Salad

Poached-Chicken Salad Roll Up with Creamy Vinaigrette
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Poached-Chicken Salad Roll Up with Creamy Vinaigrette

Adapted from a recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen

Had to use what I had on hand.

Yield: Serves 4

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • Two 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium shallot, halved and thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 10 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 2 cups chicken broth or stock
  • 1 cup water
  • 1.5 Tbsp. lemon juice or the left over lemon from juicing

 

  • Whole wheat roll up (low carb)

Salad

  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds or more
  • 2 Tbsp. Lemon juice or juice of one lemon
  • 1 Tbsp. Trader Joe’s Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 celery stalks–trimmed, peeled and thinly sliced on a bias
  • 3 scallions, white and light green part only, thinly sliced

How:

Poach the chicken: Set the chicken on a plate and season with ½ teaspoon of the salt. Set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add the olive oil, shallot and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the shallot is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme sprigs, bay leaves and remaining 2 teaspoons of salt, then pour in the chicken broth and water.

If using whole lemon, juice the lemon and set the lemon juice aside for the vinaigrette. Add the juiced lemon halves or 1.5 Tablespoons juice to the saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer, then add the chicken breasts and reduce the heat to low. Gently cook the chicken in the broth until it registers 160° on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool the chicken in the broth for 10 minutes, then remove the chicken breasts from the broth and set on a paper-towel-lined plate to cool for 10 minutes. When the chicken breasts are cool enough to handle, use two forks to shred them into shards. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, tarragon and salt together. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until all of the olive oil is added and the vinaigrette is thick and creamy. Add the pulled chicken to the bowl along with the sunflower seeds, celery and scallions. Gently toss to coat and serve on roll up, buns or wrapped in lettuce leaves.

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Spicy Blue Potatoes & Corn Salad.

I wondered why I open the lower frig draw and saw blue or purple potatoes, I’m color blind can’t tell the difference, was Lyn hinting she wanted something different, was she challenging my adventurousness? Then she came to me and said those words I have heard so many times before, “Do you think you could make this?”(from  Isa Chandra Moskowitz). Sure no problem but what will we have with it, soon there was a trip to the meat market and a steak, pork chop and a couple of pounds of ground sirloin later we were headed back to our kitchen. Who would have thought a few potatoes could lead to a trip to the Meat House. New butcher shop we found via LivingSocials so we decided to try it we will compare to Wholefoods quality. Forget about what we have in the freezer this called for fresh meat.

Serves 6

Prep 20 minutes

Total time includes cooling about 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 ears of corn  ( about 2 ¼ cups of frozen kernels)
  • 3 Pounds Blue potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” pieces
  • 3 table spoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 canned chipotles, seeded and mashed into a paste
  • 2 Tbsp. Adobe sauce from the chipotles can
  • 2 tsp. of grape seed oil (I did not have grape seed oil, so olive oil for me)
  • 1 tsp. light agave nectar
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. garlic grated or minced very fine
  • 1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans. Drained and rinsed
  • 2 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion (I did not have red onions but had shallots so I used them)1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro mixed greens for serving. Smoked paprika (optional)
  • ¼ red bell pepper finely chopped (Steve tweak)

How

Prepare your steamer while you prep the veggies.

First steam the corn about 5 minutes if on cob, about 2 minutes if frozen kernels. Remove the corn from the steamer put aside to cool.

Place the potatoes in the steamer and steam for about 7-8 minutes until tender enough to pierce with a fork, but not falling apart.  Remove and set aside to cool.

In the meantime, preparing the dressing.  Note: I usually just put the ingredients together in a bowl eyeing the measurements but decided to take a picture hence the little bowls that Lyn got me a while back for prepping. In a small mixing bowl stir together the vinegar, chipotles, adobo, oil, agave, water, and salt. Grate in the garlic or add the minced garlic.

When the corn is cool enough to handle, place in a larger mixing bowl pointy side up. Steve Hint: I like to place a small cup or bowl bottom side up inside the bowl and place the flat side on the cob on the bowl bottom making a stand. This makes it easier to run you knife along the corn cob removing the kernels from the cob. Break apart separating kernels. If using frozen corn then all that is done already isn’t it.

Fold in the cooled potatoes, pinto beans, red pepper and red onion (shallot).

Add the dressing and toss to coat. Mix in the cilantro and taste for salt.  You can add the paprika now to taste if you want. Chill until ready to serve on top of some mixed greens

Steve tweak: Instead of steaming the corn on the cob I would grill on the BBQ that would add a smoky flavor and sweeten up the corn little.