Chicken Satay Salad

My friend Rudi made this delicious salad for a beach picnic recently. It was so good I had to ask him to write the recipe down for me. I've added this recipe to my blog because I will promptly lose the piece of paper Rudi wrote on, and this is the only way I will ever find the recipe again. Besides, I know my followers will enjoy this recipe too.

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless chicken breast
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon pickled ginger chopped very fine
• 1 tablespoon pickled ginger juice
• 1 teaspoon Sambal (Salsa Picante de Ajos)
• 1 teaspoon Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce)

Directions:

• Cook the chicken in a skillet for about 12 minutes, let it cool, shred it and set aside.
• Preparing the dressing (it's a coating, not a thick sauce)
• Mix the pickled ginger, pickled ginger juice, peanut butter, mayonnaise, sambal and kecap manis in a saucepan over low/medium heat. Add just enough hot water to thin the mixture to a syrupy dressing, not a thick sauce.
• Add the shredded chicken to the dressing and mix well.
• Let cool and serve with crackers.

Important Notes:

• This is supposed to be a dressing, not a thick sauce.
• If you don't have Kecap Manis, this link will provide an easy recipe to make your own.
• You can always add, but you can't take it out, so start with a little less of each of the dressing ingredients and add more to adjust for your personal taste.
• The golden rule.... Taste, Taste, Taste!

Wasabi Guacamole

The back story.... I've been wanting to make more of my Wasabi & Soy Roasted Almonds, but I was out of fresh Wasabi powder. I found some at an Asian supermarket in San José last week, but the smallest quantity they sell is a 1 kilogram bag (2.2 pounds for those of you not on the metric system). I divided it into 9 vacuumed sealed bags of 100 grams each, and put the remainder in a small jar for use now. To keep the wasabi as fresh as possible, I'm storing all of it in the freezer.

Avocados are in season right now, so I made a batch of guacamole today, following my favorite recipe, but for a twist I added wasabi powder. Absolutely amazing! Guacamole will never be the same in my house.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of diced and gently mashed avocado
• ½ cup of diced onion
• ¾ cup of diced tomato
• ½ fresh minced jalapeño
• ¼ cup of chopped cilantro
• ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon of cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon of wasabi powder
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Dice and gently mash avocado
• Dice onion and tomato
• Mince jalapeño
• Chop cilantro
• Gently fold in the garlic, cumin, wasabi and lime juice
• Add salt and pepper to taste

Important note: Heat will breakdown the taste of wasabi, so store it in the refrigerator or freezer. The intensity of the wasabi will increase after it is added to the guacamole, so adjust the quantity to suit your palate.

Hot Coleslaw

This is an original recipe on Cooks.com. I tweaked it a bit to add peppercorns and garlic powder. This has become our favorite coleslaw. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Ingredients:
1 large head of cabbage, shredded
1 large onion, sliced in thin rings
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon of fresh crushed mixed peppercorns. (I have a Kampot Pepper plant in my garden, so I used fresh green, black, red & white peppercorns crushed with a mortar and pestle.)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¾ cup of your favorite vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 cup of apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Alternate cabbage and onion rings in layers in a large bowl. Pour 1 cup sugar over this. Mix 2 teaspoons sugar, salt, mustard, celery seed, crushed pepper, garlic powder, vinegar, and oil. Heat and stir; when boiling, pour over cabbage. Cover tightly and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours. Every 30 minutes, stir the slaw to make sure everything absorbes the spices. Serve cold.

Pineapple Coleslaw

Many years ago I discovered this delicious salad when my dear Tica friend made it for a dinner party. This is a wonderful twist on an old staple.

Ingredients:
3 cups of shredded cabbage
1 cup of shredded carrots
¼ cup of finely chopped onion
1 cup of diced fresh pineapple
¼ teaspoon celery seed (optional)
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro (optional)
½ cup of mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1½-2 teaspoons sugar (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients and chill for 30-45 minutes before serving

Serves: 6

Orange Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

We have a tree loaded with Valencia Oranges, so I've been coming up with more uses for the juice, in addition to the delicious glass of sweet OJ. This is my latest creation.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 juicy orange
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon fresh coarse ground pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Serve over your favorite salad. I like it poured over a chilled salad of sliced cucumbers, scallions, shredded carrots, diced sweet peppers and chopped almonds. It's also great over fresh spinach with mandarin slices and pecans. Use your imagination.

Canoas de Zucchini / Zucchini Canoes

There is a plentiful harvest of squash and tomatoes right now, so this is the perfect time to make refreshing Canoas de Zucchini!

Ingredients:
2 large zucchinis
2 cups of diced and seeded tomatoes
½ cup of roasted sweet/mild chili peppers diced
1 can of Palmito pieces (Hearts of Palm) diced into small pieces
½ cup of finely diced onion
3 tablespoons of FRESH chopped basil (Note: It must be fresh, or it just won't work. If you don't like basil, you can substitute culantro (cilantro.))
¾ cup of finely cubed, or coarse grated, mozzarella cheese
¼ cup Balsamic vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Paprika

Directions:
Slice the zucchini lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Using a sharp knife, take of a thin slice from the rounded side so that the zucchini sits flat without rocking. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place in a microwave dish and cook on high for 3-4 minutes until the squash is cooked. Remove them and place them in the refrigerator to chill for about an hour.

