Simple Chicken Salad

The best is often simple with only a few ingredients and tonight it's a chicken salad. A chicken breast is marinated in soy and ginger then grilled till cooked through, allowed to cool, then sliced. I tossed with shaved carrots, arugula, cilantro in a basic soy vinaigrette with a sprinkle of white sesame seeds over the top.

The Hawaiian Classic, Poke

Shoyu Ahi Poke* 

A Variety of Poke a the Market

The State dish? could be and found in almost every market in the state of Hawaii, Poke. A cold salad of mostly raw or cooked seafood dressed in soy sauce, sesame oil, Maui sweet onion, seaweed and chili peppers. There are lots of variations of seafood used but Ahi (Yellowfin tuna) is the most typical. The history of Poke dates back many years but started gaining in popularity in the 1970s to the level its at today where its eaten almost daily as a snack or maybe in a rice bowl as a meal. Sold by weight in little plastic tubs starting at around $10 U.S. dollars a pound to maybe $16 or more for better grade fish.

* Note: Shoyu Ahi Poke is a basic salad seasoned with Sesame oil, Soy Sauce and Onions  

Garden Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Summer Heirloom Tomato and Lemon Cucumber Salad

Late Summer is the time of year when tomato plants are in full production, and coming up with ways to use them all is a fun challenge. I was recently given a basket of really nice home grown sun gold and yellow pear tomatoes with a few lemon cucumbers. A salad was my first thought and its a great way to fully taste the tomatoes without masking their perfect flavor. Lemon cucumbers look and are about the same size of a lemon with mild flavor.

Summer Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
Ripe Tomatoes, sliced
Cucumber, peeled/sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Quality White Vinegar (Maybe Champagne)
Fresh picked Herbs (Parsley, Oregano, Thyme)
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper

Method:
1. Arrange the Vegetables and Drizzle with the Olive oil and Vinegar.
2. Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper.
3. Scatter with the Herbs.

Note: Other ingredients can be added like Parmesan, Red Onions, Avocado, Etc.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Papaya and Currants

Tonight I made a Chicken and Fruit Salad with Tropical Asian Flavors, Great on a warm evening.

Grilled Chicken & Papaya Salad

Ingredients:

3 Chicken Thighs

2 cups Mexican Papaya

1/2 cup Dried Currants

1 bunch Spinach, washed & Dried

1 bunch Arugula, washed & Dried

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1 small knob Ginger

1 T Soy Sauce

1 clove Garlic

1 T Lime Juice

2 T Rice Wine Vinegar

1 cup Olive oil

1 T Brown Sugar

Kosher Salt/Pepper

Method:

1. Make the dressing in a blender with the peeled ginger, garlic, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce and a touch of brown sugar. Blend till smooth & check for proper seasoning. (Use some of this dressing to marinate the chicken, reserve the rest for the salad)

2. Clean and dice the papaya and add to a bowl with the washed greens; scatter with currants.

3. Cook the chicken on a hot grill till done; allow to cool the slice and add to the salad.

4. Toss the salad with some of the reserved dressing.

Yield 2-3

Note: Allow 1-2 Chicken Thighs per person, Toasted Coconut with be a nice addition giving a crunchy texture.

Grilled Chicken with Papaya and Currants

A taste of Spring at work

Spring Salmon Salad

This week at work I was inspired by all the Spring produce that's beginning to appear on the market now. I chose to make a salad using salmon because of its mass appeal and health benefits. Also in this recipe I prepared freshly shucked English peas, locally grown asparagus, orange segments and tender butter lettuce. The dressing that tied it all together, was a citrus and tarragon with shallots. The salad was very well received by all the guests, and that makes everyone happy.

Ingredients:
5 oz Salmon fillet, boneless, skinless
1 orange cleaned and segmented
5-6 English peas, shucked
3 medium asparagus, cut into bite size pieces 
1/2 head butter lettuce, washed and dried
Kosher Salt/Pepper
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1 dash Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Orange Juice
1 tablespoon Lime Juice
1 Pinch fresh Tarragon, chopped
1/2 Shallot, fine chopped

Method:
1. Season the salmon with the salt and pepper, Sear in a hot saute pan with a dash of olive oil.
2. Place pan in oven till just cooked through, remove and cool.
3. In lightly salted boiling water place the peas and asparagus in, cook till tender but firm, plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process, drain well*
4. Blend the bottom ingredients to make the dressing, a pinch of sugar can help if too tart.
5. Lightly dress the greens and place in center of plate, top with the Salmon, Orange Segments, Asparagus and Peas, drizzle more dressing over fish.

