Tag Archives: green onions

Chinese Chicken Salad

19 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by in Chicken, Easy, LuLu's Classics, Main Dish, Pasta, Weeknight Meals

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Chinese Chicken Salad

This Chinese Chicken Salad is one of our favorite 90’s throwback recipes. First of all…it’s called Chinese Chicken Salad. It’s not even a real salad, but I just couldn’t call it by a different name. If I am going to live in a world where this is considered salad…I’m ok with that. We can continue to discuss why this salad isn’t very PC…but instead I’m just going to stop there and say…Long live the 90’s.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Years later, I can see why my mom made this “salad” all of the time. It’s super easy to throw together, it only gets better after a day in the fridge, and it’s a cure-all for the famous “there’s nothing to eat around here.” Work lunches? Check! Late night cravings? Check! It really is the quintessential salad to eat while standing in front of an open fridge door. Chinese Chicken Salad is a classic for a reason!

Chinese Chicken Salad

We haven’t made many changes since the 90’s, because it’s pretty darn good just the way it is. These days I make it with whole wheat pasta, and after taking the photos we realized sesame seeds were a pretty necessary addition. And Sriracha, did it even exist in the 90’s?!? My mind wants to think it did exist before internet memes and before the obsession got a little out of control, but of course, nobody really remembers life before the internet, or Sriracha. Wait…

Chinese Chicken Salad ADD SRIRACHA

Recipe
Chinese Chicken Salad
by Lulu
Makes about 6-8 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (12 oz) package whole wheat angel hair pasta
  • 3-4 chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup diced green onions
  • 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (cherry tomatoes also work well here)
  • 1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes (I used ones that weren’t packed in oil, if that’s all you have, that’s ok – just drain them well)

for the dressing:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup sesame oil
  • 2/3 cup rice vinegar

optional add-ins:

  • sriracha to add to the finished salad for some kick
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • baby corn, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • if anyone has any other add-in ideas, let me know!

Directions

Prepare the chicken: Do whatever way is easiest for you. I preheated the oven to 400F and added some salt and some asian spice seasoning I had to the chicken and baked them until they were done, about 20 minutes. You can poach the chicken, use rotisserie chicken, whatever works! Just make sure the chicken is cooked. This would not but good with raw chicken.

Add all of the dressing ingredients to a jar, close the lid, and shake! I suppose you could whisk everything together, but vigorously shaking this dressing in a jar is the only way we have ever done it. Make sure you give the dressing enough time to marinate, you want to make sure all the sugar gets dissolved.

Cook pasta according to package instructions and drain. Add pasta to a large bowl, shake the dressing one more time, and add about half of it to the pasta and mix well. Dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the pasta. Add the green onion, tomatoes, and sundried tomatoes. Add the rest of the dressing and mix well again. While you can serve immediately, this salad usually tastes better after a night in the refrigerator. Lasts in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Semi-Homemade Poutine

27 Sunday Apr 2014

Posted by in Appetizers, Main Dish, Side Dish

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Poutine
So…poutine. Have you ever had it? It’s one of those dishes that many would refuse to order because it’s not very good for you…Fries + Gravy + Cheese Curds + whatever other ridiculous thing you may want to add (bacon? pulled pork? fried egg? we’re already being sinful, may as well go all out)!
Poutine
Poutine is a Canadian concoction that has made its way onto menus around the northwest. I have had a few different versions…one was lobster poutine on a trip to BC, and it was an awesome decision. There have also been many reviews that Canadian Burger King’s have really good poutine. In my opinion – poutine is something you have to try at least once.

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Spicy Black Bean & Quinoa Salad with Mole Vinaigrette

19 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by in Easy, Healthy, Meatless Monday, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian, Weeknight Meals

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Black Bean Quinoa Salad

 

We threw this together on a whim last night for dinner. It came together super easy and quick. It’s super healthy and flavorful. It’s totally portable and I’m probably going to bring it to work for lunch everyday. What more could you ask for, really?!?

