Chicken Salad With Blueberries

 

Yesterday we invited a dear friend from our old neighborhood for lunch. He is a retired teacher and artist and so in addition to good food, I wanted to present a pretty plate for him. 

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked chicken, diced (I think white meat is best in this recipe)
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise, (I used non-fat)
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cover and chill for at least one hour to allow flavors to blend.

Garnish

• bed of shredded napa cabbage (tender tops and center leaves)
• red romaine leaf(s)
• crumbled blue cheese
• crushed smoked almonds
• fresh blueberries
• fresh avocado slices
• fresh dill weed
• fresh edible flowers (I used johnny jump-ups from my garden)

A Healthier Potato Salad

Despite the weather (I wonder if the rain will EVER stop!), I am determined to create a summer-like dinner for my family this evening. 

On the menu are oven-barbequed chicken tenders, corn on the cob, some canned baked beans, a dried cranberry coleslaw, and a lighter and brighter potato salad.

I love my Mom's traditional potato salad, with russet potatoes (that become a bit soft when cooked and lend to the creaminess of the salad), dill pickle, hard-cooked eggs, celery, mayonnaise, and (here is the secret ingredient!) finely minced radishes. But I wanted to create something a bit lighter this evening. So I used white potatoes (a less starchy potato that remains firm when cooked), some fresh herbs, and an acidic dressing rather than mayonnaise.

Salad - Carb Diva's Healthier Potato Salad

Ingredients

• 2 pounds white (all-purpose) or Yukon gold potatoes

• 4 scallions, sliced

• 2 tsp. lemon zest

• 1 tsp. dry mustard

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced

Instructions

1. Place potatoes in a large pot with a lid. Cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn heat to low and simmer until potatoes are tender (a sharp knife inserted in the middle of a potato will enter easily).
2. Drain the potatoes and place them on the chopping board. Let sit a few minutes until cool enough to handle.
3. Remove the skins from the potatoes. They should slip off easily with the tip of a knife. Chop the potatoes and place them in a large bowl.
4. Whisk together the lemon zest, dry mustard, olive oil, and lemon juice. Drizzle over the still-warm potatoes. Toss to coat. Add salt and pepper and toss again.
5. Just before serving stir in chopped parsley. Salad can be served chilled or at room temperature.

What makes this recipe work?

• Use the proper potato—Mom always used russet (Idaho) potatoes. Russets are wonderful baked or used in casseroles; their low-moisture high-starch flesh is the perfect foil for cream and butter. But cook a moment too long and they make horrible potato salad. A better choice is the white all-purpose or Yukon gold. With their rich, buttery flavor and moist, creamy texture they make exceptionally good mashed potatoes, French fries, and potato salad. Their medium starch content makes them good all-purpose potatoes suitable for both boiling and baking.

• Shake the salt—High blood pressure is at epidemic levels in the United States and our passion for sodium-laden fast foods and processed foods is a major contributor to the problem. How do you add flavor to your foods without using the salt shaker? In this recipe, lemon zest and lemon juice provide a tang and brightness without the addition of sodium.
• Parsley is more than just a pretty face—This ubiquitous garnish on dinner plates is so much more than a decorative afterthought. Parsley is a nutritional powerhouse--a source of vitamins C, and K, and is rich in antioxidants.
  
  The two most popular types of parsley are curly parsley and Italian flat-leaf parsley. The Italian variety is more fragrant and less bitter than the curly variety. When shopping for parsley select a bunch that is deep green in color and looks fresh and crisp. Keep your fresh parsley in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Don't wash it when you bring it home. It is highly fragile and should be washed just before use. The best way to clean it is just like you would spinach. Place it in a bowl of cold water and swish it around with your hands. This will allow any sand or dirt to dislodge. Remove the leaves from the water, empty the bowl, refill it with clean water and repeat this process until no dirt remains in the water.

Tomato Macaroni and Cheese

This is not the prettiest plate of food I've ever prepared, but it certainly delivered on flavor. In my quest to always pack more veggies into every meal, I've attacked even our beloved macaroni and cheese. By under-cooking the pasta, draining, and then adding a can of diced tomatoes (juice and all) to the pot, the pasta not only finishes cooking but it gains a ton of flavor from the tomatoes. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 cups dry (uncooked) elbow macaroni
• 1 14-ounce can petite diced canned tomatoes
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk (I used non-fat)
• 1 14-ounce can cheddar cheese soup
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (not pre-shredded)
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon powdered onion (not onion salt)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or melted butter
• 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of table salt and then stir in the elbow macaroni. Stir frequently so that the pasta doesn't clump together. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Set the pasta water aside.
4. Add the pasta back into the pot; stir in the diced canned tomatoes and then cover and set the pot aside for 5 minutes. Note--the pan is no longer on the heat. After your 5-minute wait, the pasta should be al dente. Set aside.
5. Add the flour to a large saucepan or saute pan. I used a large oven-safe saute pan so that I could create the sauce and bake the macaroni in the same pot (saving a dish is never a bad thing). Heat over medium until melted; stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. You want the flour to cook but not brown.
6. Stir in the milk all at once; stir constantly with a wire whisk until the mixture thickens and is smooth. Add the soup and seasonings. 
7. If you have used a large, oven-safe saute pan simply fold the cooked elbow macaroni into the sauce. If you used a saucepan, pour your cheese sauce over the cooked macaroni and then spread in a greased oven-safe casserole dish.
8. Combine the olive oil and bread crumbs and sprinkle over the macaroni.
9. Bake the casserole for 18-20 minutes or until bubbling around the edges. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Fair Scones

In my little sliver of the planet, the month of September means that the Washington State Fair (aka the Puyallup), is up and running.

Covering 169 acres, it's the 7th largest fair in the country (over 1.2 million visitors each year) and has something for everybody. Barns filled with every type of farm animal you can imagine; grange exhibits; 4-H; new product demonstrations, hot tubs, tractors, chain-saw carving; carousels and carnival rides; art, needlework, photography and hobby displays.

And then, there is the food. You name it, they've got it. And even a few things I'll bet you've never heard of--deep-fried cookie dough, alligator on a stick, and the "Earthquake Burger" -- one-half pound of ground beef on a 10-inch bun, piled high with cheese and grilled onions. Of course, the fries that go with it weigh in at a pound. 

The fair has been going strong for 122 years, and for 107 of those years, visitors have savored the hot scones filled with butter and raspberry jam. I love fair scones but wince at the cost. $1.75 for one little triangle--about 6 bites.

I make scones at home, and my family says they are more than "fair":

Fair Scones

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup cold butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup golden raisins

To Serve - softened butter and lots of raspberry jam!

Instructions

(1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

(2) Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Remove from the food processor and place in a medium-sized mixing bowl.  

(3) Combine milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the flour/sugar mixture. Pour in the milk/melted butter and add the raisins. Stir gently with a fork to combine. 

(4) Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface and knead about 6-8 times or until it forms a smooth ball. Don't overwork or your scones will not be tender. 

(5) Pat the dough into a disk, slightly higher in the middle. 

(6) Cut into 6 equal pieces. 

(7) Place on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. 

(8) Remove to a cooling rack. To serve "fair-style", while still warm split and fill with softened butter and raspberry jam.