Grilled Chicken and Mango Salad

In coming up with this delightful treat, I had a perfectly ripe mango and leftover grilled chicken in the fridge.  Plus, it was a blistering 90+º outside.  I reached for the cookbooks and searched the indexes. I knew Chris Schlesinger was the guy to go to.

This is a perfect summer salad and is quick to assemble if you do the preparations ahead of time.
I think it could even be great to bring on a picnic or serve a large group for lunch.
It is very flavorful and healthy.
For vegetarian friends just leave out the chicken and/or let people assemble the salad themselves.
The taster was not really into it but that's o.k., it's the tasting effort that counts.
My friend Helen said, "It's the best salad I've had in five years!" 
I will definitely be making it again and I am happy to share a new good recipe.
Adapted from Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby's book, License to Grill.  

Grilled Chicken and Mango Salad
serves 4 (easily can prepare a half recipe)

2 grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts (seasoned to taste, salt & pepper is fine)
  As soon as they are cool enough, cut into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl
Add:
2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced medium
1 cup seedless green or red grapes, halved
1 small red onion (or less/to taste), peeled and diced small/medium
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced medium
1/4 cup rough chopped cilantro (or parsley)
2 Tb roughly chopped fresh basil
and set aside.


Make the dressing: In a small bowl whisk together
6 Tb fresh orange juice (1 small orange)
1/4 cup lime juice (2 limes)
1 Tb fish sauce (optional- I need to buy some, next time I'll try it)
2 Tb minced fresh chili pepper of your choice (again, optional)
1 Tb minced ginger (I used pickled ginger which is handy to keep in the fridge)
salt & pepper to taste

Add just enough dressing to the mango mixture to moisten, toss well and serve atop arugula or other desired greens (the original recipe doesn't include greens but I think the arugula is great). 
Sprinkle with chopped unsalted peanuts that have been toasted in a 350º oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Peanuts can be roasted ahead of time.
I excluded the chili pepper but the peanuts I used were spicy cajun nuts.

Interesting mango facts:
In India, over 350 varieties are cultivated.
Mangoes are known throughout tropical Asia as the King of Fruits due to their sweetness and richness in phytochemicals and nutrients.
Do not refrigerate your mango.  Like bananas, typically when purchased they are underripe.
The best indicator of ripeness is aroma of a rich flowery perfume and a little give when you feel them.

Mini Quiches

I searched many recipes and including the quiche dough (yes you can be lazy and buy store-made pie dough).  I ended up buying mini Athens phyllo shells and buying a mini muffin pan and making special dough since I wanted to find out which is better.

Quiche is a custard poured into a shell (typically, pie) and baked carefully so the proteins don't toughen.  A delicate (and undeniably fatty) flavor burst.  Perfect for a brunch or cocktail party/any time people need sustenance. Does a kindergarten potluck count? It was my experimental ground and they went fast!  The verdict is out whether to make the quiche dough (recipe below) or use the mini phyllo shells.  The phyllo is crispier which adds a nice contrast while the dough just adds extra calories.  Umm, you cannot be counting calories if you are eating these ;D   

What I learned is that quiche can be purely simple (you add flavor to the egg and cream base- perhaps simply goat cheese and chives) or most elaborate like Emeril's Mediterranean Quiche (love that recipe!)

I was recently re-introduced and treated to the simple (perfect for h'oerdourves) mini quiches at my best male buddy, David Vaughn's wedding.  From what I could tell, the crust was perfect and the custard simply eggs and cream and topped with snipped chives. I love that you can make these ahead and even serve at room temperature.  If reheating do it carefully at 300º.    

Sun-dried Tomato & Goat Cheese Mini Quiches

Ingredients:

2 packages mini phyllo shells
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 log of goat cheese (herbed is nice), frozen and shredded on a grater (then refrozen for ease in handling)
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh green onions (or chives or parsley or whatever looks good)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place the phyllo shells on a baking sheet. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix the eggs, heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese until combined. Fill the phyllo shells with the egg mixture. Top with herb garnish. Bake for 9 minutes, or until egg is set.

Quiche Dough

Ingredients:

1/2 cups butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl blend butter and cream cheese until smooth; slowly add flour; form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill 2 hours.









Divide the dough into 3 parts (or 4), roll out the dough using flour to prevent sticking.* 
Using a cup slightly larger in diameter than your mini cupcake pan, cut out 24 rounds. 
Gently press into cupcake pan, trying to crimp the edges evenly.
Once filled, bake for 30 minutes or until set and serve.

* When I made this I cut the dough into 24 hunks and rolled the rounds one by one.  This is not the fast or consistent way to do it! 

Dashi

 I've been suffering the past couple days from a very irritated digestive system and my only comfort is in liquids.  I finally made some dashi and it is simple and easy!  The perfect base to miso soup. 

I found the konbu and bonito flakes at Whole Foods.  I am sure you can find miso there as well.  I prefer white miso over red.    

For a simple quick soup add a heaping spoonful of white miso to the dashi.  Use another spoon to help dissolve it.  Yum! 