Yield=1
*Note: This method of cooking is whats known as "Blanching and Shocking"

It's getting to feel a lot like Summer

The days are now longer and the sun is feeling warmer, with that comes the warm weather foods I like to make. This past weekend I made a few recipes with foods I bought from my local farmers market in Marin County, California. They included a variety of citrus fruits, fennel bulb and some amazing Gigantes beans. To start, I marinated organic boneless chicken thighs with fresh picked oregano, chopped garlic, Meyer lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. While the chicken absorbed the flavors, I slowly cooked the beans till tender and creamy soft. I then tossed in more extra virgin olive oil and then added olives and grilled red onions. A side salad was made of shaved fennel, parsley, grapefruit and tangerine segments. After the chicken is grilled, it's all arranged on a platter and served room temperature. Easy, with big bold flavors and a good start to the warm weather season.

Shaved Fennel and Citrus Salad

Gigantes Bean, Olive and Grilled Onion Salad

Grilled Marinated Chicken Thighs

Golden Beet & Peach Salad

Summer Fruit Salad

I made a salad the other night using marinated golden beets and ripe Summer peaches. I harvested some greens from the garden to go along with them all tossed in a simple sherry vinaigrette. The fruit and vegetables gave just the perfect amount sweetness to balance the acid from the vinegar.

Fall Golden Beet & Apple Salad

Fall Beets with Fennel, Apple, Orange and Arugula

It's definitely fall now with shorter days and cooler nights; with that we eat foods that reflect the new season. Tonight I put together a simple salad using roasted golden beets with baby arugula, thin shaved fennel bulb and apple. Next I removed the segments of an orange and tossed that in with the vegetables. To dress this salad I made a vinaigrette using orange juice, extra virgin olive oil and micro-planed orange zest. Simple, colorful and very good.

Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Salad

I made a Summer salad for a group the other day which was composed of colorful heirloom tomatoes, red and yellow watermelon, shaved feta cheese, micro arugula and drizzled with a sherry vinaigrette. All in season and perfect for a hot Summer day.

Farro, Old Grain with New Interest

The food world is rediscovering older foods and making them trendy, one of those is Farro. Its a wheat grain that has different names depending on where its from, in Italy its called Farro, in Germany it might be known as Spelt, in the US its often called Wheatberries or maybe Barley. I like it because it has a dense nutty and meaty texture. I have noticed that it has a flavor like Bulger so I made a Tabbouleh with it. The famous Syrian salad made with Bulger, parsley, tomato, lemon juice and olive oil. I had a nice peice of Feta cheese so I crumbled it and added to the salad.

Farro Tabbouleh

Ingredients:

1 cup Farro, cooked

1 bunch Flat leaf Parsley, chopped

1 Tomato, diced

2 T Lemon juice

3 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher salt, to taste

Fresh Pepper

Feta cheese (Optional)

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients together, serve at room temperture.

I served my salad along with a lemon and oregano infused roast chicken.

Summer Tomato Avocado Salad

Another delicious way of using Summer tomatoes is with this very flavorful and colorful salad. I paired Heirloom cherry tomatoes with perfectly ripe Hass Avocados and sliced red onions, a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to finish. Sometimes I don't like to use this dark vinegar because its color will ruin the look of the bright salad, use a good white vinegar instead.

Fresh Garden Salad

With Tomatoes and green beans now being harvested in my back yard I chose to make a simple vegetable salad with them. The green beans were blanched in salted water, Roma Cherry tomatoes sliced, chopped Italian parsley and Thyme then dressed with extra virgin olive oil and a dash of Sherry vinegar. So simple and so good.

Grilled Stone Fruit Salad

Stone fruits are fruits that have pits in the center such as peaches, apricots and plums. They are in season now and I bought a large variety to eat and use in different preparations.  A good way to use them is to grill them, which gives them a slightly charred and smoky flavor. I chose to make a salad using grilled plums and peaches with organic mixed greens, thin sliced prosciutto, grilled corn and red onions. Lots of good flavors and textures, smoky and sweet fruit, salty ham and crunchy corn kernels all lightly dressed with extra virgin olive oil and sherry vinaigrette.

Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken

The Caesar salad can be be found on almost every menu here in California, there are lots of variation's but the most common is crispy romaine lettuce, croutons, shaved Parmesan cheese and a tangy creamy garlic dressing. The origin of where it originated is not known for sure but the story of Caesar Cardini in Tijuana Mexico is the best known, one busy 4th of July in 1924 he ran out of most of his restaurants food and came up with the salad with what he had on hand.

The biggest concern with Caesar salad in restaurants is that the dressing is often made with raw eggs which has the risk of Salmonella infection, it's rare and the acid in the dressing can help. I avoid the risk by using store bought mayonnaise as the base and adding Dijon mustard, lemon juice, garlic and anchovy paste. Tonight's salad had grilled chicken breast and crispy pita chips for crunch. Lots of different variations can be used such as chicken, shrimp, salmon, bacon and avocados.

Two Bean Salad

I made a quick flavorful bean salad using young green beans and shelled soy beans with a simple vinaigrette, a pinch of chopped thyme from the garden completes the meal.  Very simple yet so good.

Lamb Loin Salad

Tied and Marinated

Pan Roasted Lamb Loin

Lamb and Arugula Salad

A popular Springtime food is lamb and I wanted to use it in a simple salad. I made a variation of this salad for a cooking interview with Chef Bradley Ogden many years ago. This time a lamb loin was tied with kitchen string and marinated overnight with Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, fresh rosemary and garlic. Next I seasoned it with salt and pepper and browned in a hot saute pan in a touch of olive oil, then put the pan into a hot oven to finish cooking. While the lamb was cooking, I put together a few ingredients for a simple salad, arugula, caramelized onions and a creamy tarragon dressing. The cooked lamb after a brief rest was thinly sliced and place on the dressed greens. I did get the job many years ago, and doing this salad always reminds me of that.

Yellow Beet, Orange and Apple Salad

With all of the rain we have been getting this week a bright and colorful salad is in order. Very simple with only a few ingredients and the time it takes to cook the small beets.

Ingredients:

1 Fuju apple, washed and sliced lengthwise

3 small beets, simmered unpeeled till tender

1 orange, zest and segments removed

1 dash extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon good white vinegar

1 pinch Parsley, rough chopped

Pinch of kosher salt/fresh cracked pepper

Method:

1. Start by cooking the beets in simmering water, about 15-20 minutes.

2. Prepare the rest of the ingredients while the beets cook.

3. Peel and slice the beets, allow to cool before adding to the salad.

4. Toss all ingredients together and check for additional seasoning

Yield = 2

Greek Style Heirloom Tomato Salad

I made a simple Greek salad using a amazing heirloom tomatoes that I bought at the weekend farmers market. Really fast and simple with a lot of flavor.

Ingredients:
1 Heirloom Tomato, sliced
1 pinch Red Onions, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon Feta cheese
3 Green Olives, pitted
1 pinch fresh Oregano
1 splash Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dash of Good red wine vinegar
Sea Salt/Black Pepper

Method:
1. Arrange sliced tomatoes on platter.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients over the tomatoes.
3. Season with Sea Salt and Cracked Peppercorns.
Note: Sliced Cucumbers are a great addition.

Orzo Pasta Salad with Olive, Feta and Radicchio

Orzo Pasta Salad

I made a very flavorfull and colorfull salad at work the other day, it has a lot of ingredients that I love like Radicchio, Kalamata olives, Feta Cheese, Fresh Basil and sun dried Tomaoes. I used orzo pasta which resemble grains of rice and quickly grilled the radicchio which gives it a slight smoky flavor.

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked Orzo pasta

1/4 cup slice Kalamata olives

2 each lightly grilled Radicchio

1/4 cup Feta cheese

handfull Fresh Basil Leafs

1/4 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes

Pinch whole Flat Leaf Parsley

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons Sherry Vinegar

Kosher Salt/Fresh Cracked Pepper

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients and add salt to taste (note: the feta and olives are salty)

Grilled Pepper Salad

Tri Color Pepper Salad

A really good and easy salad to make is roasted peppers dressing with extra virgin olive oil and a splash of good quality vinegar, some chopped herbs like basil or oregano and its done. This simple salad was made with green, yellow and red peppers, charred black on the grill then cleaned of the charred skin and sliced, next drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a dash of Chianti vinegar, chopped oregano and parsley to finish. The salad will be better the next day when the flavors have a chance to blend. Try this salad with a piece of grilled fish on a hot summer day.