To top it off, this salad is VEGAN!!! I was a tad skeptical of the “mole” vinaigrette, I don’t usually go for the mole dishes because I like to eat my chocolate AFTER dinner, thank you very much. But overall, the cocoa undertones are subtle and the chipotle gives it a nice spicy kick. This is not your everyday salad, although you may find yourself wishing you could eat it on a daily basis…

Recipe
Spicy Black Bean & Quinoa Salad with Mole Vinaigrette
adapted from Cooking Light
makes about 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

  • 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
  • 3/4 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Salad:

  • 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 2-4 chopped mini peppers (or chopped bell peppers, fresno peppers, etc)
  • 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups baby spinach leaves

Directions

  1. Cook the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa well. Combine 1 cup quinoa and 1 cup water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes until you can fluff quinoa with a fork. Let cool.
  2. Make the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl except for the olive oil; gradually add oil, stirring well with a whisk.
  3. Combine cooled quinoa and all salad ingredients except for the spinach in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Add spinach; toss to combine.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

06 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by in Appetizers, Entertaining, Events, Holidays

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Stuffed MushroomsThere are so many stuffed mushroom recipes out there it was hard to pick one for our Thanksgiving appetizers! I thought this recipe from Ina Garten was the closest to the other stuffed mushroom recipes I have tried that I enjoyed so much. Getting a good picture of your food on Thanksgiving Day, well, that’s a different story…

Recipe
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
adapted from Ina Garten
makes 25 mushrooms

Ingredients
25 extra-large white mushrooms
5 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons Marsala wine, medium sherry, or white wine
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
6 scallions, white and green parts, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup panko or bread crumbs
5 – 6 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and Marsala (or sherry or wine). Set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it’s completely browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients. Finally, swirl in the mascarpone and continue cooking until the mascarpone has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste, Cool slightly.

Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. If you are finding not very much stuffing is fitting into your mushroom, you may want to take a melon baller or similar kitchen tool to hollow out the mushrooms more. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer. Add another dusting of parmesan cheese on top, if you wish. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.

NOTE: You may have some leftover stuffing, I know I did! You can save the stuffing and make an instantly delicious egg scramble the next morning. Bonus!

Cottage Cheese Salad

28 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Bloggerific, Easy, Healthy, Salad, Side Dish

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A healthy weeknight alternative to your average salad.

Cottage cheese just ain’t for canned pineapple and peaches anymore…Who knew it would taste so good mixed with veggies? I certainly didn’t. I feel like everyone I know hates cottage cheese. In fact, I had completely forgotten it existed until I stumbled upon this super easy recipe.

start by slicing your veggies - cucumbers, grape tomatoes, black olives, and green onions.

Scoop on about a cup of cottage cheese - give or take. Depends on preference.

sprinkle on some seasonings...

The recipe I found called for Za’atar, which according to the “always accurate” Wikipedia is a mix of Middle Eastern herbs. I couldn’t find it at the store, so I improvised and added some dried oregano, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Not sure if they all had the same effect but everything still ended up tasting great!

Recipe

Cottage Cheese Salad

from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 4 small Persian (also called mini) cucumbers, cut in fourths lengthwise and then into slices. (Regular cucumbers work here as well, but only use 1)
  • 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes (grape tomatoes work great!)
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
  • about 2 T olive oil
  • sprinkle of herbs (oregano, basil, thyme, salt & pepper. OR Za’atar if you can find it)

Instructions:

Cut the cucumbers into fourths lengthwise and then cut into slices. Dice the tomatoes, slice the green onions, and slice the olives.  Combine the vegetables in a salad bowl, large enough to toss the ingredients together.

Put the cottage cheese on top of the tossed vegetables.  Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil, sprinkle with herbs to taste, and toss again. Great right away but I might even like it better the next day…

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

15 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Baking, Breads, Easy, Side Dish

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Cornbread. So easy to make at home. Never, ever use one of those box mixes, from scratch is just as simple.

I secretly prefer my cornbread on the sweeter side – aka with tons of honey and butter. But this recipe is great, because everyone knows Ina would never screw up cornbread. You can secretly put honey and butter on it like me and it still tastes good.

Recipe

from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Makes 12 large squares

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease the pan
  • 8 ounces aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided
  • 1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish, 3 scallions
  • 3 tablespoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers

Directions

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don’t overmix! Mix in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar, the scallions and jalapenos, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Delicious served with soups – especially chili.