Southwestern Chicken Quinoa Salad

Southwestern Chicken Quinoa Salad

2 cups quinoa (12.6 ounces)

3 cups water (24 ounces or 1:8.0 pounds)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (2.5 ounces)

1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about one-half of a juicy lime)

1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper or to taste

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

One-half of a store-bought rotisserie chicken (preferably Costco brand), discard skin, bones and visible fat, cut chicken meat into large chunks (about 12.5 ounces)

2 large shallots, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup or 2.2 ounces)

2 to 3 slender stalks green onions, thinly sliced white and green portions (about 1/2 cup or 1.2 ounces)

1/2 cup fire roasted red peppers, chopped and drained (about 2 peppers or 3.6 to 4.0 ounces)

One 12-ounce jar Trader Joe's brand marinated artichoke hearts, drained, cut in half lengthwise, if artichokes are large

One 6-ounce can medium or large black olives, drained, cut in half crosswise, if using large size

One 4-ounce can Ortega brand fire roasted diced green chiles, drained

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (0.7 ounce)

Rinse quinoa well and drain. Bring water to a boil in a large-size saucepan. Add quinoa and lower heat to low heat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for about 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, ground chipotle pepper, smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, salt and ground black pepper. Whisk together with a whisk or fork until emulsified. Set dressing aside.

In a separate very large mixing bowl, combined the quinoa, chicken meat, shallots, green onions, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, black olives and roasted green chiles. Add the entire dressing and toss gently with a large rubber spatula until thoroughly mixed. Add the cilantro and toss well. Ready to serve or transfer to a large airtight container and refrigerate..

Yields 4 to 6 servings

Herb Salad with Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette

Herb Salad with Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

This is a very simple salad with a delicious vinaigrette. What I love about this vinaigrette is that it doesn't have a lot of oil like most salad dressings have. The roasted shallot gives the vinaigrette a lot of flavor.




1 medium shallot, peeled (0.9 ounce)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (0.6 ounce)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (0.4 ounce)
1 teaspoon agave nectar (0.2 ounce) or sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (0.2 ounce)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
One 4-ounce package of herb salad or spring salad mix

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven.

Wrap the shallot in aluminum foil. Place shallot directly on the oven rack and roast for 35 minutes. Remove foil from oven to cool, about 10 minutes. Transfer shallot to a cutting board to finely minced the shallots.

In a small bowl, combine the minced shallots, vinegar, oil, agave nectar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir well with a small whisk. Add salad mix and toss to coat.

Yields 2 to 4 servings

Quick Tahini Salad with Homemade Pita Chips

Homemade Whole Wheat Pita Chips

One package Trader Joe's Brand whole wheat pita bread (6 pita breads)
Garlic-infused olive oil
Fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Position oven rack to the center position.

Working with one pita bread at a time, lay the pita bread on a cutting board. Brush the first side with about 1/4 teaspoon garlic-infused olive oil (regular EVOO will work fine). Sprinkle with a pinch of fine sea salt. Turn pita bread over. Brush the second side with another 1/4 teaspoon garlic-infused olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of fine sea salt. Cut pita bread into 8 wedges. Repeat the same for the remainder five pita breads. Place as many pita bread wedges on an ungreased shallow-rimmed baking sheet pan in one layer, leaving some spaces between wedges. Bake for 15 minutes, until brown and crisp. Remove from oven and transfer to a plate to cool. Repeat baking with the remainder pita bread wedges. Store cooled pita chips in an airtight container for several weeks.


Tahini Salad

This is an easy and quick method to make a Middle Eastern style tomato and cucumber salad with Tahini Sauce. Tahini sauce is made from ground sesame seeds (tahini or sesame butter), garlic, lemon juice, water and salt. Tahini sauce is the sauce traditionally served with falafels and used as a dressing in falafel and schwarma wraps. Trader Joe's makes a great Tahini Sauce. Tahini sauce can easily be made from scratch, but if you don't have time to make your own, you can purchase it at Trader Joe's. This tahini salad is creamy, refreshing. delicious and healthy. With the addition of pita chips, it gives the salad a nice crunch.