Ingredients

• 1 piece konbu (approximately 5 by 6 inches)
• 1 cup bonito flakes
• 5 cups cold water

In a medium pot, place konbu into cold water. Set pot over medium heat. Just before the water begins to boil pull off heat and let stand 5 minutes.
 Remove konbu, and bring back to heat.

Again, right before stock begins to boil, remove from heat and add the bonito flakes. When flakes sink to the bottom, strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer.

Dashi keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks (but it's so good it won't last that long, mine was gone in one day/3 bowls of soup!)

Greek Pasta Salad

This salad is perfect for a pot-luck or to bring to the beach.

I cut the recipe in half but wish I made more! Recipe from America's Test Kitchen.

 GREEK PASTA SALAD with
CREAMY FETA VINAIGRETTE

Hands-on time: 45 minutes
Time to table: 3 hours
Makes 14 cups (but easily halved)

PASTA
• 1 pound (about 4 cups) mini or medium pasta shells
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced (it is fine if you omit the peppers)
• 4 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
• ½ cup Kalamata olives, chopped

VINAIGRETTE
• 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 - 4 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt (you may want to omit, the olives add plenty of salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 ounces feta (small container)
• ¼ cup olive oil

BEFORE SERVING
• 8 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered 
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, quartered, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

PASTA Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain well. While still warm, transfer to a large bowl and stir in olive oil. Stir in peppers and olives.

VINAIGRETTE In a medium bowl combine all ingredients except olive oil. With the back of a fork, smash the feta until it ‘creams’ the vinaigrette, leaving small bits of feta intact. Whisk in the olive oil. Stir the vinaigrette into the pasta. Refrigerate for 1 – 2 hours until cold.

BEFORE SERVING Stir in tomatoes, cucumber and parsley. Serve cold.

Tuna Salad for Hungry Moms

Ah! I've made this so many times- finally posting it here. You don't need to be a hungry mom to enjoy it. Please keep in mind the hungry mom you know in your life who you could make it for! It keeps for a couple days. You can make it look fancy by serving over lettuce leaves and sliced tomatoes, even some hard boiled eggs tossed in (for the extra-ambitious).

Tuna salad for hungry moms

Serves 2 hungry moms

1 can tuna in oil
1 can beans of your choice, (red kidney works well) rinsed
1/4 cup sliced red onion (or less, really to liking)
1/4 cup finely chopped broccoli florets
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice (I like lemon but do try a nice vinegar)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
Chopped basil
Salt and Pepper

In a medium bowl, combine tuna, beans, onion, broccoli, lime juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix well. The salad can be made up to this point a day in advance. Right before serving, arrange tomato on a plate, sprinkle with basil, top with tuna salad. Gobble up before the baby needs to be fed or changed.

Porcini Mushroom Soup

I crave mushroom soups!

On Saturday I took Andrew to the Museum of Fine Arts for the first time (they offered children's activities)! We ate lunch outside the cafeteria, in the garden. Perfect spot to sip on hot soup. It was good but not that good so I was thus inspired to try making something better.

Buy a 1/2 ounce baggie or use up to 3/4 ounce of dried Porcini mushrooms. Soak them in 2 cups of water for 15-30 minutes. Stir occasionally, they tend to release a lot of sand/grit.

Sautee one chopped up onion in 1/2 stick of butter over medium in an accommodating pot for your soup, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt.
Next add 1 peeled, small diced carrot and cook until softened, 5 minutes.
Add a large handful of chopped white mushrooms. I would have used Shiitakes, if they weren't $5 a package!
Also add a stalk of fine-chopped celery, or in my case since we didn't have any, 1 heaping tablespoon of dried celery flakes.
Also add in a clove of minced garlic and some thyme.

Add 1 cup of chicken stock (I had some homemade, frozen) and the Porcini mushroom liquid (scoop the shrooms out to cut up a little bit for the finished soup) and a splash of your favorite white wine or champagne vinegar. The acidity is important, you could also experiment with other choices you may happen to have on hand.
Bring to a simmer.
Add in a discretionary amount of heavy cream. I eyeballed it and would guess it was around 3/4 cup.

Simmer for 20 minutes to reduce and concentrate the flavor. Salt and pepper to taste.
Use a stick blender or other blending device to puree the soup. Add in the reconstituted (and chopped if large pieces) porcini mushrooms. Serve!

This soup was so delicious I even licked the pot! The taster did taste some but at that moment was more focused on snacking on hummus and Ritz crackers.

Baked Stuffed Potatoes

These are yummy treats! Not at all low fat, 1 potato could probably feed 4.

First, slice a big russet potato in half lengthwise. Put pats of butter under each cut side and bake at 375º for 45 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes until cool enough to handle. Scoop out potato and into a bowl. Try to maintain a 1/4" edge on the potato shell.

Put the shells back in the oven and bake at 500º for 10 minutes, to crisp them up.

Meanwhile, add a large pat of butter, scoop of sour cream, handful of cheddar cheese and sprinkle of green onion. I used a hand-held beater to whip up the mix really fast.

Put stuffing in shells, top with more cheese and bake a little longer until cheese melts.

Allow to cool because they'll be piping hot! Enjoy!