In a medium size bowl, gently toss all of the tomatoes, peppers, onions, palmito, cheese and basil with the olive oil and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste and place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill.

When everything is chilled, divide the salad mixture into fourths and fill the zucchini canoes. Just before serving, sprinkle a little paprika over the canoes.

¡Buen Provecho!

Pineapple Cilantro Slaw

This is a refreshing alternative to the traditional coleslaw

Ingredients:
1/2 of a large head of cabbage, shredded
3 cups of carrots cut into thin matchstick strips (2 to 3 inches long)
3 cups fresh pineapple cut into tidbits
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about the yield from one lemon)
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp Splenda for baking
1 cup of Hellman's Light Mayonnaise

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and chill for 30 minutes before serving. This will make about 12 1-cup servings.


Nutritional Info:
Fat: 5.1g
Carbohydrates: 12.9g
Calories: 92.8
Protein: 1.2g


Originally posted 9/28/09

Chopped Fresh Veggie Salad

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped/sliced Radishes
1/2 cup chopped Scallions
1/2 cup diced Onions
1 cup diced Carrots
1 cup diced sweet Peppers
1 cup diced cucumbers
1 cup diced Celery
1& 1/2 cup diced Tomatoes
3 tbsp Extra Light Olive Oil
2 tsp Splenda granulated sweetner
1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Lawry’s seasoned salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Directions

Chop all the vegetables in a large bowl. Make a dressing with the vinegar, oil and spices to pour over the vegetables. Toss and chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Makes about 8 servings

Nutritional Info

• Fat: 5.5g
• Carbohydrates: 7.7g
• Calories: 76.3
• Protein: 1.1g

Originally posted 8/08/09

Cucumber Dill & Onion Salad

This is a refreshing summer salad, very low in calories

Ingredients:
1 Large Cucumber (with peel)
1/2 Medium Red Onion, Fresh
1 Tablespoon Salt - don't worry, it will be rinsed
3 Tablespoons Plain Nonfat Greek yogurt
2 Tablespoons Fresh Dill Weed finely minced
1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Cider Vinegar

Directions:
Slice the cucumber and onion into very thin slices. I find a mandolin slicer works best. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of salt and refrigerate for a half hour. While it's chilling mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. When the cucumbers a thoroughly chilled, rinse the salt off with cold water. The salt will draw out the moisture out of the cucumbers and make them very crisp. Toss the cucumbers and onions with the dressing and serve.

Makes 4 1-cup servings.

Originally posted 7/12/09

Oriental Cole Slaw

Servings: 12

Start to Finish Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pound coleslaw, shredded
2 packages chicken flavored ramen noodles
2/3 cup salad oil
1/3 cup sugar (I use 8 packets of Splenda as a sugar substitute)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup almond, sliced
1 cup sunflower seeds

Prepare dressing by mixing oil, sugar, vinegar and ramen noodles seasoning packets together and set aside. Just before serving, mix the almonds and sunflower seeds with the coleslaw and crumble the ramen noodles on top Toss with the dressing and serve. (You may not need all of the dressing, start with about half and add more according to taste.)

Originally posted 2/02/07

Shrimp & Crab Salad

Ingredients:
1/2 pound lump crabmeat
1 pound shrimp, boiled
1/2 pound iceberg lettuce, coarsely torn
1/2 head red cabbage, coarsely sliced
3 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
6 lemon wedges
3 cups water
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 bell peppers, sliced
1/2 cup ripe olive, sliced
3 eggs, hard-boiled, cut into wedges
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Directions:
Place shrimp in 3 cups boiling water, cover, bring to boil again and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cool water, peel and devein. Set aside.

In large salad bowl, combine lettuce, cabbage, celery, peppers, onions and olives. Toss. Arrange seafood, tomatoes and eggs on top. Serve on lettuce lined salad plates with your favorite dressing.

If you want, serve lemon on side.


Originally posted 1/08/08

Mango Salad

Ingredients:
4 whole mangos, peeled and cubed
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 whole jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Combine the oil,vinegar, sugar ,salt and pepper in a jar and shake well. Pour mixture over mango salad and toss. Let sit in refrig for an hour or 2. Increase the amount of oil or vinegar as required by your taste. I'm estimating how much I use. (I really use the grandma measuring system). eat what you can now, as there will be nothing left for you when you serve it!!!!

Originally posted 1/08/10

BaBa's Vinegrette Salad Dressing

Grandmother's salad dressing. This is my personal favorite! Baba taught me to make this when I was a young girl and it will top any store bought dressing. My friend, Nancy, always want me to make it for her because she says it never comes out the same way for her. I usually make a double batch with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Splenda so I always have it on hand in the refrigerator. The oil will congeal when its cold, but it will keep for months. Just be sure to bring it to room temperature and shake well before serving.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (or olive oil)
3/4 cup red wine vinegar (or balsamic)
1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoning salt
1 clove fresh garlic, minced very fine
1 teaspoon paprika, ground
2 teaspoons sugar (or Splenda)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
pinch oregano, ground
pinch basil leaves, ground
pinch tarragon
pinch rosemary

Directions:
Mix well in a blender.


Originally posted 1/08/08