One-half of an English cucumber, unpeeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces (about 8 ounces)
1 Roma tomato, diced into 1/4-inch pieces (about 4 ounces)
4 tablespoons Trader Joe's brand Tahini Sauce (2 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 pita chips, crumbled into bite-size pieces

Combined the cucumber and tomatoes in a medium-size bowl. Add the tahini sauce and sea salt. Toss together until combined. Add the crumbled pita chips and toss again. Transfer to a serving bowl and ready to eat.

Tuna Salad

Tuna Salad

Two 6-ounce cans solid white tuna in spring water, drained very well
1 large shallot, finely chopped (1.0 ounce)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped (2.2 ounces)
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and pat dry, then coarsely chopped
(0.8 ounce)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dijon mustard (0.2 ounce)
1/2 cup Best Foods brand light mayonnaise OR Veganaise Brand Dressing and Sandwhich Spread (4.0 ounces)

Place tuna in a large bowl, Flake tuna to break up large pieces.

Add the shallots, celery, capers, garlic powder, onion powder, and dill weed to the tuna. With a fork, toss mixture until combined.

Add dijon mustard and mayonnaise (or Veganaise) to the tuna mixture. Mix with the fork until thoroughly combined.

Refrigerate in an airtight container.

Yield approximately 2 cups

Mexican Red Cabbage Slaw

Mexican Red Cabbage Slaw

 

This red cabbage slaw is a great side dish to grilled meats or fish. I sometimes make a large quantity of this slaw and keep it in the refrigerator so I don't have to worry about a vegetable side dish for the next couple of days. I love to eat this all on its own for lunch. You can use half green and red cabbages. but I choose to use entirely red cabbage for this recipe. The cumin and the lime in the vinaigrette give the slaw a great flavor; I don't miss the traditional coleslaw. Not only is this a healthier alternative to traditional coleslaw, it is delicious.

 

1/4 cup olive oil (1.7 ounce)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (2.0 ounce)
1 large garlic clove, minced (0.2 ounce)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Half of a medium-size red cabbage, cored and finely shredded (about 1:3.0 pounds)
1 jalapeno or serrano chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
Large handful of fresh cilantro, chopped (0.5 ounce)

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper until well blended. In a very large bowl, combine the cabbage, jalapeno pepper and cilantro. Toss in the dressing until well combined. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours.

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Fruit Salad with Honey-Mint-Lime Dressing

Fruit Salad with Honey-Mint-Lime Dressing
Adapted from Savory Sweet Life

Summer is approaching and I love the fresh fruits in season: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, melons, peaches, apricots, plums, etc. I came across this recipe from http://savorysweetlife.com/ early March when I was searching for a good fruit salad recipe. I made this for a party and it was a huge success. I replenish the fruit bowl twice. The fruits held up well even on the buffet table for serveral hours. This is the best fruit salad I have ever eaten. The honey-mint-lime dressing compliments the fresh fruits with the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Do not substitute lemon for lime and do not omit the mint. The mint is essential in this recipe, but not overpowering.

4-1/2 tablespoons lime juice (1.5 ounces)
4-1/2 tablespoons honey (1.8 ounces)
4-1/2 tablespoons brown sugar (1.8 ounces)
4-1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
Two 16-ounce packages strawberries, cut into halves or quarters
One 6-ounce package blackberries
One 6-ounce package raspberries
Two 6 ounce packages blueberries
1 pound yellow peaches, nectarines and/or kiwis, peeled and thickly sliced and/or quartered

Combine the lime juice, honey, brown sugar and mint in a small bowl. Whisk together until well blended and sugar is dissolved. Set aside dressing in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Combine all the fruits into a very large bowl. When ready to serve, gently toss the dressing with the fruits and trasnfer to a large serving bowl.

Yield approximately 12 cups

TIP: The fruit salad will develop some dellicious fruit syrup overtime. I watched my son spooning all the syrup in his mouth when he was done eating the fruits. If you want to put that syrup into good use, drizzle over waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, ice cream, cake. Or use it for Italiian ice soda (add desired amount of syrup to unflavored carbonated water).