Category Archives: Salads

August 2, 2010

Jerk Chicken Salad

I am just back from a wonderfully relaxing weekend at the beach with some of my favorite people! While there, I made dinner one night for everyone (Does that surprise you? I’m at the beach and I wanted to cook for my friends…) So… one of my favorite summer meals is Jerk Chicken Salad. It is simple and versatile.  The recipe is from The Pampered Chef and calls for serving with romaine lettuce. You’ll see in the Cook’s Tips at the end of the recipe that you can serve with pasta instead, which is what I prefer. On this occasion, however, we had a friend with a wheat allergy, so stuck with the lettuce version. When I do this at home, I like to use whole wheat rotini (corkscrew) pasta and then the leftovers are quite good served cold for lunch the next day.

And now, ON TO THE RECIPE!!! (As requested by some of the ladies this weekend…)

The Pampered Chef ®
Jerk Chicken Salad
Recipe
 1 tablespoon  Garlic Oil or olive oil 
 1 tablespoon  Jamaican Jerk Rub 
 1 pound chicken tenders 
 1 medium pineapple 
 1 red bell pepper 
 3 green onions (white and light green parts only) 
 2 heads romaine lettuce 
 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained 
 6 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled 
Dressing
 2 limes 
 1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise 
 2 tablespoons pineapple preserves 
  1. In Classic Batter Bowl, whisk together oil and jerk rub with Stainless Whisk. Add chicken tenders; mix well to coat and set aside. Peel pineapple and cut in half lengthwise with Santoku Knife; reserve half for another use. Cut remaining pineapple in half lengthwise and remove core. Slice crosswise into ¼-inch slices. Heat Grill Pan over medium heat 5 minutes. Add chicken; cook 3-5 minutes on each side, turning once. Remove from pan. Add pineapple to pan. Cook 1 minute on each side, turning once; remove from pan. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces using Utility Knife; set chicken and pineapple aside.
  2. Thinly slice bell pepper and green onions on Cutting Board with Measure Cups using Santoku Knife. Arrange 12 large lettuce leaves around Simple Additions® Large Round Platter. Chop remaining lettuce; set vegetables aside. Drain and rinse beans using Strainer; set aside.
  3. For dressing, zest one lime using Microplane® Adjustable Grater. Juice both limes into Small Batter Bowl using Citrus Press. Add lime zest, mayonnaise and pineapple preserves to batter bowl; mix well.
  4. Layer chopped lettuce, beans, bell pepper, chicken, pineapple, bacon and green onions over each lettuce leaf. Drizzle dressing over salad.
Yield: 6 servings
Nutrients per serving: Calories 320, Total Fat 16 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 60 mg, Carbohydrate 24 g, Protein 24 g, Sodium 580 mg, Fiber 5 g
Cook’s Tip: If desired, 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips, can be substituted for the chicken tenders. To microwave bacon, line Medium Bar Pan with sheet of Parchment Paper. Arrange bacon slices in a single layer on bar pan; cover with another sheet of Parchment Paper. Microwave on HIGH 4-6 minutes, checking after each 30-second interval and turning once with Bamboo Tongs. Remove bacon to paper towel-lined plate to drain. For a kid-friendly version of this recipe, prepare recipe as directed, omitting lettuce. Cook 1 pound rotini pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and toss with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add remaining ingredients; drizzle with dressing and toss gently.
© The Pampered Chef, Ltd., 2001

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January 31, 2008

Asian Dressing

1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 pressed garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup vegetable oil
 
Combine all ingredients into a salad dressing mixer, or small bowl. Mix until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
 
 
MY NOTES:
I use low sodium soy sauce
1 garlic clove seems weak to me, but I’m a garlic-lover! I use 2…
Instead of vegetable oil, I use sesame oil to add another element of flavor to the dressing….
 
 
THE SALAD!!!
 
I have no measurements… it’s a salad, just use as much as you need to make enough for your family!
 
sliced red cabbage
sliced savoy cabbage
sliced green onion tops
carrot strips (jullienne, or shredded with a vegetable peeler for ribbons)
sugar snap peas
new addition to the salad…
ramen noodles, broken into small pieces
(This was added my request of the family…. and they love it, so I will probably keep adding it…… I guess… lol As long as they don’t start asking me to make them soup with the noodles, it’s all good. LOL)
 
You may also add grilled chicken, toasted sliced almonds, sesame seeds…… it’s a salad! BE CREATIVE!

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January 11, 2007

Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing

2 cups fresh spinach, cleaned and dried
4 mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1 green onion top, sliced
3 hard boiled eggs
1 avocado
Bacon Dressing (recipe follows)
 
Toss first 4 ingredients together in a large bowl with Bacon dressing, immediately before serving. Top with sliced eggs and avocado. Enjoy!
 
Bacon Dressing:
2 Tbl bacon drippings
3 Tbl vinegar
1/4 C. heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp sugar
 
Stir all ingredients together in a small saucepan. Bring to a slow simmer, stirring constantly. Simmer about 2 minutes. (Dressing will still be thin) Cool slightly before tossing with salad. (Mix in bacon pieces and chopped egg, if desired)

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January 6, 2007

Tropical Fruit Salad

2 cans Tropical Fruit
2 bananas
1 apple
1 orange
1 coconut
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
 
Drain canned fruit. If time permits, let it sit in the drainer, over a bowl, in the fridge to get as much juice out as possible. Slice bananas. Cut apple into chunks. Cut peel off orange, then cut segments into chunks. Toss all the fruits together and set aside (still in the drainer over a bowl so juice can keep running off… you don’t want it to break down the whip cream and make runny salad). Cut the "meat" out of the coconut shell and use a grater to shred it. Set aside.
 
Pour cream into a chilled bowl, add powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip until stiff peaks form. (You can use an electric mixer to make quick work of this task. If you don’t have a mixer, use a whisk and place the bowl inside a larger bowl filled with ice and start whipping! It’ll take 5-10 minutes… enlist the help of anyone who plans to eat the fruit salad!). Mix the fruit in with whip cream, plus some shredded coconut, just before serving. Sprinkle the top with additional coconut.

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