This salad is really tasty, and it even makes its own dressing. Balsamic vinaigrette FTW!
Plum Chicken Salad
I ended up using red leaf lettuce since I wasn’t terribly keen on paying a premium for the rather wilted “organic” spring mix being offered at my grocery store. I’m sure anything would work, but it added some nice color and looked fancy. The sweet plums contrast very nicely with the tangy vinegar, while the celery gives a great textural crunch. The addition of some plum tomatoes and shredded parmesan was purely motivated by what I had in my fridge but worked anyway.
This turned out to be quite fast and easy since I had some left over grilled chicken from the week before. Turns out the chicken freezes just fine, so I’m learning to cook a bunch up at once to save me some time. Grilled chicken breast is a great choice since you can use it in so many things for a protein boost whenever you’re feeling like your veggies are a bit lack-luster.
In an effort to shed some pounds and make sure Sister doesn’t starve herself through forgetfulness, I decided to take a shot at making bento. What’s bento, you might ask? It’s basically a meal in a box. But don’t take my word for it. Maki over at justbento.com is way better versed than I.
I’m not terribly interested in making the super cute, fancy bentos that you might have seen pictures of (as fun as those look). My focus is more on the portion control and making sure I don’t get bored with my food. Fortunately, Maki offers all kinds of advice and recipes aimed at nutritious, economical, and easy lunches. She even takes into account that the traditional Japanese bento ingredients are hard to come by in most parts of the world. Give the site a look through and you’ll probably find something tasty to try.
My first bentos have been pretty tame and barely need a recipe, but here you go anyway.
Roast Beef, Provolone, and Red Pepper Wraps (makes 2)
¼ lb roast beef
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 small bunch arugula or other leafy lettuce
4 slices provolone
2 good sized sandwich wraps (I used spinach)
Smoked Turkey, Cheddar, and Avocado Wraps (makes 2)
¼ lb smoked Turkey
½ avocado, sliced and removed from skin
1 small bunch arugula or other leafy lettuce
2-4 slices good cheddar (depending on their size)
2 good sized sandwich wraps
After having eaten both, I think I may modify the turkey recipe a bit to add some red pepper to it or at least some kind of dressing. It’s a touch on the bland side, actually, though the smoked turkey and cheddar are a good combo. Red pepper and roast beef are a winner for sure, and I do love avocados.
I chose a mixture of raspberries and blueberries and some cubed cheeses for my two snacks/sides. And no, I didn’t pay a premium for those cute little pre-cut cubes in the bags. Its way cheaper to grab some big blocks and chunk them up yourself. I have enough for two people for more than a week.
Leeks are amazing. They are a woefully underused vegetable. Sister is not a fan of onions, so leeks get used as a substitute in some of my cooking. They have a subtle, onion flavor that won’t overpower delicate dishes. If you’ve never used them before, this is a great recipe to start with.
Alton Brown's Leek and Potato Soup
I love Alton Brown. That guy is just a boatload of fun to watch. The fact that I get educated about food while being entertained is a big bonus. Go find some episodes of Good Eats if you’ve never watched him. The man also makes some incredibly tasty dishes.
This is one I make mostly according to the recipe. Since I usually have a surplus of chicken stock lurking in my deep freeze, I usually substitute that for the vegetable stock. No one in my family is a vegetarian, so I can get away with it. Alternately, you could make your own vegetable broth in a slow cooker the exact same way you’d make chicken stock. I also try to use the tender part of the green leek tops since it gives the soup a groovy color. Other than that, just go with Mr. Brown.
While it’s not one of the faster recipes, almost all of your time is spent hanging around and waiting for veggies to cook. Its a great thing to fix when you’ve got other things to do in or around your kitchen. Do the dishes. Clean the counters. Bake some easy desert. Its all good. Leeks will forgive you if you don’t spend all your time with them.
You don’t have to use an immersion blender. A plan ol’ blender will work just fine. You might have to stop part way through and stir things around, but for the most part there’s enough liquid to easy the process along.
Definitely go with the buttermilk in this recipe. It may sound weird, but the slight tang is so ridiculously delicious. You could use that aforementioned spare time to bake some buttermilk biscuits if you’re feeling adventurous.
This is an awesome dish to get vegetables into fussy eaters too. The green color is exotic enough for the younger crowd to want to taste it, and its not vegetable-y in flavor. Try this with some goldfish or cheez-it crackers. Seriously tasty. This gets even better the next day, in my opinion, but it has a tendency to disappear pretty fast.
