peanuts)

Combine the cornstarch, chicken broth, soy sauce, and Tabasco in a small bowl. (I also added some orange juice from the orange I segmented for the salad)

Ten minutes before serving, heat the oil in a hot skillet or wok. When oil is very hot, add chicken and ginger (I used powdered ginger, and coated the chicken with it before putting it in the skillet). Cook, stirring constantly, until chicken turns white. Remove chicken and discard ginger slices.

Place the broccoli, red pepper, mushrooms, scallions, and minced garlic in the skillet. Cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Combine the chicken and cornstarch mixture with the vegetables and continue stirring until the sauce thickens slightly. Sprinkle with the cashews and serve immediately with steaming hot rice.

Brown Rice Salad

recipe courtesy of Penzey Spices

Melissa's Notes: This would be a great side salad to bring to a potluck, or a nice light lunch. I wouldn't serve it as a main dish, personally. I just cooked my rice in my steamer and added the garlic cloves whole, then took them out before making the salad. You could eat it right away, or put it in the fridge and let the flavors meld together overnight. I ate it cold the next day, and really liked it, it was very filling. I think marinated artichoke hearts would taste great in it as well. I love the citrusy hints in the dish.

Ingredients

1 c. uncooked brown basmati rice, or white if preferred
3 cloves garlic
2-3 c. diced, cooked chicken
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions
1/4 c. chopped sundried tomatoes
1 tsp. fresh lemon rind
1 16-ounce can garbanzo beans, juice reserved
1 8-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

Cook rice with garlic. Add other ingredients and drizzle with dressing.

Dressing

1/4 c. garbanzo broth
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dijon mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano