Tasty Bites: All-Dressed-Up Chicken Salad

By Beth V

One of my favorite make-ahead lunch meals is chicken salad. Sometimes when we have had lunch company after church, I’ve made this chicken salad the day before so that it can be eaten quickly and easily when the hungry crew arrives. This recipe is delicious- lots of flavors and textures that complement each other very nicely. This is not your average chicken salad, although I enjoy traditional chicken salad as well. This chicken salad feels special enough to serve for a special tea or shower celebration or just to treat your family by keeping it in the refrigerator for lunches during the week.

If you have leftover chicken, feel free to use it, but if you are starting from scratch, here is my favorite way to make chicken for chicken salad. I use 3 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the chicken on a baking sheet coated with foil or cooking spray. Brush the chicken with olive oil or spray the chicken with cooking spray.  Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt, pepper and garlic powder. When the oven is preheated, place in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.  Immediately remove the chicken from the oven and tent with foil for at least 15 minutes.  The chicken will continue cooking during those 15 minutes and the juices will distribute themselves evenly throughout the meat. Allow the chicken to cool until you are able to handle it comfortably with your fingers. Remove the skin and pull the meat off either by shredding it with two forks, or just pulling it apart with your fingers.  I think shredded chicken makes for the best-textured chicken salad. And when you cook it just until done and not a minute more, the chicken is so tender and juicy and easy to shred.

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Tasty Bites: Strawberry Poppy Seed and Chicken Salad a la Panera

By Beth V

I recently visited Panera  and ordered their Strawberry Poppy Seed and Chicken salad. It was so delicious! I loved all of the varieties of fruit and I decided that I must recreate it at home so I could enjoy it any time! My version is slightly different than Panera’s, but this salad is loaded with flavor and great texture and nutrition. This salad is like a green salad combined with a fruit salad and the chicken and almonds add amazing taste and crunch, not to mention protein.

Start by layering a platter, or plate if making an individual portion, with baby spinach leaves.  The platter allows the perfect greens to toppings ratio and everything gets nicely coated with dressing. It solves the problem of toppings falling to the bottom of the bowl, or greens at the bottom of the bowl being untouched by dressing. Panera uses Romaine lettuce, but I love using spinach leaves because they require no chopping, they taste great and they have so much more nutritional value than almost any other type of lettuce. Next, add a sprinkling of very thin slices of red onion.

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Tasty Bites: Bountiful Bean Salad

By Beth V

My next couple of recipes are going to be summer salads that are perfect for making ahead and keeping in the fridge to munch on at family meals or to bring to your next summer potluck picnic. Theses are tried and true recipes that have been raved over and requested again and again.

Today’s recipe is from my sister, Bonnie. It is super-nutritious with beans, corn, mozzarella, tomatoes, scallions, red onion and cilantro all bathed in a delicious homemade balsamic vinaigrette. It is fresh and healthy with a superb combination of flavors. 

First, we are going to make the deliciously simple balsamic vinaigrette. Grab a large jar with a tight-fitting lid and add 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar ( I like Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, inexpensive and found at Wal-Mart and most grocery stores), 2 tablespoons spicy brown or Dijon mustard, ¾ cups oil (more on this in a minute), ½ tsp salt, a couple of shakes of pepper and 1 tablespoon of sugar. The sugar is optional. I think a little extra sweetness adds to the dressing, but feel free to omit it or replace it with Splenda or another substitute. Put the lid on and shake well to combine. Now, a note on the oil - I prefer to use half extra virgin olive oil and half canola oil. The canola has the same types of unsaturated, omega-3 fats as the olive oil. The reason behind this is that the olive oil congeals under refrigeration, so the dressing needs to come to room temperature a bit before it can be shaken up. The addition of the canola oil keeps the dressing from congealing and also reduces the cost of the dressing as a side-benefit. You will use half the dressing in this recipe, use the rest on your favorite salad or store it in the refrigerator for 3 weeks or more for the next time you make this yummy salad.

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Tasty Bites: Simple Shrimp Salad

By Beth V

It is hard to beat a good shrimp salad sandwich. People are willing to pay quite a bit to buy them at restaurants and with good reason….they are a wonderful treat.  You will be surprised how incredibly easy this is to put together and the payoff is really delicious.

Start with one pound of medium-sized shrimp. I started with a 1-lb bag of frozen shrimp from Aldi that cost about $4. You can also start with shrimp you’ve had steamed at the supermarket or even frozen, already-cooked shrimp.

To steam these shrimp, I followed the recipe on the container of Old Bay seasoning.  For a pound of shrimp, combine 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ cup of water, and ½ cup of white vinegar. Bring this to boil in a sauce pan or steamer pan. Add the shrimp, cover and allow to steam just until opaque and pink.  You really want to guard against overcooking…rubbery-textured shrimp salad is just not quite the same.

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Tasty Bites: Scalloped Potatoes and Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad

By Beth V

Whether you are hosting an Easter meal or taking a dish to share with family and friends, I hope you will try and enjoy these two recipes. The scalloped potatoes recipe comes from Julia Child. It amazes me how potatoes, butter, salt, pepper, shredded cheese and cream + time in the oven come together to create such amazing flavor and texture. The secret is low heat and slow cooking. These humble ingredients are magically transformed into something much greater than the sum of their parts.

The Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad is my favorite salad for spring. Spinach, thinly sliced red onion, sliced strawberries, crumbled feta cheese and toasted walnuts topped with a creamy poppy seed dressing - another example of simple flavors that come together in a unique and delicious way.

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